When it comes to economic development, Dunwoody Mayor Mike Davis sees his city as in the best place it can be.

He told members of the Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce over breakfast March 26 that Dunwoody stood “at the pinnacle of economic Atlanta.”

“We are in the catbird seat right now,” Davis said. “We are really in the best place to be right now. Things are happening here in Dunwoody.”

Davis said businesses are moving to Dunwoody and that 1,300 jobs have been created in the city recently.

The mayor said the community benefits from its location. Over the past 50 years or so, he said, the center of business in metro Atlanta has migrated north from Five Points and now has reached Dunwoody, which sits near the intersection of Ga. 400 and I-285 and has its own MARTA train station.

“This is the center,” Davis said. “The key, in my mind, is how do we not screw this up?

“A lot of our citizens really don’t want things to change,” Davis said. “[They say,] ‘We don’t want the city coming to us. We want it to go around us.’ It’s not going to happen. … It’s already here. Now, how do we control it and how do we not screw it up?”

Dunwoody Mayor Mike Davis fields questions  on March 26 during a panel discussion on economic development in the city. Craig Lesser, managing partner of the Pendleton Consulting Group, seated at center, and Dunwoody Economic Development Director Michael Starling, seated at right, joined Davis in the discussion sponsored by the Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce.
Dunwoody Mayor Mike Davis fields questions on March 26 during a panel discussion on economic development in the city. Craig Lesser, managing partner of the Pendleton Consulting Group, seated at center, and Dunwoody Economic Development Director Michael Starling, seated at right, joined Davis in the discussion sponsored by the Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce.
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Joe Earle

Joe Earle is Editor-at-Large. He has more than 30-years of experience with daily newspapers, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and was Managing Editor of Reporter Newspapers.