Given incorporation trends in recent years in the Atlanta metro, it’s no surprise that many people in DeKalb County and beyond will be watching Tuesday’s election vote that could see two new cities added to this area’s roster of municipalities.
DeKalb voters will also be deciding on a measure intended to beef up ethics watchdog efforts in DeKalb, which has seen more than its share of scandal, ineptitude and outright criminal behavior by those elected to watch out for taxpayers’ interests and money.
Even so, while it’s become a popular spectator sport to sneer at DeKalb’s governmental shortcomings, it is the cityhood proposals for parts of north-central DeKalb that are garnering much of the attention this election season. Yard signs have sprouted across the area urging either approval or rejection of incorporating the area that would be known as La Vista Hills. Voters in the adjacent, now-unincorporated Tucker area will also decide whether to create a city of the same name.
Voters will choose between competing philosophies and belief systems centering around what form of government is best for the areas in question. One camp believes the only sensible path forward is to form new cities and raise new local governments to handle services now performed by DeKalb County. Another viewpoint holds that adding another layer of government isn’t a guaranteed, or even preferable, solution to addressing problems inflicted by a county bureaucracy that both sides widely see as ponderous and inefficient at best — and deeply corrupt and arrogant, at worst.
Given the fervor of the pro-cityhood and no-new-cityhood groups, it can be overlooked that both groups have at least some common ground in their disdain for the status quo in DeKalb.
It will be up to the affected electorate to decide Tuesday what this core county will look like in the days ahead. As always, it is important that voters head to the voting machines with adequate knowledge of the issues at stake. To that end, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution today presents pro and con viewpoints on cityhood. Additional information can be gleaned from past news coverage and op-eds available on our premium website, www.myajc.com.
Voters can also find information and view customized sample ballots on this and other races using the online Voters Guide presented by The League of Women Voters of Georgia and sponsored by the AJC and Channel 2 Action News. It can be seen at: http://c3.thevoterguide.org/v/ajc15/
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