Early voting is underway for Brookhaven’s municipal elections. This year, only District 4 City Council is not up for an election. District 2 is a special election to replace John Park, who is running for mayor.
Early voting will run through Nov. 2 at Lynwood Recreation Center, 3360 Osborne Road NE, Brookhaven, and across DeKalb County. Election Day is Nov. 7. Find your polling place and ballot information here.
Brookhaven Mayoral Candidates
Mark Frost
markfrostformayorbrookhaven.com
What should Brookhaven’s policy be on annexation?
I personally witnessed the debacle at the Toco Hills deal. I was at the meeting where a council member suggested that they should be applauded for their transparency. The whole room erupted in laughter. As Decaturish put it, it was ‘shrouded in mystery.’ Why are we so aggressively trying to go after or annex anything? Is it because we’ve obligated ourselves to so much debt they’re going to need the revenue? I know there’s a 60% rule of approval, but we need to make sure that the residents we’re trying to annex are for it. I was sitting there and people were standing up saying, ‘I never signed this petition.’ It’s really embarrassing to see that.
The mayor of Brookhaven, according to the city charter, has the authority to hire and fire the city manager, the city clerk, and the city attorney [with a vote by the city council]. Do you plan to make any staff changes if you’re elected mayor?
It’s surprising how many people have different opinions about the people who are currently in office. I’ve hired hundreds, if not thousands, of people over the last 30 years. The first thing I do is I sit down and see what what contribution are they making? Is it something we can afford? If there are any efficiencies to be made, I will do that because it’s taxpayer money. I don’t take that lightly. I don’t know until I sit down and meet with everybody in the office; that’s the right thing to do.
Lauren Kiefer
laurenkiefer.com
What should Brookhaven’s policy be on annexation?
What happened with the Toco Hills annexation was embarrassing. We hired a consulting firm for $273,000 to collect petitions, and the signatures were forged for clergy people, for the head of the Jewish Day School, and we still dug in our heels. Instead of saying, ‘You know what, we’re going to take a pause.’ We dug in our heels, and said to DeKalb County, ‘We’re going to take more. Put it on the ballot,’ and we weren’t even entitled to do that. These are the questions that people are asking. This is the kind of leadership that people are questioning.
How will you ensure the city hires the best candidates for the police department when competing for these same individuals with Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Chamblee, and other cities in the metro?
Public safety is something that is overwhelmingly on people’s minds, and we do have the best police force in the region. I am proud to say that not only did I participate in Citizens Police Academy, but I’ve also been at a roll call and gone on a ride along with our officers and they are great. As far as staffing goes, my understanding is that our officers are fully staffed and that we are now also doubling down to provide additional support staff so that our police officers can focus on keeping us safe. In addition, city staff benefits have just been renewed, and the police did get an across the board salary increase so that they are now among the most highly compensated in the region, which prevents us from being subjects of poaching.
John Park
electpark.com
What should Brookhaven’s policy be on annexation?
Nine years ago at my very first council meeting, there was an application for annexation from Children’s Healthcare and Executive Park. I opposed this annexation, just as I opposed the annexation of Century Park because I saw it as a commercial land grab for tax purposes. I was outvoted. But we did change city policy so that residents that want to come into Brookhaven would get our assistance with logistics so that they can petition us to come into Brookhaven. People don’t want 30 minute response times for police. People want better paving, more connectivity, and a better sense of community. And that’s why they’re coming into Brookhaven. Our policy as a city is that we want logical and fair service delivery area, which is Clairmont to the east, the city of Atlanta to the south and no more.
Some of the worst performing schools in the city are those with the highest population of multilingual students. What are some ways you would be able to engage with these families and ensuring student success?
