When Dave Gregory Walker strode to the podium to speak at Atlanta City Council meetings, the elected officials gave him their attention.
It was not always comfortable when he took them to task, but they knew that the City Hall watchdog in his signature hospital scrubs and New York Yankees baseball cap had done his homework.
“I told him he attended more meetings than some council members,” said Councilman C.T. Martin. “He was well-read on the state of affairs in the city and the world. He was a positive person in spite of sometimes being harsh. I think he made a great impact on keeping council people honest.”
Walker of Atlanta died July 5 after a long illness at the age of 70. His funeral was Saturday at Gus Thornhill Funeral Home Chapel in East Point, followed by a repast in the Old Council Chambers at City Hall.
For more than 30 years, he was a fixture at City Hall, attending nearly every council or committee meeting and dispensing “truth to power” with brevity, bravado and bite.
“When he came to City Hall, we knew that he had studied the issues he was addressing,” said Councilwoman Mary Norwood. “He could come on strong, but was never rude. He was prepared and thoughtful and chose his words very cleverly to get our attention … and he would expect us to do right.”
Other citizen advocates respected Walker for inspiring other residents to speak out on issues they cared about, said longtime City Hall senior advocate Ben Howard, a self-described “Dave Walker Wannabe.”
“He paved the way for other people to come to the microphone and to be unafraid,” Howard said. “Through his cleverness, bravado and wit, he set an example for others who might be too timid to come to City Hall and stare in the face of 15 City Council members.”
Walker once claimed that he spent about 50 hours each week at City Hall, poring over agendas, proposed legislation and procedures before weighing in on deliberations at council and committee meetings. Ethics in government was a major concern, and he filed ethics complaints against some city officials.
“Dave was intelligent, perceptive and passionate about city politics,” said former AJC City Hall reporter Julie Hairston. “Well-read and well-spoken, he was a perennial advocate for ordinary citizens and an effective watchman over the city’s tax dollars. The city is better today because of his devotion.”
Walker also ran unsuccessfully for public office several times, forcing a runoff for City Council president in 2009.
He also released report cards, rating elected officials on their performance. “People didn’t want to admit it, but we paid attention when he did” report cards, said Councilwoman Natalyn Archibong, who represents Walker’s east Atlanta neighborhood. “To have him rate us, since he was down here all the time, made it all the more significant.”
Walker was born on Feb. 21, 1945, in Suffolk, Va. In 1966 he joined the Air Force and volunteered for two tours of duty in Vietnam – in 1967 and 1971.
After leaving the military, he lived briefly in Los Angeles and New York before hitchhiking to Atlanta in 1978, “with 2 cents in my pocket,” he once said.
In 1980, Walker acquired two street vending sites at Five Points, often using his platform on downtown streets to preach to any passers-by within earshot.
Three years later, he launched his citizen advocacy at City Hall. The issues he addressed ran the gamut – from zoning and public safety to traffic and taxes. He also was a strong advocate for veterans causes and served on the city’s street vendor advisory board.
Before his death, people at City Hall were already missing him, Martin said. About a year ago, he had stopped coming to meetings.
On Monday, council members started their meeting with a moment of silence in his honor.
“Many people saw him as a character at City Hall, but he had a private side that was compassionate and caring. He was a community man and a family man,” Archibong said. “I will miss Dave both as a voice at City Hall and as an activist in the community he so cherished and loved.”
Walker is survived by daughters Kimberly Walker and Jessica Walker of East Point and Kathina Anderson of Columbus, N.J.; sons Dave Gregory Walker Jr. of Temple Hills, Md., and David C. Walker of Marietta; former spouse Eloise Walker; sister Doretha Royster; brothers Warren Walker and George Walker and several grandchildren.
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