Brookhaven YES Meeting Draws Favorable Crowd, Skeptics (Interactive, Video)

BrookhavenYES, the advocacy group that formed recently to lobby for the proposed City of Brookhaven, met for the first time last night at 's Lupton Auditorium.

Nearly 300 residents - many of whom were in favor of the proposal - turned out despite rainy conditions to learn more about the group and to help organize proponents of the plan in time for public testimony on House Bill 636 introduced by Republican State Rep. Mike Jacobs.

The meeting started with a welcome by J. Max Davis, the group's organizer and one of 10 board members followed by introductions to the remainder of the board and explanations of why board members are in favor of the plan. 

A question and answer period followed where residents - some against the plan and some undecided - fired off questions and comments toward the board.

"I'm for it, but I don't like the politics of it all," said Ashford Park Civic Association President Ronnie Mayer. "If Mike Jacobs can take his pencil and erase out , he can add the 25 additional officers into this equation and give us another real figure of what it's going to cost to the city."

Mayer said he thinks many of the proponents of the plan are giving residents an unrealistic view of what a City of Brookhaven will be.

"[Residents are not going to get a permit in a day," Mayer said. "They're complaining that it takes four weeks to get a zoning permit, but you don't think it's going to at least 4 weeks in the City of Brookhaven? My thing is don't lie, tell everybody the truth about what it will really be like."

Davis, however, said that the proposed city is an opportunity for him and other residents to have local control.

"I'm just excited that we'll have finally some control over our destiny to some degree," Davis said.

**Take a look at our Twitter Rewind for key comments and photos from last night's meeting.**