Dunwoody Working Girl

Dunwoody Rezoning: T minus 7 hours and counting

2012-01-24T13:44:00.000-05:00

It's finally here, the beginning of the zoning rewrite. A standing group meeting on a large project has monopolized my Tuesday nights so I doubt I'll be one of the throng at Dunwoody Baptist Church tonight.

Here's the news announcement from Patch:
http://dunwoody.patch.com/articles/city-begins-zoning-rewrite-process-tonight-with-public-input-meeting

Here's Duncan|Associates that Dunwoody City Hall hired for the project. (No relation)
http://www.duncanassociates.com/index.php

Here's the guy heading up the project in Dunwoody. You'll probably see him around tonight
http://www.duncanassociates.com/index.php?page=resume&resume=KirkBishop&name=Kirk%20Bishop&position=Vice-President

Here's his email address: kirk@duncanassociates.com

The descriptions of the company's past projects aren't specific as to how they rewrote codes, only that they did to make them more internally consistent, streamlined, etc. This is a good thing. But there's no clue as to how they're going to implement that here. As I type this there are closed door meetings happening with the usual groups, which will probably be speaking again at the public meeting tonight.

I've already posted what type of approach to zoning will benefit the most residents in the long term.

Specifically, a solid zoning code has to have a clear, practical definition of "nuisance". Find a way to make that word an objective, measurable benchmark by which all activities and complaints are measured. As long as "nuisance" is subjective, any ordinance built on it is a house of cards waiting to fall.

Every resident in Dunwoody wants their neighborhood to be an enjoyable one where it is peaceful to live. The problem comes from the fact that there is no unified agreement as to what that entails. There has always been a spectrum of opinions on what constitutes "residential" and that spectrum became clearer after incorporation. My personal thing about home businesses is only one of the questions being raised. Don't forget the "urban farmers", the "backyard chickens", the "alternate transportation" and other causes that are questioning the definition of a "residential" activity. Those questions are not going away. Fighting at City Hall every single time a new idea comes into fashion is a waste of the city's time and money and residents' energy.

There is one thing that will decimate a community's quality of life more than home businesses, more than backyard chickens, and more than any other "new" activity to be dreamed up. That one thing is a reputation as "The City Of 'NO' ". When the entire life of a city is defined by one group within it, and anyone deviating from it is considered an "auslander" to be avoided or suppressed you're going to end up attracting fewer and fewer people to be a part of the city. The result is, the quality of life that is supposed to be preserved becones "groupthink" and crosses over into stagnation. What some will find ironic is to preserve a certain lifestyle, it's necessary to find common ground and coexistence within that spectrum of thought.

Not every lifestyle or activity is going to be workable within the city. I would like to see the starting point of the discussion be an attempt at coexistence, rather than immediate barriers to growth and differentiation.

For tonight, I hope those attending avoid three "H"s:
Hysteria
Hyperreaction
Hyperbole

Let's see if we can get through the night without overreacting to different opinions, dire warnings about "slippery slopes" or just making up a bunch of nonsense because someone doesn't like another idea.

Hell, if this ordinance code ends up getting written well enough, you might even convince me that chickens aren't so bad!

The Fine Print

2012-01-23T21:09:00.001-05:00

Whenever John or the City posts documents, take some time to check them out. I know a lot of this is dry analytical stuff but it's worth it to read over because it gives interesting insights into City Hall's perspective.

This caught my eye: General Fund Resources & Uses Forecast

It starts out as an overview of economic conditions facing Dunwoody and a perspective on approaches to keeping the city financially solvent consistently as the economy fluctuates.

This quote from page 6 is worth pondering:

We benefit from a more educated work force. The unemployment rate for those without post-secondary degrees is more than double those with post-secondary degrees. Without doubt, it is my opinion our strongest weapon for fiscal resiliency is ensuring our labor market is trained and ready for growth while attracting those businesses that will hire our labor.

No one will argue against the benefit of having large companies relocate to Dunwoody. Large corporations provide a lot of jobs and a lot of benefits. But a large portion of the city's business community is in small businesses and entrepreneurs - the things that create large businesses. If our citizens are smart enough to be hired, are they not smart enough to create jobs as well? If we are smart enough to attract corporations, are we not smart enough to create home-grown corporations inside our borders? There is no mention of the impact of the small business community in Dunwoody in this report, and nothing about intentions to create businesses at home, rather than just attract them from outside.

The economic growth we saw in the 2000s came from small businesses, not large corporations. After an economic decline, like our recent recession, the small businesses were the first to recover. Small businesses are a key indicator in economic recovery after a decline.

Does City Hall recognize this? If so, where is that incorporated into the financial recommendations? If not - why?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm..........

How SOPA Can Affect Your Business and You (Yes, YOU!)

2012-01-18T20:29:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to get into the flashy symbolic graphics or page-blocking JavaScript, or wax sadly poetic about the evil pall of censorship.

We're just going to keep this really simple for the small business owner who uses the Internet.

Start by reviewing this article from Mashable, with links to the full text of the bills and direct references in the analysis.

Another discussion in simpler terms and spelled out in the form of a hypothetical situation is available at the blog of Splendid Communications, a marketing firm catering to the wedding industry.

If you want it even simpler than that, here is an infographic. (Be patient. It's big.)

While much of the media focused on blocking foreign websites with bootlegged material or other malware (what I affectionately call "Chinese Takeout" due to the frequency of spam from that region) there are severe penalties for owners of US websites that are reported as "infringing".

Most people know next to nothing about copyright law. The public has become so used to seeing frequent images that they ASSume they are public domain. Very little is public domain. So if you even unknowingly have information on your website that crosses a copyright line, however obscure, however subjective, a complaint will cut your bottom line off at the knees. Online transactions and advertising can be blocked and you're relegated to the stone age. That's just inadvertent infringement. I'm not going to bother with deliberate theft that is passed on to an unknowing flunkie. It's covered in the Splendid Communications article.

A precaution I always take as a web designer is a boilerplate statement in all of my contracts that once the site goes live and ownership of the completed code is turned over to the customer, that the customer is legally liable for all of the content on the site. There are going to be webmasters thrown under the bus with a law like this: "Hey, it's not my fault. My web guy put it up. Prosecute them!" Not on my watch.

We're not just talking about commerce websites either, gang. All of you blog owners out there: John, Bob, Kerry, Rick, TOD, Paula, Cerebration, the other Bob, Donna, Lindsay, anybody else I missed - I know you're all reading this! - think about your comments section. (Except for TOD who doesn't allow comments.) You know how the spammers will sneak in their links by registering a Google ID, then posting some bland generic stuff on an old post and then a link to whatever it is they're hawking? And it takes you a while to find it and delete it? Under this bill, you're liable for that content. If no one notices, you get lucky, you delete the comment and go on your way. But if you miss it and someone complains, you're toast. I don't know about you but I never feel that lucky.

It's a couple of bad bills that need to go back into committee.

BTW - to get around the Wikipedia blackout: search your content and hover over the "stop" button on your browser. The nanosecond the content loads, hit the stop button. Read away. The graphics and presentation of Wikipedia's point were good but the JS implementation was amateur-hour.

Taste of Dunwoody 2012 is SOLD OUT

2012-01-18T13:00:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: TASTE OF DUNWOODY 2012 IS SOLD OUT
Let the ~~scalping~~ ticket brokering begin....

Back again for the 9th year in a row is Taste of Dunwoody to benefit Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Once again, SDOC is sponsoring the event and my husband and I can't wait for February 3!

Get tickets now. No really, drop what you're doing, get your wallet, go here, and get tickets. Back in early December, the event was 25% sold. It has got to be more than that now. Last year people thought they could buy tickets the day of or at the door and were shut out. There were networks of people springing up looking to buy or sell. Avoid the rush.

Taste of Dunwoody is produced by Dunwoody Friends of CHOA. All Dunwoody moms and dads, organizing fundraising for all of the funding gaps every pediatric hospital faces. Check them out on Facebook. (And if any of the admins from this page are reading - update your info slide, it's about a year out of date. 8^P ) Share the TOD. Share the FB event info too.

Last year I posted why CHOA fundraisers and support events are so near and dear to us. Can't think of anything that has changed since then. Some of you didn't believe my comment about working at the cancer kids' summer camp. So I dug around and pulled out the camp group picture:

The counselors in their rugby shirts are around the edges and our patients with their siblings are in the middle. That's one of the official group shots of Camp AOK ("Anderson's Older Kids") around 1995-ish. It was 103 degrees in the shade and we all had sweat in places we don't discuss in polite company. The photo was taken the first night of camp after the campers arrived and got settled. I was the co-counselor of "Cool Chicks Only" cabin.

This summer camp was exactly like any other. Except the camp nurse was a certified nurse practitioner with an oncology specialty and had to organize maintenance chemotherapy regiments for half of the campers. Usually that just meant medication in pill form. A pediatric oncologist was on site at all times. The guys in the clinic fought over who got up to camp for the week. The child life specialists (psychology team) sat with the counselors before arrival to discuss each of the campers - who was back this year, who was new, who would never be back again. These teens saw life and death first hand more than many people do. Child Life was always on hand to allow them to talk out their feelings and cope with their own well-founded fears of their own mortality. That was also the reason for "summer prom": some of these kids did not live to see their high school senior prom. But most of the teens in this picture are healthy adults today.

The support programs provided by CHOA through private donations and sponsors are similar to what I have worked with in the past. Medical care is only the beginning. For children with serious health issues and their families there's a lot of work involved in finding a new "normal life". This is what Taste of Dunwoody and other Friends' events are paying for. Taste of Dunwoody is a lot more than just a party!

