Hogan: Brookhaven, Unincorporated DeKalb Should Consider Joining Chamblee

Over the past several months I have been asked what I think about the proposed City of Brookhaven, and until now I have been mute on the topic.  As a citizen of Chamblee, I have been a part of a city for the past 10 years, and as a member of Chamblee’s City Council, I have given the concept of self-determination and Home Rule more thought than the average citizen.  I support the philosophy of Home Rule as one of the key foundations of American governance, and in that light I support anyone that wishes to organize with their neighbors to form a city.

I don’t want to say that my support is conditional, but as the concept of the City of Brookhaven has taken shape, the effort seems to have moved far away from the concept of self-determination, and become a commercial tax base “land grab” in effort to provide economic justification to support the efforts of a small number of people in the study-area.I live in the part of Ashford Park that also lies in the city limits of Chamblee, so I often feel that I have one foot in Chamblee and the other in Brookhaven. Also, as someone who has been extremely involved in our community, few know as well as I the brand inequity between Chamblee and Brookhaven.  Never mind the recent Atlanta Magazine cover article naming “Bramblee” as one of the top 5 neighborhoods in Atlanta.  While Chamblee continues to see positive movement in the eyes of those in the Metro area, I believe Brookhaven enjoys the benefit of being a top-tier brand in the entire Metro area (on par with Vinings, but not quite Buckhead or Dunwoody).  As such, with localized services, I am sure incorporating as Brookhaven would strengthen/increase property values. 

However, as a policy maker, I view the situation a little differently.  I am a true believer of efficient and effective delivery of government services.  Taking the “name” out of the equation, I think forcing the creation of a city where there are really only neighborhoods is not the best choice to make.  Moreover, the notion of a rallying around a brand name to me is short-sighted and presents a false sense of political representation.  I don’t think it represents the foundation that an area needs to truly grow long-term.  I believe any argument boasting a resulting increase in property values is short-sighted and harshly underestimates the value of a three-minute 911 response time.

If the residents of the unincorporated area want to produce a truly powerful result from this summer’s activities, with leverage at the Capitol and access to state resources for real economic development and improved public spaces, I think they should envision the long-term benefits of a larger City of Chamblee, with new found political influence to parallel other Metro Area cities, instead of potentially duplicating a government administration that is already in place, resulting is 2 relatively less significant DeKalb cities.

I am not suggesting that I have a perfect solution, and this letter to the editor cannot possibly approach the many topics this raises with the depth they deserve, however, I want to put my position on the record.  While annexing a new area almost always brings a short-term financial burden to the “old area”, I also currently believe that the City of Chamblee would benefit greatly in the long-term by being a bit larger, and I would currently support an effort to that end.

Thomas Hogan represents the third district on the Chamblee City Council.