One of my proudest accomplishments as a council member, working with our fellow council members and the mayor, is this deal we brokered with the school board to swap land to build the brand new John Lewis Elementary School. It alleviated horrible overcrowding in all the schools in that area that had 1,200 students in a 600 seat school where kids were getting bladder infections because they couldn’t go to the restroom. We will partner with the DeKalb school board to do anything we can to provide smaller class sizes, and the best education possible for every student including the immigrant children. I myself came to the states when I was six years old. I remember what it was like not being able to speak English, not being able to communicate, and not feeling welcome. And I want to change that.
Hilerie Lind
What should Brookhaven’s policy be for annexation?
Once I become mayor, to preserve the longevity of the city of Brookhaven, I will ensure that there is always a level of transparency. I will include the public in all major decisions that will impact them, including annexation, and eco-friendly alternative efforts that are being made. I will make sure that the residents understand why decisions are made and allow them to voice their opinions on it.
It is imperative to have these conversations with the public to not only ensure a transparent process, and so that pertinent policies can be created without much pushback.
How will you ensure the city hires the best candidates for the police department when competing for these same individuals with Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Chamblee, and other cities in the metro?
I plan to create more incentives for candidates to join the police department, including initiatives that they would like to bring to the department. This could include a mentorship program that partners department officers with youth within the community, a police athletic league that provides a safe enviornment for youth to participate in sports, and even housing subsidies that can assist officer in living inside of the city.
In addition to the incentives and subsidies, I would ensure that officers have a salary that is not only competitive, but one that is a livable wage for the city of Brookhaven.
City Council District 1
Alan M. Cole
alancole.us
What makes Brookhaven a welcoming city for immigrants?
We are a well-diversified city to start with. The schools are, we function that way, and business-wise we facilitate that ability. I like it. I have no issues with it, and I want to keep it the way it is – well-diversified.
If you’re elected, you’ll be inheriting a $78 million city hall project intended for government and public use. What will you do to help residents understand the city council’s goals with the property?
Hopefully, I’ll change their minds totally and move the city hall to a ore reasonable spot, like a shopping center where you can build an office that will accommodate all all the offices of the city, not some. I don’t understand why we’re trying to tie in MARTA. I would work to stop it and come up with a new facility.
Michael Diaz
votefordiaz.com
What makes Brookhaven a welcoming city for immigrants?
We have 21% Hispanic population. As a District 1 representative, the intent is … to represent the city as a whole. The city has done a good job working with the Latin American Association to increase information that gets disseminated in multiple languages. That’s great, but it has to go beyond that. We have missed a few opportunities where we could have been engaging much better with the public. They have challenges. They have multiple jobs so it’s not easy to get them that information. You have to touch them in person.
How would you work with the economic development department to increase affordable housing units?
We need housing for firefighters, for nurses. When I was on the planning commission one of the things that we tried to do was figure out, ‘How do we get to that missing middle?’ It’s a huge gap in the city. We have an opportunity to be able to leverage some of the economic development opportunities that we have.
Linley Jones (Incumbent)
linleyforbrookhaven.com
On the campaign trail, what’s the biggest complaint that you’ve heard from constituents, and how do you plan to raise the participation at city council?
The fact is that when we are doing our jobs and doing them well and listening, which we do, and responding and making decisions and sometimes tough decisions, where you’ve got people on both sides, people are not as active as when they are upset over something, so I don’t think we’re ever going to get 1,000 really happy people at a Brookhaven City Council meeting about something they’re happy with. That’s just not how it works. What we have to do to keep the lines of communication open is have opportunities other than city council meetings to meet with council members. I myself have a series, many of you have been, called Coffee with a Councilwoman, and also, when there are issues of concern in a particular area especially, I go out and meet with folks in person. It’s important to continue those conversations long after we’re done knocking on doors, so I will do so.
How would you work with the economic development department to increase affordable housing units in Brookhaven?
