The winner among four candidates running to become Brookhaven’s first mayor could have outsized power, at least at first.
Voters have nearly two dozen candidates to pick from on Election Day for the mayor’s seat and four City Council posts, all of which represent separate areas of the new city. Brookhaven launches Dec. 17. Running for mayor, the only person who will represent the entire city, are Larry Danese, J. Max Davis, Sandy Murray and Thom Shepard.
By charter, the mayor is mostly tasked with running meetings and serving as the city’s public face. But the small council increases the likelihood that the mayor will vote as a tiebreaker, especially if only the mayor and two council members are elected Nov. 6 in such a large field. If a runoff is needed, it will be Dec. 4.
And the charter also gives the mayor power to move funds within city departments and increase spending if there are “unexpected revenue increases.” Additional spending and committee appointments require council approval.
“There are built-in ideas in the charter that we will have to determine what exactly they mean as the city goes forward,” said Bill Riley, who is acting as the pro bono attorney advising the Governor’s Commission that is helping set up the city.
The candidates disagree on how much authority is vested in the mayor, a part-time job that pays $16,000 a year.
Danese said he had supported the idea of at-large council members, who represent the full city, to help keep neighborhood infighting from stalling city business. His mayoral bid is in part to prevent that.
“I want to foster the notion the whole city needs the help of each one of the council people,” Danese said. “We all have to work together.”
Davis, too, views the mayor’s job as mostly a leadership role. The council setup was in response to citizen concerns, he said, that the northern District 1 area would have too much power in an at-large situation because it has the most registered voters.
The real power lies with the city manager, who will be hired on a recommendation of the mayor with council approval, Davis said.
“I understand for the first few months, we all need to be there quite a bit, but the job of the mayor is really to build consensus,” Davis said. “I understand the limitations of the job beyond that.”
Murray has criticized Davis for accepting donations from potential vendors to the new city. Davis has been open about the donations, saying the city manager will provide direction on choosing vendors.
But Murray said the mayor could still yield considerable power over a manager and has called for full transparency to allow residents to provide the ultimate check.
“We have to make sure our constituents are able to see everything in the open and make themselves heard,” Murray said.
Shepard, who briefly considered suspending his campaign, has put much of his focus on following the bid process for city services. The Governor’s Commission recently posted a call for vendors and will accept those bids by Nov. 23.
All elected officials and those in the December runoff will need to review those proposals, Shepard said, so the city can begin operations with ease on Dec. 17. That short time frame alone will tamp down any authority of the mayor.
“I do see it as more high-profile,” Shepard said, “but I care more about the startup than being mayor later. We have a lot of work to do.”
CANDIDATES FOR MAYOR
Larry Danese
How long lived in Brookhaven: 30 years
Age: Did not answer.
Family: Did not answer.
Education: Bachelor's degree in engineering from University of Florida. Master of Business Administration from Florida International University.
Occupation: Retired engineer
Stance on Brookhaven cityhood before incorporation: Member, Brookhaven Yes.
Reason for running: "I have supported the creation of the city of Brookhaven from the start, beginning with an effort to establish the township of Brookhaven in 2007. I am committed to implementing the promises we have made for the selected services — the same, or better service, at the same or lower cost. That promise can be achieved using contracted services, far fewer city employees, contribution-type retirement programs and a shorter and leaner chain of command in delivering city services and management."
Experience: Former member, DeKalb County planning commission; former member, District Soil and Water Conservation Commission; officer, three homeowner association boards.
Top priority: Ensure that the mechanisms by which the city can receive revenue are in place as soon as possible. Understanding our revenue stream will allow us to better project our expenses as we establish service delivery. It is much easier to just receive the money we should than to recover the money from someone who received it instead.
J. Max Davis
How long lived in Brookhaven: Lifelong resident
Age: 43
Family: Wife, Carrie; children Lydia (8), Max (6) and Liza (3)
Education: Chamblee High School. Attended University of Georgia and graduated from Georgia State University. Law degree from John Marshall Law School.
Occupation: Attorney specializing in consumer finance law
Stance on Brookhaven cityhood before incorporation: Actively for incorporation, former president of Brookhaven Yes.
Reason for running: "My reason for running for mayor of Brookhaven is to help start a city that is financially prudent, transparent and is focused on customer service. Starting a city from scratch requires public servants who understand the importance of fiscal responsibility, and who understand Brookhaven will have to be run vastly different from our county and even federal government. I believe I showed leadership in helping bring this city to fruition."
Experience: Small-business owner. Founding member of the Ashford Alliance and Friends of Murphey Candler Park. Appointed by Gov. Sonny Perdue to the Post Secondary Education Commission; vice president, Brittany Neighborhood Association; former president of Brookhaven Yes.
Top priority: Building the city of Brookhaven with a community-based and proactive police force that not only fights crime but prevents it. One where the police officers know the neighborhood and know the people they serve and protect.
Sandy Murray
Residence: Oglethorpe Estates neighborhood
How long lived in Brookhaven: 10 years
Age: 65
Family: Husband
Education: Bachelor's degree in mathematics, from Louisiana State University.
Occupation: Computer consultant and trainer
Stance on incorporation before vote: Had concerns about the process but is committed to launching the new city.
Reason for running: "I want to create a well-funded and adequately staffed Brookhaven police department so our communities are safe and secure. I want to ensure an open and transparent government so that decisions by elected officials are not made behind closed doors. I want to build a system of parks that connects our city with bike trails and sidewalks so we are less reliant on cars to get around town."
Experience: President, Ashford Alliance Community Association; past president, Rotary Club; past president, Women's Business Association of Atlanta; past chair, American Electronics Association — Southeast Region; partner with Brookhaven Peachtree Community Association to raise legal funds.
Top priority: Getting our police department started up so our community stays safe and secure. We must have a transparent and open government so we trust our elected officials. I have a vision of developing sidewalks and bike trails that connect our parks and neighborhoods so we don't have to get in our cars to get to the park from our homes.
Thom Shepard
How long lived in Brookhaven: 44 years
Age: 45
Family: Single
Education: Completed two years, Georgia Institute of Technology, studying electrical engineering and computer science.
Occupation: Motion picture film technician, grip
Stance on Brookhaven cityhood before incorporation: Actively supported incorporation.
Reason for running: "To bring my work of conservation, urban design and zoning reform, under the Rural+Urban Conservancy brand, home to our future city of Brookhaven and to continue my interest and passion in furthering the model of privatized new cities to counter the sprawling ways of large suburban unincorporated county areas."
Experience: Worked with candidates and organizing officials with the cities of Chattahoochee Hills, Dunwoody and Brookhaven to promote the best Request for Proposal (public-private) models and city startup process. Worked with nationwide professional planning firms, consultants and nonprofit organizations, on projects in Georgia and other Southern states, to promote conservation-urbanism legal tools as well as community advocacy models.
Top priority: Zoning reform to promote conservation, preservation and the highest quality, as well as culturally and economically diverse, urban design models that encourage small and local business-friendly economic vitality.
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