So Why Create a City?

We all want a city because that will improve both our own community and the county.

Let’s forget for the moment the question of borders and services. Just think about why cities are useful, and why all of this discussion is going on. Forget the people who are involved; the areas they propose; and the opinions of legislators.

People want local control over local government actions. Today we elect Commissioners who represent either 130,000 residents or 350,000 residents. Most people don’t even know the names of the commissioners; most don’t know that they have two commissioners “representing” them. Most people don’t realize that because of the size and layout of the commission districts, all political decisions are controlled by the people south of Decatur. Only two of the seven commissioners of DeKalb County live north of Decatur. How does that work for you?

In any of the proposed versions of cities in central DeKalb, council districts will have something like 11,000 to 13,000 people in their district. That’s the size of a couple big neighborhood associations. You will not only know the name of your representative; you may recognize them on the street. (And even if you don’t, they’ll be afraid you do!) Decisions are not going to be made by people you don’t know, and who don’t live anywhere near you; decisions will be made by the neighbor you elected.

And why is this good for the people of the County? Cities are a group of people who band together to improve their area. In all cases, their area is included in the County. If a city does something to improve the situation in their area, they are improving the County for all of us. The City of Decatur created an environment that brought nice restaurants to the downtown area – that doesn’t hurt me; I love it. The annual festivals in Decatur and Chamblee don’t hurt me; I love it. Avondale Estates has a beautiful and scenic park; I love it!

I just wish we could do all of that here.