Affordable housing is a really important issue nationwide, and here in our backyards in Brookhaven. That’s why four years ago I formed the Affordable Housing Task Force. We had folks from around the community volunteer to be a part of that task force and as a result of that task force, we now require up to 10% affordable housing in new developments. We’re going to continue to find creative solutions to let people live in Brookhaven, especially our police officers. A few weeks ago, we passed an increase in the allowance for our police officers to be able to live in the city of Brookhaven. That’s the kind of incentive we can provide.
City Council District 2
Blake Beyer
blakebeyer.com
What changes could be made to Buford Highway to increase public safety and transportation?
I think we’re already doing that. If you look at the the Buford Highway corridor, you’ll notice the medians that are going in, as well as the crosswalk with lights. I remember when we first moved in here before it was a city there were a lot of fatalities, a hit and runs, and people crossing at night where nobody could see them. That has been greatly improved. And we’re continuing to expand that up to be reliable a corridor. Other large, high trafficked streets could probably use that such as Peachtree. I think we just continue that work.
If you’re elected, you’ll be inheriting the $78 million city hall project intended for the government and the public. What will you do in your role to help residents understand the city council’s goals with this property?
I think we should pause. I would like us to survey the entire city so that all of our constituents can have a say in this. When I’m walking around and talking to constituents, hundreds of constituents, I’ve met one person who thought this was a good idea that didn’t work in city government. I think the location, the cost, the mission should all be reconsidered. [City hall] should be large enough to house all of city government. It was a rush decision. I don’t know that it needs to be on Peachtree. I think we should look at Buford Highway. It feels a more natural location for it. I’m not sure anyone really asked for a a city center, either. So if we’re going to do a city center does the city hall need to be there? I think these are all questions that we should ask our constituents, and not have five people make that decision.
Jennifer Owens (interim District 2 Council member)
electjenowens.com
On the campaign trail, what’s the biggest complaint you’ve heard from constituents?
Many residents are concerned about traffic, and as a result, unsafe streets in our neighborhoods. I’m hearing from residents about issues related to public safety. Brookhaven is the ranked the safest city with the fastest responses times in DeKalb County, but we can always do better to protect our families. I will always work to ensure our officers have what they need to keep our families and community safe. I want to invest in the proven innovative tools and programs available to help stop crime before it happens, such as community policing, increasing our mental health co-responder program, and providing our officers with the latest technology.
On Thursday, Oct. 26, at 6:30 p.m. at the Public Safety Building, the Drew Valley Community public safety forum will address crime and a homeless encampment with Sgt. Moore of the Brookhaven Police Department.
How would you work with the economic development department to increase affordable housing units in Brookhaven?
Economic development collaboration is only one way to address affordable housing needs in Brookhaven. The city was the first in metro Atlanta area to require 10% affordable housing units for any new development. Engaging in zoning and planning requests to set aside certain numbers of affordable units is a great tool to continue. However, there are creative ways for us to increase affordability as well. For example, the first item I voted on as your council member was to increase the housing allowance for police officers. We can do better, and I am in full support of increasing the housing allowance for our city’s police officers to be able to call Brookhaven home. This helps our officers and the community they serve. Lastly, there are ways to increase participation with real estate companies to help veterans and others find housing.
City Council District 3
Madeleine Simmons (incumbent – no challenger)
electsimmons.com
If reelected, how will you encourage communication and participation from your constituents?
We have great neighborhoods in District 3 with active, engaged residents. I love being able to connect with the community at neighborhood meetings, social events and through Facebook groups. I will continue to actively attend neighborhood get-togethers and continue to host my Mondays with Madeleine town halls, to give residents an opportunity to communicate and participate in all of the great things going on in Brookhaven.
Why should a business relocate or open in Brookhaven?
Brookhaven has a solid Chamber of Commerce that supports our local businesses, in addition to neighbors that love to shop local. As we continue to build on our city center, there are even more opportunities for continued growth of our already fantastic network of local businesses. We developed the “Brookhaven Strong” motto during COVID-19 as the city worked to keep our local businesses open and supported. Brookhaven is a great place to do business.