The Dunwoody
Homeowners Association was created in the 1970s to represent Dunwoody
homeowners in zoning decisions being made by DeKalb zoning. Dunwoody was an unincorporated part of DeKalb
County.
Lobbying Organization
Definition - Lobbying (also lobby) is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by
officials in a government, most often legislators or members of regulatory
agencies. https://www.google.com/#q=lobbying+organizations+definition
DHA also initiated
the 4th of July parade and the Light up Dunwoody Christmas
activities and added the role of a Civic Organization. Membership in the DHA is
available to individual Dunwoody homeowners for an annual dues of $40 per
year.
After the City of
Dunwoody was incorporated in 2009, the DHA continued to have zoning applicants
present their projects despite the fact that the City had established
Commissions to review all project applications and City Codes.
But the DHA continued
to vet project applications and developers continued to present their projects
to the DHA.
The DHA Board of
Directors shows 5 Executive Board members, 24 Directors, 6 Emeritus members and
10 current or previously elected officials including the Dunwoody City Council
members.
The mindset of this
group is dedicated to “smart growth” and “economic development”. This is
compatible with the Dunwoody Chamber, PCID, GDOT, MARTA, ARC and UN Agenda 21.
The Board members of
the Dunwoody non-profits like the Dunwoody Nature Center, Preservation Trust
and Spruill Arts Center continue to succeed as special interests and can be
considered “activists” like the DHA.
The good news and the
bad news is that these groups are one big happy clique. They may disagree
individually on some issues, but they don’t want to alienate the group. Like a
legislature, are not above horse-trading and are careful not to burn their
bridges.
There is no evidence
of classical conflict of interest. I
don’t think any of them are developers or land speculators, who would benefit
materially from decisions on projects or zoning applications granted.
The bad news is that
they are missing input from the majority of Dunwoody homeowners and like the
City Council, they vote according to their personal preferences.
Your average Dunwoody
homeowner is more concerned about traffic gridlock and fights to keep their
residential streets from becoming cut-through routes for commuters trying to
avoid the delays on I-285 and G-400. Most of them could live without stream
buffers, on-street bike lanes, multiuse trails to MARTA and high density
development in PCID. Your average Dunwoody homeowner isn’t a DHA member,
doesn’t go to DHA meetings and doesn’t share the DHA mindset.
The 66% of Dunwoody
voters who rejected the Park Bond vote in 2011 and the 66% of Georgia voters
who rejected the 2012 T-SPLOST and the 80% of Dunwoody residents who opposed
the multi-use trail in Brook Run, the roundabout at Womack and Vermack and the
½ mile re-do of Dunwoody Village Parkway on the Save Dunwoody website 1450
participant poll in 2013 identified the size of these conservative voters.
The younger segment
of Dunwoody homeowners are less concerned about city overspending and less
informed about the cost of critical infrastructure.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody
GA Tea Party Leader
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