Psst - tickets. Go get 'em.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell

2012-01-09T21:24:00.001-05:00

Dunwoody City Council Meeting January 9.

The short version: paranoia and hate mail campaigns win the day. Home based business owners can not expect any rights from this Council. Except for the right to pay taxes to the city.

The long version:

The first read of the home occupation amendment was converted to a "discussion" per Heneghan. He insisted that the council "slow down" on its recommendations regarding home business owner rights. I guess 10 months of discussion is moving too fast for him.

The neighborhood nazis have the ears of the council. Bonser related an anecdote about an "illegal" business causing traffic problems. She did not say if the people involved in the "illegal" operation were penalized in some way. Heneghan claimed that the sign ordinance in combination with this new ordinance will allow homes to have commercial signage. What the sign ordinance has to do with occasional customer contact was never made clear. Home based operations are not permitted to have signage, period. Shortal also shot down any expansion of home business owner rights. He also was skeptical of having a page of links to community organizations on the Dunwoody city government page. Deutsch explained that the Community Council wanted to streamline the process for home business SLUP applications. Nall asked questions that pointed out difficulties in the practical application of parts of the amendment. Thompson and Davis were silent.

There are some glaring contradictions in the "discussion".

Heneghan and Bonser are concerned with "unintended consequences" of allowing home businesses to visit with customers at home. They were not concerned, however, with the unintended consequences of allowing the same homeowners to raise farm animals in their backyards. The "needs" of a half dozen families indulging a hobby carry more weight than 500 families making a living. Hmmmmmm..............

Concerns were expressed regarding "deliveries" at odd hours of the night that would disturb neighbors. Concerns were not expressed about DeKalb Sanitation or the USPS making rounds as late as 9 PM the past few weeks. Double hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmms.............

The council expresses concerns about potential parking issues due to home based customer contact. The same council is not concerned about the inconvenience of street parking for any other reason. Especially when it is provided by the city as Joe Hirsch pointed out in his public comment. Triple hmmmmmmmmmmmms...........

The council is concerned for neighbors who may be "annoyed" by a home based business. The council is not concerned about home business owners being harassed by council members' friends in HOAs. Home business owners have no protection from accusations of "nuisance" that stem from a personality conflict or other frivolous source. If there is a conflict, the blame will always be placed on the business owner. I'm running out of hmmmmmmmmmms.

I have no hope that the "discussion" of this ordinance amendment is going to get anywhere. The general assumption is that all home business owners are careless, evil, and the perpetrators of all things uncomfortable. Any opinion defending a home business owner that did respect their neighbors was dismissed as an aberration. Several hundred business owners smeared with a handful of anecdotes with no supporting evidence and no chance for appeal. This is what Dunwoody calls "transparency in government." I give up.

I do not and will not advocate violating the law. However tonight's discussion made it clear that homeowners who work from home will not have any rights or protections afforded them. You can still apply for your SLUP if you insist, but you are subject to wholesale smear campaigns and whatever other tricks City Hall demands. I predict that most home business owners will default back to "don't ask, don't tell". The standard, per Bonser, is set by the scofflaws who do not bother to get licensed or pay their taxes. All others are judged by that lowest denominator.

Is it worth it for a home based business to obey the licensing laws?

I believe not. There are great expenses in time and effort with no support or positive acknowledgement from the city, and unchecked harassment from community activists.

Should every home based business obey the law anyway?

That's up to you.

To Link or Not to Link - and When

2012-01-08T21:13:00.000-05:00

Everyone wants links to their website. You get more people happening upon your site, and you get better SERPs (search engine results placement). More links means more eyeballs. But there is a time when links are more trouble than they're worth.

Back in the day, everybody just linked to each other. Remember "web rings" and link pages? That was the beginning of SEO. But like the rest of the Internet the perception of who links to whom has evolved.

Links to other websites have been used since 1995 to reference related content. It made it easier for webmasters to connect content without having to duplicate it and take up space on their own server, or to reference copyrighted content that could not be legally duplicated.

When you put a link on your website to another website, you are implying an endorsement. It's a big sign post that says, "Hey, look at this! It's good stuff!" If it wasn't related to your content, or beneficial to your site, you wouldn't bother.

Linking to other sites can have a downside. It can take attention away from what you're promoting or selling. If the linked site changes its content, it can reflect negatively on your presentation.

What if there is a conflict between the sites' purposes, regardless of the content? For example, if the Playboy Foundation wanted to link to Dunwoody Baptist Church, would DBC benefit? I doubt they would think so because the organizations' philosophies are so different. Or what if a local city government wanted to link to one of their houses of worship - but only one, out of many in town. You just ran head-first into the First Amendment, prohibiting the establishment of religion.

Dunwoody City Council is discussing adding links to community groups on its website. (First agenda item for Monday's meeting.) Having worked with government entities and organizations with government connections, I am very familiar with this type of situation.

The Background: The DHA approached City Hall and requested that a link to the DHA be placed on the main page at dunwoodyga.gov, alongside the Chamber of Commerce and CVB.

Problem: the entire reason for the links to the Chamber and CVB was because of an agreement between those two organizations and city government to create a "unified branding" to reinforce each other. The DHA was not involved in this agreement.

If the City added a link to the DHA (and ONLY the DHA) in addition to the Chamber and CVB, everyone is between a rock and a hard place. The Chamber and CVB are bound to a strict style guide in their marketing because of the branding agreement. There are all kinds of restrictions on how they may or may not use images, logos, colors, etc in all of their materials, including the websites. It can be a real hassle for each group to distinguish itself from City Hall. (Ask me how I know....)

So on one side, if the DHA were to be displayed as the Chamber and CVB, they would have to be bound by the same marketing restrictions. Since becoming more familiar with the DHA, I don't see that happening in this time-space continuum.

On the other side, if the DHA didn't have to follow the same branding style restrictions, the CVB and the Chamber would be on the phone screaming bloody murder at City Hall 2 minutes after the link appeared.

Beyond the implications of the branding project, you have the implied endorsement. A prominent link by the City to the DHA alone implies endorsement of that organization, to the exclusion of all others. Every other HOA in town would bristle. How is it fair for a city government to endorse one HOA but not others? The arguments over that scenario would make the Chicken Debacle look like a toddlers' playdate at Brook Run.

Hutmacher, in his memo associated with the recommendations (linked above) takes the right approach for any organization faced with the question of building links. It's a good rule of thumb for any business looking to reference or endorse information outside their own website:

1) If your business or organization is part of a larger national or international group, consult their guidelines first before adding any more that may conflict. The memo points out that ".gov" domains have inflexible regulations on advertising private entities. I learned about that working on websites for both M. D. Anderson (a state-funded hospital) and the DAR (a private organization that was incorporated by an Act of Congress which brings with it responsibilities for their content and the potential for intervention by the Feds.)

2) Decide what information or content would enhance your site without competing with it. Think about what would make good reference material, or what would make your business or organization appear to be an authority on your subject.

3) Use a legal disclaimer. Disclaimers are the final protection between your intentions on your website and a court of law. But it won't change the visitor's impression: that your site is endorsing another. Hutmacher's memo indicates a disclaimer that would absolve the City of any legal ramifications of a link to other content. In addition, the memo outlines classes of content to be added as community organizations as a whole. If a single link to a single HOA were added to the exclusion of all others, that would be an endorsement no matter what kind of disclaimer was posted. But when you add all HOA's, plus houses of worship, and schools etc for good measure, that perceived endorsement is diluted. The proposed content becomes an authoritative reference on Dunwoody life.

4) Create a clear website policy going forward regarding the evaluation of links to outside content. It will make your life much easier when this question comes again. There will always be something new on the Internet (social media, anyone?) that may or may not be worth referencing. With a clear focus on your site's goals, you can make decisions about outside links that will strengthen and reinforce your company's web presence equally and fairly even as the Internet evolves.

Business-Related Agenda Items at City Hall on Monday

2012-01-06T14:12:00.002-05:00

Attention business owners in Dunwoody: pay attention to the City Council agenda on January 9. There's lots of crunchy issues that will affect many in our business community.

(Thanks, John for the heads-up on the agenda)

FIRST READ: Amendments to the Text of Chapter 27, Sections 27-183, 27-185, and 27-1321Regarding Home Occupations in the R-100 (Single-Family Residential) District and“Supplemental Regulations.”

To review, there are several hundred home-based businesses operating inside of Dunwoody - about 20% of the licensed institutions, according to some estimates. As of now, unless a proprietor is willing to put themselves through a merciless gauntlet of sequential meetings, city hall missteps, and occasional hysteria, a single customer may not enter a home to do business. Enforcement is difficult as most of these companies will adopt a "don't ask, don't tell" policy of occasional customer contact and there is a double standard regarding traffic and parking between strictly "traditional" residential use and work-at-home use.

This amendment will allow customer contact by right in R-100 residential districts under conditions that will prevent business traffic (vehicle, human, etc) from exceeding that expected in an active residential community.

Given that a comprehensive zoning rewrite is on the horizon and re-evaluating zoning is always a hazard, I believe that these amendments are very fair both to non-working residential homeowners, and entrepreneurs or business owners who need to use their home for work.

Now with that said... there is room for improvements.

For example - no one has adequately answered the question, "Why just R-100? Why not R-75, R-50, etc?" The city memo points out this discrepancy. The test case that these amendments were inspired by is zoned R-50, which makes the restriction even more ironic.

