Marietta OKs bond referendum for parks

By RALPH ELLIS

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

For the Marietta City Council, the Nov. 3 election will be no walk in the park.

A divided council voted Wednesday night to place on the ballot a $25 million, 20-year bond referendum to improve and expand the city park system.

The council has long argued about the city’s 19 parks, two recreation centers and two sports complexes. For at least a year and a half it talked about improvements but couldn’t agree on how to split up money among the seven city wards. The council hopes to come up with specifics before the election.

The Wednesday vote was 4-3, with Philip Goldstein, Anthony Coleman and Annette Lewis wanting to keep the question off the ballot entirely. Lewis said she was “ashamed” the council disagreed so much on how to divvy up the money. Goldstein said residents don’t need to pay more taxes during difficult economic times. Coleman said he heard that sentiment from voters as he canvassed neighborhoods.

If the bond passes, the owner of a $100,000 house would see city taxes go up $24.56 a year.

But Holly Walquist said this is the right time for the bond because the city can find good land deals and create jobs with park upgrades. Irvan Pearlberg said he didn’t like the attitude that the council should presume what’s best for the public.

“Our job is to put it up to them and let them make the decision,” Pearlberg said.

The council discussed a $30 million bond, but Walquist moved to lower the amount to $25 million. After the meeting, she said residents told her $30 million was too much. Others objected to improving parks along Franklin Road, home to many low-income residents, including some illegal immigrants.

The debate briefly turned nasty when Mayor Bill Dunaway accused Goldstein of opposing the referendum not because of concern for constituents but because he and his family own much of the property on the town square.

“You don’t want to increase your property taxes,” Dunaway said.

Goldstein didn’t respond directly, saying that people who can’t win an argument on “the facts” resort to character attacks.

University of Georgia political scientist Charles Bullock said Thursday that local referenda usually pass during “low-salient elections,” meaning “not much is happening on the ballot.” That describes the Nov. 3 Marietta election, which will put the mayor’s seat and all seven council posts up for grabs but includes no legislative, county, state or federal races.

“The people who turn out are the ones who are interested,” Bullock said.