Scott Drake, a second generation Decatur commissioner, told the AJC that he isn’t seeking re-election in November. A local businessman with partnerships in, among others, Moe’s and Joe’s Tavern in Virginia Highlands and The Universal Joint Restaurant Group, Drake said he wants to spend more time with his family.
“My daughters are now 12 and 8, and that work/life balance is getting harder to manage,” he said. “Plus, the commission drains you—when you’re on the commission you don’t have the time to get involved with anything else.”
Drake, 43, served on a number of boards—including chairing Concert on the Square and the Decatur Beach Party, while also a member of the Decatur Business Association Board—prior to becoming commissioner.
He filled the District 1 commission seat vacated by legendary Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd who resigned in December 2012. Drake won a special-called election in March 2013, then defeated Eric Tumperi by a mere128 votes (Drake had 49 percent of the votes to Tumperi’s 45 percent) in November 2015.
Drake cites several city milestones during his tenure:
*Acquiring the former United Methodist Children’s Home property and subsequently completing a master plan for the site.
*An increase in the residential/commercial tax base to 83 percent residential/17 percent commercial. In a November 2014, interview with the AJC, then-City Manager Peggy Merriss said the real property tax digest was 86 percent residential, 14 percent commercial, or about the same she said for 30 years. In the same interview she added, “If we get [the overall commercial tax digest] up to 18 percent I’d be very happy.”
*A far better relationship with the Decatur school board, including occasional joint meetings. “When I got on the commission,” Drake said, “there was virtually no communication with the school board.”
Drake attended Glennwood Elementary, Druid Hills High and graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1997. His father Walt Drake was Decatur mayor in the mid-1970s when Scott was born.
“Maybe the most important thing I learned on the commission is that institutional knowledge is critical,” Drake said. “In this town, there’s a back story to everything. We are old (incorporated in 1823), older than Atlanta. You’ve got to listen, you’ve got to understand why things are done or otherwise you’re just a Monday morning quarterback.”
His is one of three seats up for re-election this year. Mayor Pro Tem Tony Powers previously announced he’s defending his at-large seat, while District 2 Commissioner Brian Smith remains undecided.
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