Then there is this section:

(11) Home Occupations shall belimited to a maximum of 2 business related visitors at any time. Businessrelated visitors include but are not limited to employees, business partners,contractors, subcontractors, clients, customers, students, etc.

This is new in that customers are not the only ones restricted. Originally, the ordinance was silent on contractors, et al. Now there is a limit 2 (or 4, depending on which version goes through). We're still in "don't ask, don't tell" land. Contractors for "residential purposes" are not limited. But if you use your home for your business, and you have a contractor painting or repairing it, is that residential or business? How would you know? How would you enforce any penalties for the latter? These questions can't be addressed in a mere amendment; I look forward to the thought behind the comprehensive rewrite of the zoning code.

And for today's giggle:

(18) Home occupation withcustomer contact shall not include the use of a dwelling unit for the purpose ofoperating a massage therapy, psychic, fortuneteller, tattoo, and/or body piercingestablishment.

I am still waiting for any member of city government from the council on down to state with a straight face why this sentence is necessary.

There is also no condition expressly stated that would ensure that a business based in a home would remain a residence. Not that it would ever be permitted to happen but I can just see someone trying to pull a fast one by opening a business at home, then saying, "Oopsy-daisy! I need to expand, let's rezone to retail." Um, no. It's not worth the inevitable hassle and bad karma. Just put it on the record that home-based businesses have to remain a residence first and you spare yourself a ton of drama down the road.

I am glad to see this type of legislation finally being added and I look forward to showing the skeptics that the ~500 home-based business owners are not a threat to their homes.

2) "Branding" (read: redevelopment) of Georgetown

Here's the link.

First thing you notice about these proposals is how they are awash in the currently fashionable, politically-correct buzzwords of "multi-use", "mixed use", "transit village", "transit-oriented", "transit-friendly" "livable centers", and "(insert niche group here) - friendly" . Once you sweep away all that static and get down to the legitimate suggestions, there's an interesting mixed bag.

Next thing you notice is that every one of these plans suggests the construction of more-than-single-family density on any piece of land available. Townhomes are multifamily housing too, gang, so think carefully how that conflicts with the general public consensus of "no more higher-density" housing. Either the company that created this plan thinks we're not going to notice the conflict, or they don't care.

Different pages have conflicting recommendations. Page 24 recommends more "open spaces/parks" but elsewhere in the document, those same open spaces are recommended for some kind of housing. Can't have it both ways. The example of the old Shallowford ES site stands out. Why not make this a recreational space as a buffer between the commercial and residential areas (can the gymnasium be renovated or is it beyond repair?) instead of more townhouses?

I would be cautious about building communities on the promise of access to bus stations. MARTA is notorious for changing schedules or deleting routes altogether. What would happen if you built a nice community with the promise of transit access and then MARTA pulled the route? Who is willing to gamble that much time, effort, and money when the "mass transit" draw isn't guaranteed - and why?

Page 6 of the zoning analysis is an example of what I described before as an overly-objective analysis of a business use that disregards the realities of the consumer's use of it. They showcase an image of the Georgetown Kroger as "undesirable" because it has "parking out front" and is "auto dominated". No kidding, Kojak!! When shoppers go to the store to stock up, they drive their cars and they want to park out front! Sounds pretty darn desirable to me. Even the Dunwoody Green Market packs the parking lot with minivans and SUVs, not bicycles. They all vie for the closest space too, no one wants to walk an extra 10 -20 feet back to their car! This is what happens when you guide your "sounding boards" with static pictures separated from real-life property usage and elicit emotional reactions separate from their actual behavior. I don't think the person(s) who wrote this was stupid - but they believe that we citizens are.

On the other hand, the proposal is also surprisingly specific about the business opportunities in this region. The housing (proposed and current) will cover almost every demographic: older seniors, younger couples and singles, and families with children. So your potential customer demo is: people who are alive. About 2 miles away is Perimeter Mall and you also have Dunwoody Village nearby. The report points out the potential competition, but also the opportunity for a different business approach. The opportunity is ripe for businesses that are:

a) small enough to not be able to afford rent at the Perimeter

b) large enough to require a storefront

c) not currently available in Dunwoody Village

d) can market to any of the above age demographics and/or their subgroups

e) is locally owned to appeal to the community spirit.

See page 49 ("Retail Targets") and the "Detailed Market Assesment Report". Not only does it line up the dots, it connects them for you. IMHO, best part of the whole report.

Local entrepreneurs and niche marketers rejoice - this is your place!

BTW - "Branding" takes up only a couple of paragraphs and finally gets mentioned on page 52. In general I am not impressed with a lot of the suggestions because of the "buzzword bingo" mentioned above but I do believe they are on track with suggestions of a focal point in the PVC farm. This *is* the place to elicit a positive emotional bond - like The Farmhouse in Dunwoody Village. IMHO, it's a good idea to have some kind of symbol and expression of pride in every commercial center in town. The Farmhouse will always be "THE" emotional heart of the city but if you strengthen the identity of other centers as well, the whole city will benefit. Don't underestimate the value of symbolism in this process.

That's enough for one day. Back to work!

World Peace

2012-01-02T10:38:00.001-05:00

Ran across this while sorting files on my server. From Snowpocalypse 2011. Just seemed appropriate.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2011-12-31T21:03:00.001-05:00

Finishing only those work tasks that are absolutely necessary before kicking back and ringing in 2012. I hope the new year is a wonderful one for all of you!

From Good Day Atlanta on Fox 5: Business Moms Find Ways to Work from Home

2011-12-29T10:07:00.000-05:00

Business Moms Find Ways to Work from Home: MyFoxATLANTA.com

Channel 5 had this segment on Good Day Atlanta this morning about full-time moms who find a way to make a living even as they manage their homes and raise their children full-time. None of this is new, by any means but it's an important reminder that economies and personal circumstances are constantly changing and people have to find a way to make a living by thinking outside the box.

A few thoughts on the video segment:

1) I hate the term "stay at home" mom (or dad). "Stay at home" implies you're not working and nothing could be further from the truth. I prefer "full time" mom/dad.

2) While moms are still the ones that struggle the most with whether to work full-time inside or outside the home, a growing number of dads are facing the same decision. According to the 2010 Census (whose statistics I'm crunching for a new page on the Chamber of Commerce site) about 6% of full-time parents in Dunwoody are dads! That's up from zero not too long ago.

3) The one drawback of the story above was over the issue of childcare for work-at-home parents. The mom with her four daughters hanging on her while she's working is completely unrealistic. As I said in a post about 1 1/2 years ago, working from home is not a substitute for child or family care. Work-at-home parents have to ensure that their charges are provided for, either by dividing their time equally, or working during school/daycare time. To its credit, the story did showcase how some moms were using local daycare for their children while they worked.

4) Working from home, either by telecommuting or entrepreneurship, is not a fad, or a hobby, or an oddball threat to our residential neighborhoods. There are several hundred home-based operations in Dunwoody alone. (Another statistic I'm working on for the Chamber.) I propose that work-at-home families and home-based businesses can preserve the residential neighborhood by providing income to pay the mortgage when the economy fluxes. If you think a home-based business ruins a neighborhood, what do you think a series of foreclosed homes will do to it? Time to take this movement seriously when the Zoning rewrite takes off.

5) Check out Bob L's post outlining possibilities for future growth in town - or the lack thereof. A strong business community is not the enemy of comfortable residential neighborhoods. On the contrary it is what keeps residential taxes reasonable. Those of us paying taxes multiple times because we are employers and business owners as well as homeowners say "You're Welcome". Further, there is no clear line between "us and them"; those angelic homeowners and demonic business owners. Many of your neighbors are both.

In June the Dunwoody Chamber is putting on a Business Expo in a joint effort with the Sandy Springs Chamber (one of my many web projects in coming weeks). If you are able, go on down and meet some of the local businesses and I'll bet you will see and learn about a lot of people you already know as residents.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T21:48:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy New Year to all of my visitors!

RIP to another Dunwoody business

2011-12-20T17:16:00.002-05:00

From Dunwoody Patch:

Red Mango in the Dunwoody Hall Shopping center has closed its doors.
The store opened in September 2010, with a grand re-opening in April.
Sunday, the store was shut down, because sales were lagging.

Open Mike Tuesday: the trend to "buy local" has reached fever pitch in the last couple of years. From major national PR efforts like Small Business Saturday sponsored by American Express, to the Dunwoody Chamber who has been promoting Dunwoody's local business community since 2008, to the latest effort by the Patch in union with Artichoke Designs in the Williamsburg shopping center via the 3/50 Project. Lots of stats about how much small local businesses support the economy, how the majority of taxes are paid by the business community and how Dunwoody homeowners will pay lower taxes if the business community is strong, yadda, yadda, yadda. I'm all for it too because my own firm caters to these small businesses, creating websites that will enhance their visibility and sales on a budget they can afford.

I'd like to hear from you. Comments are open, you can be anonymous if you want. There are no right or wrong answers here.

Does being "local" really make a difference when you shop? Do you see shopping at a locally-owned enterprise as an imperative to sustain our community? Or does it come down to trust in the brand, regardless of whether it is "local" or not? Do you even see the correlation between where and how you shop and the success of Dunwoody? Why do enterprises, like Red Mango above, fail? Why do other succeed?Are there reasons not to patronize the smaller businesses or localized shopping centers in Dunwoody?

Share your thoughts when you have a moment this week!

My Dunwoody Christmas Wish List

2011-12-14T11:55:00.002-05:00

Fresh blood, fresh ideas are coming in January. I don't believe for a minute that the "vacation" time during our holidays will be empty. I can smell the brainstorming from my own office.

