The leader of the Buckhead cityhood movement is looking for support from members of an influential business group that has long stood in opposition to the controversial movement.
Bill White, the CEO of the Buckhead City Committee, sent a “personal appeal” in the form of an open letter to members of the Buckhead Coalition on Saturday, according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“This needs surgery not bandaids,” White wrote. He went on to say, “Our offer is a sincere and heartfelt one – we welcome meeting with you individually as you desire so that we may brief you on our well thought out and tested plans.
“We would love to have your constructive feedback and input.”
While the lengthy letter was sent to over 120 business leaders in Buckhead, it’s still unclear how effective White’s plea will be in garnering public support for Buckhead cityhood. The coalition and its president, Jim Durrett, have repeatedly spoken out against the cityhood idea in the last year.
Durrett also leads the Buckhead Community Improvement District.
Pursuing such an effort would be unnecessarily divisive, would negatively impact Atlanta and the region, and would not lead to the kind of working relationships we’ll all need to solve the problems we’re facing as a community,” the Buckhead Coalition said in a statement earlier this year.
Reached for comment Monday, a spokeswoman for the coalition referred to the previous statements.
White’s letter focused on the rise in violent crime in Buckhead, and said the new city would increase police presence in the community. It also pointed to ineffective security cameras and license plate readers as hindrances to solving crimes in Atlanta.
White said Monday he received over a dozen receptive responses to the email.
Edward Lindsey, the co-chair of the Committee for a United Atlanta, which advocates against Buckhead cityhood, said White’s claims are unrealistic.
“The fact of the matter is, criminals do not respect city limits signs. You cannot create a checkpoint at Peachtree Creek,” Lindsey, a former state representative, said Monday.
White’s letter said the venture’s feasibility study is almost complete and will show positive results.
In bolded and underlined font, White said: “Buckhead City will be 100% on the ballot next November 2022.”
In actuality, the Buckhead cityhood proposal still has to get through the state House and Senate and be approved by the governor before it would go to a ballot referendum next fall. While the idea has been endorsed by some state lawmakers, it could face significant hurdles after the legislative session kicks off next year.
White later clarified that statement was based on meetings with state representatives and senators, and expressed his group’s confidence in the cityhood endeavor.
