Four years ago, Kurt Wilson said he ran to be Roswell’s mayor because he believed change was needed — not because he wanted the job.
“Believe me, I would not have run for office if things were good,” said Wilson, who handily defeated the incumbent and another candidate in 2021. “I ran for office, not because I had a great political hankering to run for mayor. This is a terrible job. I would not recommend this job to anybody.”
Now two candidates have qualified to run against Wilson who each think the city still needs big changes in leadership.
Steve Dorvee said he only entered the race at the urging of Wilson’s critics.
“I think we need to respect the public and listen to them,” said Dorvee, a former Roswell City Council member. He added that Wilson has “had all of these grandiose plans but no implementation, and I think his platform is going to be, well, just wait till after the election.”
Mary Robichaux, a former Georgia state representative, said she, too, is running because of dissatisfaction with the current administration. Robichaux said Wilson and the council are making decisions without enough community input and failing to be transparent about the city’s spending.
“It’s our tax dollars,” Robichaux said. “And I believe we need to know how it’s being spent, what is being spent, what kind of debt are we going into in the future.”
Credit: handouts
Credit: handouts
Outspoken critics
This election season already has been punctuated by some loud voices of dissatisfaction with city leadership.
In a letter made public earlier this month, 21 former elected officials called on Wilson and council members to pause development at Mimosa Hall & Gardens until an independent review and a “formal historical impact assessment” can be done with input from preservation experts.
The removal of trees outside the antebellum property — which is the site of a redevelopment project meant to connect green spaces — prompted an outcry in June.
Among other demands, the letter calls for an “independent, transparent, third-party audit of recent consulting contracts, land purchases, and capital allocations to verify that voter-approved bond and T-SPLOST promises have been honored.”
Wilson, 63, brushed aside his critics as “not serious people, not serious about solving issues” and said he’s too busy getting things done to waste much time or energy “dignifying other people’s nonsense.
“It’s just miserable, all the hate and made-up stories and false narratives,” he said.
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com
Far from lacking transparency, he called his administration an “open book” focused on economic development, fixing issues like transportation, parking and addressing other infrastructure needs.
Wilson said he focused on economic development in his first term adding that the city had no economic development strategy when he took office. Earlier this month the city broke ground on a 395-space parking deck at 1054 Alpharetta St. in downtown Roswell.
The city also has announced plans for a major development adjacent to City Hall on Hill Street to include about 80,000 square feet of commercial space, apartments and townhomes, about 485 parking spaces, and an open-air public plaza.
Both Dorvee and Robichaux criticized current leaders for allowing only city residents to speak at open forum meetings and regular council meetings. Nonresidents are prohibited from public comment, even if they run a business in the city.
“That’s wrong,” Robichaux said. “Anyone should have a right to speak at City Council.”
Dorvee and Robichaux, who served two terms as a Democratic state representative until 2023, said the destruction of trees outside Mimosa Hall showed a lack of respect for Roswell’s historic resources. Dorvee called it a “debacle,” a “catalyst” and “the tipping point.”
Robichaux said: “It seemed as if, within a day, they cut over 4 acres of the land to put up basically an event tent and parking for special events, which in my opinion, I’m not sure Roswell truly needs. We have quite a few privately owned businesses that do that. I don’t believe the city should be competing with our private businesses.”
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Robichaux, 69, who is retired from the health care industry and has lived in Roswell about 32 years, said that the city is a “great place for families.” She noted that she raised her twin sons in Roswell and they attended public school.
“We do have a lot of Old World charm,” she added. “Roswell is unique in the historical aspects that we have, and we need to build on that while still going forward to the future.”
Dorvee, 68, who has lived in Roswell about 42 years, criticized the city for paying up to $2 million per year to its economic development consultant, Seer World. Seer also is helping the city locate and negotiate land for a United Soccer League stadium and entertainment district, under a $250,000 agreement, city officials said.
“I feel like Roswell is being run by a consultant, not by the staff,” Dorvee said.
He also called out the city for anticipating $2.2 million in its budget for “parking charges,” which he said was to “balance the budget.”
The city has revised that projection to $170,000, a reduction of about $2 million. Officials explained they did not need to spend as much because they did not “activate the plan associated with the $2.2 million in revenue.”
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