T-SPLOST defeated

The T-SPLOST vote was defeated across all ten counties that voted on it. In DeKalb, the vote was 52% against and 48% in favor. The vote sought a 1% sales tax over 10 years to focus on transportation projects around the metro Atlanta area. Detractors argued it didn't sufficiently address their given concerns (traffic vs. transit), that certain regions were underserved, and questioned if a 1% tax is the best way to address local transportation problems.

A team of AJC reporters sums up both the election's results and behind-the-scenes tensions leading to the T-SPLOST vote:

"Kasim Reed, who fought years for the referendum as a legislator and as Atlanta mayor, rallied supporters gathered at a hotel in downtown Atlanta. "The voters have decided," Reed said. "But tomorrow I'm going to wake up and work just as hard to change their minds." 

Gov. Nathan Deal's office told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he would now take a central role in transportation planning for the state's metro areas, and he would not support a sequel to Tuesday's referendum. . . ."

"Re-playing 40 years of Atlanta history, controversy built instantly around the proposed expansion of mass transit. Some loved it, some hated it. ... Deeper insecurities were at play as well. A poll conducted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution last year found that 42 percent of respondents believed new mass transit brings crime." Continue reading @ AJC.

Jim Galloway at the AJC reports on what the Governor's above comment means:

"... traffic planners in regions across the state will be quickly asked to resubmit lists of road and rail proposals that require state and federal funding – figuring in an 8 percent decrease in federal funding. The governor has veto power over each list."

"The governor will not move forward without the consent GDOT,” Riley said – very carefully. Deal will court approval from the DOT board, but he intends to keep the initiative. The governor recently appointed a trusted aide, Toby Carr, as the DOT’s planning director, giving him another layer of control over what transportation projects are funded. 

So the Atlanta Regional Commission will soon have to clear its wish lists with the governor. ARC Chairman Tad Leithead said he’ll be happy to do so. “I think the entire state would welcome anything the governor does to keep transportation moving,” he said."

Local election results

In addition to the T-SPLOST vote, other races were closely watched in our neighborhood. Commissioner Kathie Gannon was re-elected and so were Burrell Ellis (CEO) and Claudia Lawson (tax commissioner).  For Board of Education elections results, see below. All images courtesy of the AJC.

Image courtesy of the AJC.

And on a topic near and dear to our neighborhood: a non-binding referendum on whether the county should allow cell phone towers to be built on school property drew a clear answer:

Image courtesy of the AJC.

Don't forget to vote on July 31!

To generate a view of your ballot, see http://mvp.sos.state.ga.us/

For MANA residents:

Around the neighborhood

At the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve:

The pond is pretty dry but so lush and green!

Below are two trees that sustained fire damage after lighting struck the tool shed last year.  You can see the scorched bark still. The tree to the left is now dead and has been left standing (for the benefit of wildlife) but the top was removed was removed for safety purposes. Notice the mushrooms growing on it (a sign of dead wood, as was noted on a recent item on tree care). Compare that to the new growth on the tree to the right, which had some limbs removed due to fire damage.

Click to enlarge.

Elsewhere, a fall webworm colony on a branch overhanging the creek. You can see some little wrigglers inside (around 11 o'clock on the silk tent). The adults are small, white, nocturnal moths.

Click to enlarge.

Selig: Suburban Plaza development update

Selig Enterprises has asked MANA to share the following:

Click to enlarge, or see pdf file link below.

Click for above statement in PDF format.


Addendum: for discussions on this release, see Decatur Metro and The Champion newspaper and Neighborhood News.

T-SPLOST: hyperlocal and blue chip support

Johnathan Shapiro at WABE, our NPR & PBS radio station, interviewed MANA president Sharon Johnson and other locals in Much at Stake for Clifton Corridor Rail In Upcoming T-SPLOST.

Elsewhere, the Atlanta Business Chronicle lists close to two dozen local businesses that have made substantial contributions to the T-SPLOST campaign.

The AJC continues coverage as well.

West Nile Virus is back in town

DeKalb has reported the first West Nile virus-infected mosquito of the season via the AJC. No human cases have been reported for this year, but Georgia usually reports 10-20 cases/year.

According to CDC's fact sheet on West Nile virus

• Most people who are infected with West Nile virus (80%) experience no ill effects. 
• Up to 20% experience symptoms such as "fever, headache, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back. Symptoms can last for as short as a few days, though even healthy people have become sick for several weeks."
• Under 1% experience severe symptoms: "high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis. These symptoms may last several weeks, and neurological effects may be permanent.
• People over 50 years of age are more likely to experience symptoms.

The virus persists year-round but is a primary concern during warm weather, when adult mosquitoes are most active.  As a neighborhood rich in creeks and floodplains (potential breeding ground), animals (many domestic and wild animals may function as year-round reservoir for virus), and outdoorsy folks, we should protect ourselves and our neighbors by checking for and eliminating standing water sources that may be used as mosquito breeding areas at least on a weekly basis and avoiding  mosquito bites via protective clothing and application of insect repellent.

The NY Department of Health offers the following advice:

from  http://www.health.ny.gov/publications/2747/

See MANA's 2011 mosquito warning and the Georgia State Department mosquito-borne disease page.