Here's my wish list for the consideration of the seven "Santa Claus"s that will take their seats in a couple of weeks.

1) Create a law/ordinance/directive to clarify the distinctions between commissions officially organized by the government and local advocacy groups. If someone gets appointed to a commission, and they're already serving on the board of (for example) the DHA, the Chamber of Commerce, the Nature Center, PCID, any other civic association, they have to resign from that board before accepting the appointment. Either be a government-level arbiter that is able to assemble and balance all of the needs of the different groups in the city, or be a private-sector advocate for one small segment of it. Pick one. When a person serves as both private and public officials at the same time, the potential for conflicts of interest abound, and could potentially involve legal action via the Department of Justice. No one has time for that. Just avoid the conflict up front.

2) Put the everyday needs of the everyday Dunwoody citizen at the center of the zoning rewrite. Too often the zoning codes that the commissions sat around masturbating to had more to do with superficial appearances and less to do with how the residents themselves use the goods and services provided by Dunwoody's business community. For example, whose idea was it to not have easy-to-read "OPEN" signs on storefronts in Dunwoody Village??? Or to have lighting that makes menu boards and drive-throughs difficult to read? What dumb mistakes! When I'm running around with kids and getting errands done before school pickup times, I have to look quickly to see if the store I want to use is open. If I don't see a clear "OPEN" sign, or other easy-to-read signage from my car, I'm not stopping. So, Almighty Commission Members, how exactly did your ordinance benefit me, the Dunwoody Homeowner, with this aspect of the ordinance? You didn't. You made it difficult for me to get the resources I need close to home. And this is just one example. You have a chance early on in the life of Dunwoody to create ordinances that make life easier for the citizens. Don't repeat your past mistakes. This is a living city, not a replica by Norman Rockwell where ceramic dolls sit where you place them and do nothing. Create ordinances FOR the residents' practical needs, not separate from them.

3) While on the subject of the Zoning rewrite, incorporate the fact that different segments of Dunwoody have entirely different characters. Some are strictly single-family residential. Others (like the PCID) are different. All are going to require different standards of zoning to match their character. Don't punish the non-single-family regions for their existence. In fact, it's the PCID's commercial nature that makes Dunwoody feasible. Remember how DeKalb County was happy to siphon our taxes and yet not provide the services we paid for? The situation is similar. If Dunwoody is happy with the money PCID generates, then makes it difficult for them to function with overly-restrictive ordinances, then the government has become a clone of Vermin (sic) Jones' administration.

4) Last one on zoning, I promise. People are choosing to use their homes and property for a greater variety of activities. Each activity may or may not be a threat to the "residential nature" that we purchased our homes for. I don't believe that anyone in their heart of hearts gives a damn what others do on their property, so long as they don't have to deal with it. That's not unreasonable. There's potential for a lot of leeway. Write your residential zoning codes with an eye toward flexibility within a defined limit, as I described a few months ago. Make sure Code Enforcement is sufficient to handle the full daytime population when questions or problems arise. You'll spend less time rehashing Every. Single. Thing. a homeowner wants to do with their home and more time "fixing stuff". ;-)

5) Best thing I've read from a council member so far was in the Crier this week. Excerpt below. Full article is here:

In an interview later in the week with The Crier, Davis said the first thing he was going to do was obtain an office. Wright has not used one very much.
“I’m going to be in the office on a regular basis,” Davis said. ....
Davis said he intended to hold regular office days to which the public will be invited.

Outstanding idea, and one I hope is maintained throughout this administration. In the future Dunwoody will probably have its own civic complex and our elected officials can probably count on office space there. Until that day arrives, a local office space is a sound compromise. I'll add a few points to it.

Create an office space for ALL SEVEN council members for this purpose. Get everyone who is able, to hold regular office hours. Divide the cost seven ways. Not only will the citizenry benefit from knowing where and when to go to talk to a representative, "office hours" can help council members contain their city responsibilities and separate them from home/family/personal responsibilities.
Invest in an office space away from Dunwoody Village or from the commercial area around City Hall. Get closer to the average citizen, like the majority who didn't vote. For some reason they feel that their opinion is not worth casting a vote. Find out why. Go outside your normal mindset and meet some Dunwoody citizens you wouldn't meet ordinarily. You may find a new supporter or even a solution to a future problem that you wouldn't have if you hadn't stepped outside your comfort zone.
Be careful out there. No one should use an office space alone, no matter where it is. Some scum have no problem knocking over banks near Dunwoody Village, don't make it easy for them to come for you.
Even after Dunwoody builds its own civic complex, it's going to be necessary to go OUT TO people to meet them and hear what's happening on the street outside of election campaigns. People let their guard down when on their home turf, even around the swimming pool of their local swim/tennis club or apartment complex. It's amazing how open your constituents will be if you chat while they're wearing little more than their underwear. You can also consider holding city council meetings in various places outside city hall, a suggestion I made some time ago on John's blog when he opened the question about how to develop Brook Run. You've got school buildings, a theater (if it's ever renovated), churches, synagogues, the J, the library, and even picnic pavilions in parks. You reached out to the public where they were during your campaigns and it worked - you're elected. Keep up the tradition now that you're in office!

Just five items. Not too much for Santa to ponder, right?

Obligatory work comments: "vacation" is a relative term. My "vacation" will be made up of proposals to those companies that requested them, starting projects on new contracts, and lots (LOTS....) of system upgrades on my hosting server. Lots o' new goodies for the good boys and girls to use on their web services for Christmas and Chanukkah! If you'd like to chat about an idea for your website or other Internet outreach, you can contact me 24/7 at www.sdocpublishing.com. I will always find time to pencil in one of my neighbors for their project.

Here's another hint: keep your eyes peeled for the Chamber's Business Expo to be unveiled in January. Lots of local business by your neighbors making their living. You'd be amazed at what big things are happening right here in town.

Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukkah, Happy 2012 to everybody! Unless I hear from some of you before then I'll see you next year.

In time for Christmas - the latest email scams

2011-12-13T16:05:00.003-05:00

Scammers don't take a break for Christmas and there's a new addition to this year's crowd. Email scammers are taking advantage of business owners who are up to their necks in email and may be too harried to look closely at the emails they are replying to.

The latest scam is a fake Better Business Bureau (BBB) complaint. Here's a screenshot of one I got the other day:

No one wants a BBB complaint on their record, right?? You're dealing with so many customers at the busiest time of the year, plus getting your finances straight for tax season, plus duties at home. It's easy to panic and just click on the link and see what's happening. Don't click. Resist the urge.

Like many spoof emails there will be attempts to fake the "@bbb.org" address and use formal business-speak. However the syntax and grammatical errors are typical of someone who uses English as a second language. The clincher is the email link you are asked to click.

When you hover your cursor over the link, the URL that appears has nothing to do with the BBB. In fact if you do click on it, it will redirect you several times until you end up in a site hosted in India. (Special trick you do through a firewall on full blast and several backup antivirus programs. Don't try this at home, kids.)

A similar scam making the rounds is the "ACH payment rejected" scam email. If you do a lot of online payments (say, for payroll, or for federal or state business-related taxes) this one may scare you too. You are not going to be contacted via email with generic language if an electronic payment fails. It's a scam.

No matter how crazy it gets, don't panic and click links on emails that threaten you with late payments or a bad business rep. No reputable institution is going to ask for your personal identification like driver license numbers or social security numbers. Nor will they ask for your bank passwords, account numbers, etc.

If you have any doubts about an email you receive, call your bank or the BBB directly and confirm the information.

Hang in there! Only 12 more days til Christmas!

Dunwoody Elections 2011 - Thank God It's Over

2011-12-08T10:06:00.001-05:00

Finally, it's out of the way. Finally, it will be quiet for a while and we can all calm down and get back to normal.

Back in August when qualifying open for candidates, I posted the following: (emphases added)

Stay classy. No matter who wins and who loses, we still have to live together. Things to avoid include
Cheap shots at your opponents that don't have anything to do with managing the city
Creating personal controversies. Remember how the Pankey campaign in 2008 allegedly tried to create dirt on Adrian Bonser? Like that. Don't do it.
Gratuitous negative campaigning. I don't care what the marketing statistics say, negativity will bounce back on you.
Putting flyers on cars parked at a church/synagogue during worship. Enough said.
Bragging about your campaign's strengths if you win. The only thing worse than a sore loser is a sore winner.

Congratulations, Mike and Terry! Enjoy your Christmas and New Year's because the work really gets going in January.

Dunwoody Election Runoff 2011 - Returns Live From Patch

2011-12-06T18:21:00.001-05:00

CALLING IT
NALL AND DAVIS

VOTE TODAY - Dunwoody Election Runoffs 2011

2011-12-06T13:33:00.001-05:00

The Electoral College does not rule in Dunwoody elections. EVERY vote is going to count and these runoffs may come down to a handfull of votes making the difference in who sits on council next year. Don't rely on what you think your neighbors are going to vote for - go out and cast your own vote. You've got 5 1/2 hours left as of this writing.

