Key Points:
• The four Sandy Springs mayoral candidates traded blame on the city’s redevelopment lag and disagreed on how to improve local schools.
• Andy Bauman, Dontaye Carter, Rusty Paul, and Jody Reichel participated in Grogan’s Bluff and Huntcliff communities’ candidates forum on Sept. 15 at Elevate Church on Morgan Falls Road.
• Moderator Gary Alexander and residents’ questions focused on the North End.
Four Sandy Springs mayoral candidates traded blame on the city’s lack of redevelopment and disagreed on how to improve local schools during a forum hosted on Sept. 15 by two North End neighborhoods.
Gary Alexander introduced the four candidates – Dontaye Carter, Andy Bauman, Rusty Paul, and Jody Reichel – at the meet-and-greet forum hosted by the Grogan’s Bluff and Huntcliff communities held at Elevate Church off Morgan Falls Road.
Bauman, the District 6 council member, and Reichel, who is the District 4 council member, laid blame on incumbent mayor Paul for projects that haven’t been completed, like redevelopment on the North End. Bauman also promised to serve no more than two terms, saying Paul, who has been mayor since 2014, has been in office too long.
Paul argued that since Bauman and Reichel have been in office for 12 and eight years, they also bear responsibility for uncompleted initiatives. Carter agreed with Paul, saying that at any time, the council members could have called a special meeting about stalled projects, but they never did.
One of the stalled projects was the redevelopment of the North River Shopping Center into a mixed-use development that would have used city incentives. High interest rates prevented financing the project, Paul said. He suggested the creation of tax allocation districts (TAD), which allocates increases in tax revenue to parks and infrastructure, to spur development.
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Carter said projects like these get stalled when not everyone is aligned with the goals of the project, adding that he wants all residents invited to any discussion about the city’s North End redevelopment plans. Carter said apartment residents, many of whom have lived in Sandy Springs for a long time, should be allowed to offer their input.
“One of the first things that I want to do is create a housing advisory committee for the city. I believe that our residents need to have a voice in this process,” Carter said.
Bauman said that government can remove obstacles and create incentives, but the city is not the developer of these private properties.
The city scheduling all events at the city center excludes the businesses in other parts of the city, Bauman said. He suggested holding events like a World Cup festival on the North End would help businesses in that area.
Reichel suggested starting redevelopment projects at some of the 26,000 underutilized apartments in the city that take up hundreds of acres of property. She spoke of a North End property with 100 vacant units that she said could be redeveloped through a public-private partnership.
Reichel also discussed her goal to establish an independent school district in Sandy Springs, even if that will take a change to the Georgia Constitution, but Paul questioned the wisdom of going through a process that’s unlikely to succeed.
“Why go through the most difficult process when there’s a simple process of having parent-directed charter schools?” Paul asked.
Carter said improving public schools, so parents won’t feel forced to send their children to private schools, requires parental involvement in the PTOs and school governance councils. Carter said he puts volunteers his time, serving on the Dunwoody Springs school governance council.
“It’s going to take parents getting involved, getting their hands in [volunteering]. I know it’s tough,” Carter said.
Bauman, who said he supported Reichel’s efforts to establish an independent school district if it is feasible, said the person serving as mayor does not need to be drawn down these rabbit holes. He said a new school system would not solve underlying problems, such as housing and transportation, that make it too expensive for young families to establish roots in the city.
Paul spoke about plans in the North End for traffic improvements, such as realigning Roberts Drive to intersect with North River Parkway instead of Roswell Road, and improvements to the Dunwoody Place intersection with Roswell Road.
Bauman said before the city spends any money on a plan like the Roswell Road Boulevard project, the city needs to make sure it works for the North End and its businesses. Carter wanted the entire community at the table on things like plans for Roswell Boulevard.
Reichel said Sandy Springs has become a roads-and-bridges city, saying that the Roswell Boulevard project had merits, but she had other priorities for the city.
When Alexander turned questions over to the audience, Craig Gilchrist of Huntcliff asked what the candidates planned to do to improve the city’s most valuable asset, the Chattahoochee River. Gilchrist said the river suffers from sedimentation, with properties flooding and many riverfront properties now having marshes in front of their properties.
Paul called the river the lifeblood of the region, not just the city. He said the challenge is that it is federally controlled by the Corps of Engineers. Paul said City Council member John Paulson began researching the issue last month, starting with the biggest property owner, Georgia Power.
Carter said the city needs to work together on a strategy to work with the Corps of Engineers to get things done, with the mayor in the lead.
Reichel said she was learning about the issue and wanted to speak with residents whose properties are being affected.
Bauman said he’s known about these problems and other environmental issues, like the loss of tree canopy, having worked on stormwater, tree canopy, and erosion control while on council.
