While I am overall ambivalent to the cityhood movements and do not like Burrell Ellis Ellis makes one good point:

"Efforts to incorporate or annex prime real estate have severely hurt our bottom line"

Virtually all the areas that have incorporated or annexed are business or wealthy residential areas, these areas are high income, low cost areas for cities to manage.

The Brookhaven area generated more revenue than expenses to run back when it was solely in the county allowing some of that excess revenue to be used to support the lower income areas where the tax revenue does not cover all the expenses.

While I understand his concerns and how annexation impacts the traditional power structure of Dekalb County, the relationship between cities and town is not a new one. It is in no way un-American or unusual. Should we do away with all cities in Dekalb County? Why stop there, why not banish all counties in Georgia and have only state control. And really, what is the point of state and federal government? Let's do away with the states and have a single, federal government. Think of the money that could be saved!

Mr. Ellis is a very slow learner if he thinks the solution to DeKalb's problems is for the state to 'to grant the county more oversight over these issues [cityhood movements and annexation].'

OK, so maybe DeKalb was surprised by Dunwoody's cityhood movement. However afterward, DeKalb did nothing to evaluate and improve the county's level of service. Their inaction resulted in Brookhaven Cityhood. What has the county done since Brookhaven? More blah blah about One DeKalb, and threats to raise the cost for garbage collection or cut service or both. Garbage collection is not affected by cityhood, but it is symptomatic of DeKalb County inefficiency. DeKalb leaders had better wake up and make some adjustments or there will be more cityhood movements.

I agree. Anyone who doesn't is in denial IMHO. Enough said.

Does Mr. Ellis believe this is happening because of spite? Or is it really more for self preservation? He states that this is a struggle of a great community. It was a great community under Manuel Maloof - but no more. The county government and school system are rife with mismanagement and cronyism. Who wants to move to such a county? What businesses will want to open up shop here? What high school student aspires to graduate from an unaccredited school?

The question should be: Does the DeKalb Democrat bureaucracy harm residents of Brookhaven (indeed all residents)?

I think the new cities AND Burrell Ellis have harmed DeKalb County. Getting ready to enjoy an additional layer of government and less service delivery so the new city can keep its promise of lower taxes . . . Until my Overlords decide it is time to raise taxes!

Please pass the yellow mustard!

"the county simply has fewer residents and businesses it's required to service" ... when I voted for Brookhaven, I still remained in Dekalb County. My license plate tells me so. My jury duty summons does likewise.

I'm no longer a resident of dekalb? what kind of nonsense is that?

All this, coming from a guy whose house was just raided by the cops.

Dunwoody should have been Dekalb's wake up call, but nooooo. Just the hint of a Brookhaven city movement in the wind should have been a wake up call, but nooooo.

Dekalb could have been the biggest and most effective voice against the cityhood movement...All they had to do was to come out and say "We hear you. You have not been getting the services you deserve. And here is what we are going to do to make sure you folks are happy and to convince you that you don't need a city. We are going to ____________________________________" But, noooooo.

And he's proven to be quite tone deaf when his response isn't upping the County's game, taking care of business for his constituents in the (entire) county, but instead, asks the State to make it a law that the County has to approve the next cityhood movement. That is classic Democratic "logic"...."People shouldn't be free to decide what's best for them! That's GOVERNMENT'S job! People aren't smart enough to decide what's best for them; but I am!....and so are my pals Cynthia McKinney, and Hank Johnson! "

It's like me asking the state to make it a requirement that my approval is required in the event my wife wants to go it on her own.

Totally agree, Joe. Dekalb County has ignored many areas of the county in order to make "investments" in areas where Ellis's votes are. Numerous third party studies of the county government's inefficiency has not had any effect. And the county wonders why cityhood is attractive for some areas? And I love the red herring complaints that people should have tried to work with the county. As is that has never been done.

There was no choice in the poll for "Hopefully." Ellis should jump the next SOPA BOX CAR and ride his new track straight to the new jail.