Tom Lambert
Occupation: Marketing Consultant, writer, at-home dad
Previous experience holding elected offices: None.
Other community service experience: Charter member and Vice-Chair of Dunwoody Sustainability Commission; Citizens Advisory Committee for Comprehensive Transportation Plan; Chair, Kingsley Charter Council; President, Kittredge Magnet School PTA; President, Kingsley Racquet and Swim Club; President, CHS Touchdown Club; Board of Directors, Murphey Candler; Board of Directors, Georgians for Local Area School Systems (GLASS); Committee Chair, Boy Scouts (pack/troop 434, All Saints); member, Dunwoody Cluster Council; coordinated Dunwoody’s walk to school movement; volunteer youth coach, Murphey Candler Little League, Atlanta Colts Football, Dunwoody Senior Baseball, Dunwoody United Methodist Church and Chamblee Middle School.
What is motivating you to run for City Council?
I believe the time to start building the Dunwoody of tomorrow is today. We need to leverage our position as the economic hub of metro Atlanta to our advantage. Let’s move out of perpetual planning and into building the projects that make a difference! Priorities are immediate implementation of the Brook Run Park plan and a clear vision for and commitment to projects in the Winters Chapel corridor. We can protect our residential neighborhoods and the character that makes Dunwoody such a special place to live, while still adding the services and amenities our citizens desire and deserve.
What is the biggest issue facing the district and how will you address it?
With all of the focus on PCIDs and Dunwoody Village, it seems that District 3 has rarely received the attention it deserves. I believe the biggest opportunities for our city may lie along the Winters Chapel corridor, where the city needs to focus on improvement projects and appropriate development – including a multi-use trail to improve safety, quality of life and provide connectivity to Windwood Hollow and Brook Run Parks. At Brook Run Park, I will prioritize immediate implementation and construction of the short-term project list on the parks master plan.
Do you support creating more bicycle paths or multi-use trails in the city? What parts of the city should they cover?
I strongly favor multi-use trails throughout the city. Our citizens have spoken clearly on this subject, with multi-use trails routinely appearing at or near the top of the wish list in city surveys. This is also one of the top amenities tourists to Dunwoody are looking for (according to surveys by DCVB and local hotels). A proper trail system should provide safe connectivity across our city and to destination points such as parks, entertainment, transit and retail, and should be planned for current and future regional connectivity to trails in neighboring communities.
What type of development would you support in the Perimeter Center area?
Perimeter Center is the economic hub of metro Atlanta. Dunwoody needs to recognize this and negotiate from a position of strength when dealing with proposed development in this area. We should only accept projects that are consistent with our master plan, create a sense of place, add a tangible benefit to our community, and do not over burden our already strained infrastructure in this area. I would like to see public spaces, easy pedestrian access and street-side retail or dining be incorporated into any projects in the area.
What policy or program would you support to preserve trees as redevelopment happens?
The city should be vigilant in protecting trees. Our tree canopy provides far more than just beauty for our community – trees filter air pollution, provide buffers for sound and light, improve our groundwater and help prevent erosion (among other benefits). Every effort should be made to protect specimen trees, which even when replanted take a full generation to fully “replace.” I support the Community Development Department’s proposed revisions to the Tree Preservation code, which would add a process and review for tree removal requests, and hopefully protect against the needless or indiscriminate removal of trees.
What city service or program needs improvement? How would you improve it?
Our city has incredible nonprofit organizations which provide valuable services to our city – Dunwoody Nature Center, Dunwoody Preservation Trust, Spruill Arts Center, Stage Door Players and Dunwoody Senior Baseball. The services and programs they provide not only benefit the citizens of Dunwoody, but draw business and events to our city. Dunwoody’s current Facilities Improvement Partnership Program (FIPP) provides for capital investment in the city-owned properties managed by these organizations. I would like to see the process improved in a manner that encourages a collaborative, rather than competitive, effort between these groups.