After a lot of mental gymnastics and a few brain cramps, here are my personal endorsements:

District 1 at large - Terry Nall

The District 1 campaign was as neat, clean, and gentlemanly as an election could be. There are going to be negative issues to talk about, but no one swung below the belt. Terry stands out because of his ability to listen to all sides of an issue and work toward internal consistency in government. That's an issue he dealt with directly when confronting the ZBA for violating their own procedures on an issue with the Goddard School. Terry is not conspicuously associated with any individual special interests, so I believe he will approach any question with an open mind. I have all the respect in the world for Rob as a human being who stepped up to serve the first City Council. However the issues he has brought for through Council have been increasingly divisive. In one of his letters to his constituents, he discusses the idea of rolling back taxes due to city hall operating on a surplus, yet then urges us to vote for a huge parks bonds issue that became more and more troublesome as the details emerged. For the citizens of Dunwoody (both homeowners and home renters) to trust their government, it has to be consistent and fair to all sides. I think Terry is the right man for the job this time around.

Mayor - Bob Dallas (by a nose)

This is the difficult one. Mike and Bob are in a virtual dead heat in many ways. I have met both, as well as their reps, listened to the forums/debates and listened "offline" when there were no microphones around. I understand their philosophies and views on life and I find a lot in common with both. However neither of these boys have clean hands in the campaign tactics department. The current chatter on the Internet is about Bob's latest flyer crticizing Mike on filings, fees, etc. But who remembers that Mike fired the first shot by questioning Bob's commitment to Dunwoody based on the source of his campaign contributions? Or trying to paint a negative picture via the "career politician" label? That's negative campaigning too, and it's just as bad. Worse, in fact, when claiming to take the "high road" later in the game. Both are also associated with their share of "Johnny One-Notes" whose vision of Dunwoody is more like a static, ceramic Christmas village than a thriving, diverse, living, growing, evolving city.

The reason Bob has the edge in my mind is because of the very experience and political connections he has been criticized for. Dunwoody is in a position now where, after three years, we can assess what we have in terms of infrastructure, citizens and lifestyles, other resources, and determine what we can build in the future and how. There is also the very unique situation of having our residential population outnumbered by almost 3 - 1 by "daytimers" during the week. Bob's experience working for Sonny Perdue forced him to deal with a broad spectrum of competing interests that had to be addressed, like them or not. That's where Dunwoody is at now: after three years we learned that the lives and lifestyles of our citizenry are far more diverse and sometimes conflicting than we knew at incorporation. It all has to be addressed and integrated as fairly as possible, because no one is going anywhere. I think Bob is better equipped for that circumstance.

With that said, no matter who wins, I ask our new council members this: keep the Johnny One-Notes on a leash. It isn't fair to the city now or in the future to allow one special interest to take precedence over other equally valid and valuable concerns. The major zoning rewrite is coming up and there are a lot of "master plans" being bandied about - make sure all of the populations that call Dunwoody home benefit from these plans and no one gets shut out.

Johnny One-Note

2011-12-04T20:29:00.001-05:00

So much for keeping it classy.

I knew that eventually the civilized discussions around local elections would get heated and out of hand. People are human, there are times when they don't live up to the standards they would like. A few of you have been so extreme that you are not going to enter my house until I'm convinced that you're housebroken again. You know who you are.

Time for some Tough Love.

What concerns me the most about the current rhetoric are the people who are so wrapped up in their one little ideology that they are incapable of acknowledging any other POV. I call them "Johnny One-Notes."

You all have met these people around town and online. They're like evangelists who have had some kind of life-changing experience, and now they're going to save the world starting with Dunwoody based on the nugget of philosophy they've absorbed. Hallelujah! Can I get a ay-men! All non-believers are going to hell and damnation!

Anyone is prone to falling into this trap. The key is when you stop acknowledging the people around you with other priorities and reasons for their thinking.

Here are a couple examples, in no specific order:

The one who can't give their name or an opinion without emphasizing how many years they've lived in Dunwoody. Best description is TheOtherDunwoody's "More Dunwoody Than You". I watched this first-hand at Light Up Dunwoody. "I'm Ishkebibble and iiIIIIiii've lived in Dunwoody for 30 YEARS!" The implication being that they are more important, or their opinion is more worthy of attention because of their longevity. If you catch yourself announcing how many years you've lived in town at the opening of conversations, stop it. No really, knock it off, you sound like a tool and it's embarrassing.

The born-again preacher. Doesn't matter what they're "born again" about, their sole goal is to get everyone else in town to follow the new life philosophy they have found. They sidle up to the right councilman or city hall employee, whisper in the right ear, and are given something to do simply because of their enthusiasm. In a way I don't blame city hall for just handing them a role - anything to keep them from being a pain in your ass, right? But what happens when they encounter a different opinion? That's when the show starts! Crying, pouting, foot-stomping, and self-pity, followed by condemnation of the offender. "How DARE he not drop everything and support me! Woe is me, I'm so unloved, how can people be so mean by not agreeing with everything I say?" Once more, with feeling - put a sock in it.

Here's why it's important to recognize Johnny One-Note: our city government structure is about consensus. In theory, our government recognizes that there are a slew of various interests and priorities. If left to their own devices they could compete and destroy each other. On the other hand if they all get heard fairly and all considered, they can all be acommodated. Johnny One-Note is incapable of that mutual listening. Johnny One-Note can only see their own personal vision, and no one else's. Johnny One-Note will manipulate the system to legislate their lifestyle and standards, and other Johnny One-Notes are deeply threatened by that.

In recent days, the Johnny One-Notes have been all over the internet, advocating for their candidate. It's ugly. It's moronic. Worst of all, it reflects badly on the candidate they say is right for the job. Is it truly that the candidate is right? Or are they going to cater to their Johnny One-Note to the detriment of all others? I can't tell. Neither can many others because posts have appeared from people that claim to make their ballot decision based on the Johnny One-Note behaviour.

So if you've been letting your passions get the better of you this week, you may be causing your candidate more trouble than you're worth. Candidates, it's a little late to get a leash on these kids. I don't know how much you can control them but did you at least try to pull someone aside and ask them to tone it down for the sake of your campaign?

In both of the runoff elections there is only one candidate that is not conspicuously associated with a Johnny One-Note. That is Terry Nall. Terry has had to discuss some unpleasant issues, and he has only compared himself with Rob to contrast their priorities and track records. But you don't hear his supporters taking snide potshots on Facebook or Patch.

To all my Johnny One-Notes: Vote on December 6. Do what you have to do to get the angst out of your system. Then be man or woman enough to compose an eloquent apology for making an ass of yourself. You have to look the people you behaved badly for in the eye, no matter who is in office, no matter what their agenda becomes.

Party at Tiffany's - Pink Pastry Recap

2011-12-03T23:45:00.001-05:00

I just got to watch the first two episodes of "Party at Tiffany's" on OWN via DVR after my husband got his annual dose of "It's a Wonderful Life."

Pink Pastry Parlor isn't "exactly" in Atlanta. It's in that odd northside area where Roswell meets Alpharetta and John's Creek. I pass it every day taking my kids to school.

Yes, this is a REALITY show. The program showed Pink Pastry Parlor as it really is. Tiffany is that bubbly and outgoing All. The. Time. Yes, the bounce-on-the-bed rooms are always decorated that way, they really are that huge, and it is that much fun to have a pillow fight in it. There really are huge dance parties in the fashion runway room. Best part of all is they have parties like this for grownups too! (Guess what's on the next agenda at my Phi Mu alumnae club meeting?) I was amazed at how many staff were at each party. ("Parlettes". HA!!!!! ) The cupcake tower in the tea party room is the best. Little girls need a few moments to get used to that, as opposed to the traditional birthday cake. Once their little eyes see all the dangling crystals they don't see anything else.

My daughter's party wasn't as demanding or insane as the parties they showed. Thank God. We just had to scale up for the number of girls at the party. (My little girl and 15 friends. And people wonder why I don't have kids' parties at home....) Cristiana was the one who helped me pick out goody bag loot, cupcake types, sandwiches, and other details. I had already had a long day, a migraine was setting in, and this had to be done. Cristiana made it easy and Tiffany made it a blast. I have video that I will never live down if it gets out.

I can see why Tiffany has a show: her personality is built for TV. It's no act for the cameras, it's all natural. Girl, write a thank-you note to the HR director of the company who laid you off. Include a DVD of the show.

Let this show be a lesson - if you have a good attitude, a serious work ethic, and you love what you do and shout it to the world, you too can be a success.

Now, to get an indoor play place in Dunwoody....

Party at Tiffany's Debuts Tonight on OWN - Local Business Highlighted

2011-12-03T15:37:00.001-05:00

Back in August I posted that a locally-owned party outfit, Pink Pastry Parlor, was shooting stock footage for a new reality show. I just got a press release yesterday from owner Tiffany Young that shooting has wrapped and six episodes of "Party at Tiffany's" are scheduled to air on Oprah Winfrey's OWN Network. First episode will be shown tonight at 10 PM. If you're on Uverse it's channel 178 or 1178. Check your listings for Comcast, DirecTV, etc.

Dunwoody does not have an indoor play establishment. A few years back there was Zamba Fun Land in Georgetown Shopping Center. However, according to an acquaintance that worked there, the management wasn't on top of their game and the place closed, selling off all of the giant inflatables, arcade games, and mini golf equipment. When it's too hot/rainy/icy to play outside in a park or at a swim/tennis club, parents have to head out to Monkey Joe's (Roswell) or Jeronimo (Norcross) to let their kids blow off some steam. The closest thing this city has to an indoor/outdoor play area is the MJCCA. Sounds like an opportunity knocking: an indoor play area in a local Dunwoody storefront. Add an area for kid-only haircuts and styling in addition to the usual snacks, pizza and WiFi and someone could make a fortune.

