DeKalb cityhood movements look ahead to 2015

By Melissa Weinman

ree movements to create new municipalities in DeKalb County all failed during the Georgia Legislative session. Supporters of cityhood bills for Lakeside, Briarcli and Tucker have indicated they will try again in 2015.

At a March 17 meeting of the House Governmental

A airs Committee, Sen. Fran Millar (R-Dunwoody) withdrew his bill to incorporate a city of Lakeside in central DeKalb County a er committee members said they weren’t ready to approve it.

“What you’re basically telling 70,000 people is they don’t have the opportunity to vote this year,” Millar said.

Millar said he would not be bringing the bill back before the Legislature next year.

“ ese people were not treated fairly,” Millar said.

“When Republicans don’t let people vote for self determination … then shame on us.”

Part of a last-minute agreement struck between Lakeside and Tucker advocates was that the two cityhood e orts would move forward together, which fell apart because of legislative rules.

Rep. Mike Jacobs (R-Brookhaven), who participated in the negotiations between the two groups, said a signi cant change to the legislative process would have been required in order to approve both cityhood e orts this year. e city of Briarcli proposal was dropped from consideration toward the end of the session.

“I fully support this compromise between Tucker and Lakeside and I hope that it will continue forward in the future,” Jacobs said.

“It is a very sad day for our neighbors and our county but we will gure out a way to move forward positively and together,” said Mary Kay Woodworth, chairwoman of the Lakeside City Alliance.

Tucker 2014 President Sonja Szubski said her organization hopes to continue the momentum. “We are planning on moving forward in 2015 to pursue cityhood for Tucker” she said.

Briarcli leaders say they plan to continue working to create the city.

“Briarcli Version 2.0 starts now,” City of Briarcli Initiative board member Keith Hanks said in an email. “What we cannot do as residents is sit idle, expecting things to be done for us.”

Briarcli supporters decried the maneuvering of Lakeside and Tucker to advance their cityhood movements, citing a lack of transparency in the failed last-minute deal at the Gold Dome.

Collin Kelley contributed to this article.

Ann Taylor Boutwell

Atlanta INtown historian Ann Taylor Boutwell gave special tours of the Margaret Mitchell House & Museum in March as part of Phoenix Flies, a month-long event that featured tours and events of the city’s historic homes, landmarks and spaces. Boutwell has been writing about history for INtown for nearly its entire 20-year existence. We’re proud to call her part of the family.

April 1, 1964: Final rites for Bessie Berry Jordan, the friend and housekeeper of the late Atlanta novelist Margaret Mitchell and her husband, John Marsh, were held at the Big Bethel A.M.E. Church on Auburn Avenue. In 1925, Jordan began working for the couple at their Crescent Avenue apartment and followed them at their subsequent apartments on West Peachtree and the South Prado. She protected them from overzealous fans, friends, and wannabe movie stars. In 1949, a er Mitchell’s death, Jordan was noted in the New York Times headlines as Mitchell’s rst bequeath. She also wrote a memorial piece title “My Sweet Miss Peggy” published in the Atlanta JournalConstitution Sunday Magazine

April 9, 1997: A dedication ceremony was held in Hardy Ivy Park at Peachtree and Baker streets for the Carnegie Pavilion sculpture designed by architect Henri Jova of Jova, Daniel, Busby. Atlanta’s old Carnegie Library façade, torn down in 1977, is now a tribute to higher education. Embedded in the pavilion’s oor are nine seals from area colleges and universities: Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, International eology School, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, Morris Brown College, Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University and Emory University. A celebration of Henri Jova’s life is planned at the Atlanta Botanical Garden on April 3 at 5 p.m.

April 19, 1936: Atlanta’s rst annual Dogwood Festival opened Downtown with a police-escorted General Motors Parade of Progress. e six-day, citywide party o ered 37 gala events. Sightseeing excursions to Hettie Dunaway Gardens in Newnan were the most popular. Highlights included the Junior League’s Carnival Ball at the Piedmont Driving Club; “ e Enchanted Garden” an elaborate dance fantasy performed at the Lullwater Conservation Garden; and the elaborate Fairyland Pageant held at Georgia Tech’s Grant Field. Lakewood Park drew crowds to a midway of amusements created by Rubin & Cherry Exposition Company. e Fox eatre, the venue for the last event on April 25, was a performance of Carmen by the Metropolitan Opera. Dogwood Festival Director Mrs. Robert L. Cooney said that it took her four years of event planning to execute the city’s rst Dogwood Festival. e 78th festival will be held in Piedmont Park on April 11-13.

April 10, 1949: Cairo, Ga. native Jackie Robinson came to Atlanta with the Brooklyn Dodgers and played the rst integrated game in Ponce de Leon Ball Park against the Atlanta Crackers.

April 12, 1926: Child actor Jane Withers was born in Atlanta. By age 4, she was playing the vaudeville circuit in Atlanta. She was in the movie Giant (1956) and performed in television commercials as Josephine the Plumber.

April 15, 1913: On Confederate Memorial Day, 13-year-old Mary Phagan was murdered in the National Pencil Company at 39 South Forsyth Street. Factory superintendent Leo Frank was convicted of her murder and sentenced to death, but had his sentence commuted to life in prison by Gov. John M. Slaton. Frank was kidnapped from the jail and lynched in Marietta. He was pardoned in 1986.

April 18, 1992: Sadly, a team of specialists at Zoo Atlanta had to euthanize the 25-year-old polar bear, Linda. She had an incurable in ammatory condition in her toes. Linda’s cub, Andy Nicolas, born Dec. 25, 1982, was named a er Mayor Andrew Young. He was the subject of a popular children’s book, Andy Bear, written by Ginny Johnston and Judy Cutchins.

April 22, 1906: Atlanta donations swelled to $14,000 for victims of the San Francisco earthquake and re.

Ann Taylor Boutwell is an Atlanta historian, tour guide and docent at the Margaret Mitchell House & Museum. Email her at annboutwell@bellsouth.net.