Full details are in the email/press release below. Maybe one of my readers may get some inspiration of their own. For the record, my daughter had her six-year-old birthday party here a few weeks back. She and her friends are still talking about it. Keep it in mind for a great party place. I recommend it wholeheartedly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GETEXCITED PINK PASTRY CUSTOMERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PINK PASTRY PARLOR's long-awaited reality television show called "PARTYAT TIFFANY'S" will air THIS Saturday at 10:00PM eastern/standard time onOprah Winfrey's OWN!

We are incredibly excited about this and, as our loyal customers, we know youare too! Show your love and support for PINK PASTRY by tuningin for our reality television debut!

Tiffany Young, CEO
Pink Pastry Parlor
8465 Holcomb Bridge Rd Ste 1000
Alpharetta,GA 30022
770-650-PINK (7465)
770-650-7468 Fax
www.pinkpastryparlor.com

FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 1, 2011

OWN: OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK
ANNOUNCES NEW SERIES ‘PARTYAT TIFFANY’S’
PREMIERING SATURDAY,DECEMBER 3

Los Angeles, CA – OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced todaythe addition of the new six episode series “Party at Tiffany’s,” about girls’party planner extraordinaire Tiffany Young. The half-hour series premieres withtwo episodes back-to-back Saturday, Dec. 3 (10:00 – 11:00 p.m. ET/PT)following the mid-season finale of “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s” (9:00 - 10:00p.m. ET/PT). “Party at Tiffany’s” will air in its regular time period with twoepisodes back-to-back Saturday, Dec. 10 (9:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET/PT), andculminate Saturday, Dec. 17 (9:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET/PT).

Since its premiere,the docu-series “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s,” featuring the loud, loving Montgomery family as they run their soul foodrestaurant in St. Louis, has delivered doubledigit growth across all key demos versus year ago Discovery Health numbers, andis reaching and growing the African American women audience regularly rankingas the #2 cable network in the timeslot with AAW 25-54. “Welcome to SweetiePie’s” will return in March with all-new episodes.

After being laid offfrom a corporate job five years ago, Tiffany Young decided to follow her pinkpassion and open Pink Pastry Parlor in Atlanta, Georgia.Now Tiffany makes other girls’ dreams come true with specialty parties for allages. Whatever you can imagine, Tiffany will make it happen.

In the premiereepisode of “Party at Tiffany’s,” Tiffany is throwing a Latin dance party forYuliana's 7th Birthday. When Yuliana's mother, Lorena, asks Tiffany to includean underwater element to help make Yuliana's party extra special, she must finda way to bring water into the Pink Pastry Parlor.

About: Party atTiffany’s
Party plannerextraordinaire and owner of Pink Pastry Parlor in Atlanta, Georgia, TiffanyYoung, is not your typical party planner. Her goal is to celebrate pink powerand female empowerment through dessert, entertainment and socialite-ing.Throughout the season viewers will see Tiffany work to make each party uniqueunder challenging circumstances, whether a Poodles In Parisbirthday party, a slumber party, or a party for a 12-year-old recording artist,Tiffany and her team of Parlettes make sure each little girl’s dream comestrue. Whatever you can imagine, Tiffany will make it happen. Pink Pastry Parloris the ultimate experience for memorable events that last a lifetime. Theseries is produced by Entertainment One. Executive producers are JohnMorayniss, Michael Kot and Tara Long.

About OWN: OPRAHWINFREY NETWORK
A joint venturebetween Harpo, Inc. and Discovery Communications, OWN: OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK isa multi-platform media company designed to entertain, inform and inspire peopleto live their best lives. OWN debuted on January 1, 2011, in approximately 77million homes on what was the Discovery Health Channel. The venture also includesthe award-winning digital platform, Oprah.com. For more information, please visit www.oprah.com/own and www.press.discovery.com/us/own.

INTRODUCING... Cap Global Language Services, LLC

2011-12-01T11:42:00.001-05:00

SDOC's latest customer website has launched. Tomorrow I review maintenance and final touches with my client and turn over the keys.

Cap Global Language Services, LLC is a translation and interpretation firm based in Marietta. It is owned by Ms. Lucia Dogbeh, a lovely lady originally from Benin. She is a native French speaker, and has a PhD in German language studies. She is also adept at English and Spanish. Ms. Dogbeh has provided language assistance to firms all over Western Europe and Africa and is now expanding her work in North America.

Cap Global's original website was never completed and was designed with older coding techniques that are very difficult for a website layman to update. We decided to just start over from scratch.

First is the text content. For a language translation site, it all had to be multilingual. Initial setup involved programming where translations and basic language content could be installed. This version starts with French, German, and Spanish, with English as the default. As her team of translators and their language repertoire grows, more language capability can be added as needed. While there's an incredible amount of detail that is addressed in multilingual mirror pages, it's a whole lot easier than it used to be when I had to consider multiple audiences in past projects.

The graphic design is a custom-built CMS theme that started with the existing company logo. The goal is bright, engaging, and welcoming. Again, the appearance has to appeal to multiple cultures based on their language. You'll notice some subtle variations in text formatting, size, and color between the language mirrors. My client requested those variations in order to appeal to certain Western European sensibilities.

Choosing and prioritizing content for a website has grown more complex in recent years. Although the Internet was invented in the USA, its global reach has brought out the stark differences in how people of other nations and cultures are persuaded by a website's appearance. Different elements, structures, and colors have different impacts on people of different cultures. For a more dramatic example, check out Izumi Family Chiropractic, whose Atlanta office resides in the Dunwoody Point shopping center on Winter's Chapel. I didn't write this site but I ran across it the other day. Notice how different the Japanese-language version appears from the English-language site. Someone paid a lot of attention to the cultural variation in their customer base.

The demand for other-than-English content has skyrocketed as well. According to this report, the majority of users of YouTube are using languages other than English. Any time you create a website or any online media these days, you have to consider the languages used by your potential audience. Maybe your audience is only English-speaking. Maybe there others to consider. The point is, the question of language has to be asked and answered at the start of your project.

Finally, never, EVER rely on online automated translators to develop multilingual content. Babelfish from AltaVista (now Yahoo!) was the first online translator. Google Translate has come to prominence recently and translation algorithms with language detection are included in Google's Chrome browser. These services are good for website visitors who need a quick-and-dirty view of "other language" content. But there's always something wrong with the grammar or the misinterpretation of colloquialisms and idiomatic expressions. Language is how people communicate, so when you're serious about a sales pitch or educational message, or other persuasion, make sure a person is doing the translating. It makes all the difference in the world.

Dunwoody Election Runoff 2011 - Bob Dallas

2011-11-29T16:29:00.001-05:00

Bob Dallas is in the runoff for Mayor. Don't forget to vote on December 6. His campaign website is at www.dallasfordunwoodymayor.org. Bob also says: "And my cell phone number is 770-331-4040 shouldanyone wish to speak with me. "

Thank you, Bob, for your opinions below.

1) What one qualification do you have for elected office that exceeds those of your opponents?

I have over 23 years of experience in the private sector as a business executive with BellSouth, as a professional owning my own Dunwoody business law firm, and as a professional in a regional business law firm. I have almost 8 years of experience as Governor Perdue’s Director of Highway Safety for the State of Georgia where I managed public budgets larger than the City of Dunwoody and gained firsthand experience implementing successful public safety and transportation solutions. But most importantly, I have a wonderful wife and five boys, four of whom are on track in Dunwoody’s elementary schools, all who call Dunwoody home and believe its best days lie ahead.

I also have had the privilege of over 20 years of Dunwoody public service in matters directly related to the duties of mayor. These include the following:

City of Dunwoody Planning Commissioner, Chairman

Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce, Executive Board Member

Atlanta Regional Commission Class of 2008 Regional Leadership Institute Graduate

International Association of Chiefs of Police Associate Member

DeKalb County District One Planning Commissioner, Vice-Chairman (former)

State of Georgia Public Service Commission Hearing Officer (former)

Safe Kids of Georgia, Founder, Director and President (former)

DeKalb County Children's Initiative and Collaborative Board

Co-Chair of Board and Executive Committee (former)

Dunwoody Home Owners Association, Board Member (former)

Dunwoody YES! Board Member (former)

Dunwoody Rotary Club, Board of Directors Member (former)

Spruill Center for the Arts, Board Member and President (former)

Vermack Tennis & Swim Club - President (former)

DeKalb County Blue Ribbon Sales Tax Study Committee Member (former)

Chairman of the Citizens For Property Tax Relief in DeKalb County (former)

2) The City’s Economic Development Department’s stated purpose is “The City of Dunwoody Economic Development Director is responsible for leading efforts to retain, expand and attract businesses that support a broad array of employment opportunities; strategically grow its knowledge-based economy; and expand the City’s tax base.” What should be this department’s next priority task to accomplish this purpose?

As a member of the Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee, I believe we have to focus on each of our distinct business character areas and home business operations with this in mind: develop solutions which build on their strengths. Moreover, our regulations cannot be overly burdensome while at the same time must protect Dunwoody’s character. As we consider the Perimeter market, we have to partner with our neighboring jurisdictions to both retain and expand existing businesses here, and develop a coordinated effort to attract new national and international businesses. This is to say the models used by Gwinnett, Cobb and North Fulton county chambers of commerce and economic development should serve as Dunwoody’s model.

3) What was the City’s best business decision to date? (Any level or department, since operations started.)

Creation of the 501(c)(6) Dunwoody Conventions and Visitors Bureau. Shortly after the City’s creation, I saw it was headed for the authority model; in other words a City department. Under State law, only the authority or (c)(6) models are allowed. The former is run by the government; the latter is run by the hoteliers—a private sector solution. From my experience throughout the State of Georgia the government authority model generally resulted in wasted money, typically in buildings that were never self supporting and which became a taxpayer drain, not to mention failing to achieve the purpose of putting “more heads in beds” as was intended. The private sector models generally did a better job for less money. With that, I joined Joe DeVita and Lindsay Ballow in making the case to the City Council to allow the hoteliers to run the CVB. I called on my friendship with the Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Mike Beatty for technical help. After about six months of many meetings and hard work, I was thankful the City Council went with the private sector model. And as a new CVB, the Dunwoody CVB has done an outstanding job.

4) What was one business decision made by the City (at any level, since operations started) that should not have been made? If you were given the chance, what would you have recommended be done differently?

The City needs to reconsider adding a DDACTS (Data Driven Approaches To Crime And Traffic Safety) units to the police department. While the studies throughout the United States prove these units reduce serious crime and make our streets safer, in Dunwoody they are needed for another reason: economic development. This is because according to the Dunwoody CVB and Economic Development Director, one of the growth areas for Dunwoody business is “Girls Weekend Out.” As shocking as it is for me, my wife Liz occasionally wants to get away from me and the five boys—go figure—and have fun with her girlfriends shopping, dining and enjoying each other’s company over the weekend. Apparently this is a common sentiment. Dunwoody, because of its perceived safety, high end amenities, and convenient location, is the perfect place. However, too many of what others call “petty” crimes are occurring. To the victims, these crimes are anything but “petty” and to me can easily escalate into a major crime. In either case, the victims naturally tell their friends, who tell their friends, and so forth. (I invite those who think otherwise to review the extensive literature on the “Broken Window Theory Of Law Enforcement” to better understand this issue.) That means we are not getting the greatest amount of desirable economic development as we could. With the DDACTS unit in place, we would reduce these crimes and have the ability to further the marketing of safety to further economic development.

5) As a member of City Council, you will be able to appoint or recommend members of various commissions. Besides an interest in the subject, and a desire to serve, what qualifications do you want to see in a potential commission member?

The appointees must have experience in the issues which are addressed by the boards under which they serve. I look at experience broadly and believe it must be demonstrated over a period of time prior to the appointment. Fortunately, in Dunwoody we have many citizen led organizations which allow great opportunity for folks to participate in our City’s future. And we have an active citizenry from which to consider. Anyone seeking an appointment, or public office, should have a demonstrated track record of public service.

6) Which City department or commission (besides the Police) is the most critically important in developing the future of Dunwoody?

The city manager. Dunwoody’s charter provides for a strong city manager. However, I believe it is mission critical for the City Council and Mayor to set the policy and city manager to carry out that policy. From my perspective, there have been too many instances where that line has been blurred. As mayor, I will not allow the city manager to set city policy; conversely, I will insist all of the City Council members and I as mayor take responsibility for setting policy. I will accomplish this by establishing an effective standing committee structure so as to ensure a predictable process, accountability, and effectiveness of policy setting and execution.

7) Which City department or commission do you feel is underserved and needs more attention in terms of funding and other resources (including personnel)?

At this juncture the departments are balanced to meet the budget. With my public service experience, I am critically mindful of increasing personnel and the impact that may have on budgets years out, or during economic downturns. That is why I am adamant about using the private non-profit sector volunteers, i.e. Dunwoody Chamber, Dunwoody CVB, Rotary, Kiwanis, Spruill Center For The Arts, Dunwoody Nature Center, etc., to provide better and more economical solutions. They also build community from which all in Dunwoody benefit. I know this first hand having served on many of their boards and in leadership roles.

8) In what ways should the City and Chamber of Commerce (or any other private entity) collaborate and in what ways should they be working separately to grow the City’s economic base?

The City economic development department and the Dunwoody chamber should work hand-in-hand. As noted above, the successful models take advantage of the strengths of each so as to attract and retain business. An example is the chamber may be able to invest its private funds to attract business in ways the City cannot nor should not. Thus, as an executive board member I am glad the Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce sponsors the Dunwoody Music Festival, and in contrast would not want the City to commit its taxpayer funds.

9) Elected officials are constantly contacted with requests to have specific issues addressed by local citizens. If elected, how will you prioritize what issues get on the Council agenda, what will get further private discussion, and what will be tabled?

By engaging an effective committee structure, issues important to the citizens of Dunwoody can be heard and vetted. Moreover, I plan to hold Saturday monthly meetings at the Williams Room of the Dunwoody Library to allow the citizens to share their ideas, concerns and suggestions. This will allow for the official meetings to move forward expeditiously and allow citizen input at all levels.

10) Open Mike Question: Make any statement you like on what issue or action will be most important to you as an elected official.

I believe our next mayor should have experience to carry out Dunwoody citizen’s vision for the future. Too often people run for office as if they were seeking a prize and have no track record demonstrating any experience or working with the public. I am seeking to continue my decades of service for the community I and my family call home. With that in mind, I have from the beginning of this campaign for mayor demonstrated I have experience in the areas which I have heard Dunwoody citizens say are important to our future: public safety, transportation, economic development, neighborhood zonings, and parks—all within our budget and no millage increases.

Stay Safe Online This Shopping Season

2011-11-23T08:13:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! I've got to run out to the store later to see what's left for the crowd at my house tomorrow, so this will be my last post for a while. Between turkey and football and the 'rents and the kids and some scheduled maintenance for some customers, this little corner will be quiet.

Until next time, here's some sage advice for those of you who will be shopping online for Christmas and Chanukkah this year. The hackers and the phishers are out in full force this time of year so beware!

1) If you shop online, make sure your payment info is only entered into a secured website.
If this sounds obvious, it's not. It's easy to forget to check the menu bar of your browser for that little padlock and an address beginning with "https". No matter how much you trust the company unless your payment data is secured, don't use the site.

2) Think twice before clicking links in emails from banks or online stores.
It is the easiest thing in the world to create a fake version of PayPal, Amazon, or even Chase or Wells Fargo. Phishers all over the world do it every day. Then they send out "blast" emails with generic-sounding text about an account being frozen or suspicious activity with a link, presumably to your account. The link will lead you to a fake website where any information you enter will be stolen and passed around like a bottle of wine. If you have any doubts at all as to the validity of an email from your bank or online shopping outlet, call their customer service directly via phone to confirm.

3) Upgrade your passwords to your online banking or shopping sites.
Daily Finance from AOL posted an article last week listing the Top 25 Worst passwords. This is how hackers get into your account: they just guess that you're using a simple easy-to-guess password and they are often right. Take the time to create a complex password for your accounts that only you know. My hosting provider just recently required all email passwords to have at least one capital letter, one punctuation character, one number, and one lower-case letter, and a minimum of 8 characters total. It's good advice all around. If you think you don't have time to create a secure password, then you really don't have time to reclaim your identity and your life once it's been stolen online.

4) Shop Small This Saturday!
This Saturday is Small Business Saturday where shoppers are encouraged to shop at a locally-owned business for their holiday needs. I'm not against larger corporations and their benefits, but small businesses put more money back into the local economy. In Dunwoody, the majority of our business community are locally-owned enterprises so when you shop Dunwoody first, you are directly supporting your neighbors and your city. That includes any eateries for when you stop and take a break, plus other household services that you normally use all year. Give them a try and you may find a treasure chest of products and services that you won't find anywhere else.

Feel free to use the comments below to post suggestions for local businesses to check out this weekend.

If you're a small business looking to think big online, drop SDOC Publishing a line at our website and let's talk about what the Internet can do for you. We're lining up new projects for our customers and now is a great time to get on the schedule and your web-based enterprise off the ground!

Light up Dunwoody

2011-11-20T23:17:00.001-05:00

Great night tonight at the Farmhouse. Pam, tip a big wet one, you deserve a break now that it's over.

Local Dunwoody Lawn Care

2011-11-18T12:10:00.001-05:00

Like everyone else our house is scrambling for Thanksgiving and a parade of other activities this week. Every leaf in North Georgia landed in our yard, a bunch of stuff had to be trimmed and I had NO idea how I was going to get it done.

Keith Hutchinson of Dunwoody Total Lawn Care has been doing the maintenance on my lawn for several years. Keith is a Dunwoody homeowner and runs his business from home (yes, legally). You can't see it in the picture from this angle but there is a PCMS magnet on the back of the truck. He does basic lawn mowing, cleaning, fertilizing and maintenance and pruning. His rates are the best I've ever seen. Best of all, he does not hire any day labor; he does all of his work himself, personally.

Keith handled my little leaves-everywhere problem this past Sunday. We came home from church to find that problem resolved and the yard and front porch spotless.

If you are in the market for basic lawn care services, please give Keith a call at the number in the picture.

Keep Your Data Safe When You Recycle Your Electronics

2011-11-15T22:48:00.001-05:00

I look forward to the electronics recycling events. Like everyone else I don't like the idea of just throwing away old cell phones, chargers, cruise card transponders, etc. So they pile up in my office until a recycling drive comes along and I can drop them off.

There are several things that I hesitate to drop however: computer hard drives. The "delete" key is not all-powerful. With the right software data can be retrieved. Anything personal on your drive could potentially be reconstructed.

That's not just external hard drives. Scanners, fax machines, copy machines (like at FedEx Kinkos) home office all-in-ones all have hard drives in them and they all save all of their images of documents copied. Like your tax returns, drivers' license, etc.

When you recycle anything with a hard drive, make sure you destroy it. Computer hardware specialists should know how to remove the hard drives from your peripherals. Plait Solutions, LLC who I believe are based around Alpharetta held a recycling drive in October. The owner boasted of bringing a power drill and sledge hammer to ensure that all hard drives were inoperable. An industrial electric magnet will do the job too.

Finally, cross-check the recycler's certification. Make sure they actually recycle the heavy metals and other non-dump-worthy content as they say they do. A few years ago 60 Minutes did a report on an electronics recycler who lied through their teeth, claiming to safely recycle electronics in the USA but were actually dumping them into an environmental nightmare in China. I hope this was just an exception but I can't get this episode out of my head. Best to make sure that you and the recycler are on the same page with how to dispose of e-waste before you start.

Alcohol Sales on Sunday - the Catch-22

2011-11-13T16:27:00.000-05:00

Sporadic start dates muddle transition | ajc.com

The article above quotes Bob Leavey, owner of d'Vine Wine Bar in the Shops of Dunwoody (my favorite watering hole) regarding the Sunday alcohol sales referendum.

The question passed by about 80% in Dunwoody on election day. Dunwoody alcohol sales begin on December 4.

I looked over the ballot closely when I voted and also reviewed some of the sample ballot questions posted online. Not once did I see anything about an additional $1,100 fee for the privilege. Were it not for the memorandum from Chris Pike on John's blog, I would have thought the AJC got it wrong. The item is up for discussion at Monday's council meeting.

The last page is fascinating. In addition to a $4,000 license for a full-service bar, plus additional "nickel and dime" fees for employees that pour and wine tastings and whatnot, there's an additional $1,100 just for Sunday! Where did this number come from? Outer space?

So for these small outfits to meet the obvious demand for sales on Sunday and remain competitive with larger stores (like Total Wine) and restaurants and supermarkets, they have to pay an extra fee and stay open. But if they pay the extra fee they stand to lose a chunk of profit so the competitiveness doesn't pay off. Classic Catch-22.

Most bars and liquor stores are stereotypical "mom and pop" outfits. Bob aludes to that himself in the AJC article. Like most small businesses they don't have extra cash just lying around; everything is invested in making the business function. A couple of years ago, when the discussion of Sunday alcohol sales was first raised, I had a fascinating conversation with one of the owners of the Rhapsody Bottle Shop in Orchard Park. They were against selling on Sundays. Not because of any religious concerns (they sell alcohol for a living - duh) but because they were just a family outfit and Sunday was the only day they could take off and rest. Supermarkets are always going to sell and additional fees or hours won't even make a dent in their bottom line.

So the only people this fee will harm are the small, local family-owned outfits.

So whadaya think of the additional fees to buy liquor on Sundays? There's a poll on the bottom of the page. But if you really want to make a point, call Chris Pike and tell him yourself at 678-382-6700 or email him at chris.pike@dunwoodyga.gov. Don't forget to comment on the Council Agenda post on John's blog. Make sure the rest of City Council knows what you think too starting with the Mayor (there are links to the other city council members' pages from here). Don't forget our not-yet-inaugurated new city council member Lynn Deutsch and the gentlemen continuing their campaigns in a runoff. If you have the time tomorrow night, show up at City Hall and look them in the eye when you tell them what a rotten idea this is because it shafts our small business owners.

All that legal paperwork for one simple convenience and it may or may not be as simple as we thought because of an additional fee. Unbelievable.

Remembering Veterans Day

2011-11-11T09:49:00.001-05:00

While remembering Veterans Day, if you're at the Orchard Park Kroger, support the local VFW and wear a poppy today.

The Soldier

It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves under the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.

By Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC

For my father, US Navy, 1950s
For my father-in-law 101st Airborne, WW2

For my great great great great grandfather, Thaddeus Skelton
Union Army Infantry, 84th Brooklyn Volunteers, 1861
Served with distinction at the First Battle of Bull Run/Manassas

For my great great great great great great great great great grandfather Captain Daniel Lyon, Continental Army of New York, 1776

For my great great great great great great great great great grandfather, Lt Nathaniel Tibbetts Jr, Continental Army of Massachussetts, 1776

For my great great great great great great great great great great great grandfather, Thomas Prence, Governor of Plymouth Colony during King Philips' War.

To everyone serving overseas, my prayers you get your jobs done and get home safely.

Opportunity Pounding: THIS is a property Dunwoody should buy

2011-11-09T12:40:00.004-05:00

The infamously empty residential lot at the corner of Tilly Mill and North Peachtree is up for sale. This sign had to be recent - maybe even today. I happened to snag the photo while returning home. I've heard all kinds of stories about this lot from "a house is going to be built there" to "someone cut down and stole the trees for firewood."

Here's why this would be a good purchase for Dunwoody:

Given the size of the lot, it's probably not going to break the regular budget. No bond referendums, etc. Given its long time vacant status I predict there will be no bidding war.
It is unoccupied. No one is going to be displaced by the sale. It shouldn't be hard to steer clear of the neighboring residential properties if you put your mind to it.
The lot can be used to improve traffic in an intersection that carries more cars daily than it was designed for. Improving traffic flow in this growing area is a documented NEED, not a recreational WANT.
The positive impact the realignment of the intersection provides will benefit anyone who drives on the road. That's a cross-section of the entire "Dunwoody" community, including homeowners, renters, students, employees and commuters.
Depending on the type of street alignment built, you can make it a secondary gateway, inside the city limits. Think of the foyer to a house and additional hallways are built off of it. Great place to start the recently-discussed "wayfinding" system. (Also useful, although I'd like to see some efforts to reach out to the "daytimer" community to find out what those needs really are before building anything.)

Talk about incredible timing! Right after the majority of voters turned down the parks bonds, a piece of land crops up suddenly that fills a clear NEED to improve our basic infrastructure. How lucky can you get??

2011 Dunwoody Elections - The Morning After

2011-11-09T08:20:00.000-05:00

Turns out the early returns were accurate. This is the official tally distributed by the City:

2011 Election Results

The following results are theunofficial results from DeKalb County.

Mayor
     BobDallas - 3787   43.21%
     MikeDavis - 3389 38.67%
    Gordon Jackson - 1540 17.57%
    Write-in - 48 0.55%

Council Post 4
     TerryNall -3824 44.73%
    Robert Wittenstein -3564 41.68%
     RickCallihan -1133 13.25%
    Write-in - 29 0.34%

Council Post 5
     Kerryde Vallette -3694 44.48%
     LynnDeutsch -4593 55.30%
    Write-in 18 0.22%

Council Post 6
     JohnHeneghan -7087 98.90%
    Write-in 79 1.10%

Parks Acquisition Bond
     yes -3080 33.32%
     no- 6163 66.68%

Parks Improvement Bond
     yes -3715 40.18%
     no- 5531 59.82%

Redevelopment Powers Act
     yes -4759 54.25%
     no -4013 45.75%

Sunday Alcohol Sales
     yes- 7395 79.51%
     no- 1906 20.49%

Education SPLOST
     yes -33114 62.18%
     no -20141 37.82%

The Education SPLOST succeeded across all of DeKalb but Dunwoody locally voted it down.

It's not over yet - we've got two runoffs in the coming month.

Keep keeping it classy. If your candidate or issue won the day, you don't have to gloat. Don't do that to your neighbors. If your candidate or issue lost, try to work with it/them anyway. You may be pleasantly surprised that it works out. If not, you can vote again in the next election.

I am glad that we have local accountability for our votes. We have to look each other in the eye in the coming weeks. We still have to deal with each other. That's better than a government half a county away that couldn't care less about our community except for what they can take from our wallets. I wouldn't have it any other way.

2011 Dunwoody Election Returns

2011-11-08T18:24:00.000-05:00

...are in progress and will get posted whenever I hear them. In the mean time, here's the live blog from Dunwoody Patch. Posts courtesy of Peter Cox.

UPDATE. look for a runoff for mayor Davis/Dallas and dist 1 Nall/Wittenstein. Park bonds and eSPLOST are tanking. Too close to call on TADs

UPDATE #2. BEER ON SUNDAY BY 80%. WOOHOO!!!

Update 3. Deutsch wins.

Dunwoody Election Day 2011

2011-11-08T12:00:00.000-05:00

I've been mentally composing this post for a couple of weeks and when I was finally ready and able to put it down, I got a cold splash of perspective. Found out (on Facebook, of all places) that a Phi Mu sister who I communicated with on our sorority listserv and on LinkedIn was killed in a car crash last night leaving behind her husband and children.

So everything below this line suddenly seems verrrrrrry small. People and lives are more important than political arguments, neighborhood squables, or business negotiations. I live my life this way but every so often you get jerked up short and reminded when you least expect it.

These are random thoughts, sometimes contradictory, that follow me to the polls this evening. Some are about one candidate or issue, some about several, some are a "big picture" perspective.

No one running in this election is Evil Incarnate. We're not talking Damien and The Omen here. When choosing among friends, acquaintances, neighbors, and that guy I see while driving to school every morning, you're choosing among fellow humans. Like every election there is rarely a candidate that every voter agrees with 100% of the time on every issue. Best you can do is vote for the one who is not only closest to your ideals, but also the one who can be reasoned with to find middle ground when the inevitable disagreements arise.

Long-term politicians have a bad rep. Some deserve it, some don't. Building a career in politics does not necessarily mean that a candidate does not have local issues and people at heart. For Dunwoody to become a city, legislative bills were introduced and passed and the state Constitution was changed so we were even permitted to vote. That process was handled by (wait for it....) career politicians. Dunwoody owes its existence in part to these people so they can't be all bad.

The PCID is the reason we're able to stay afloat financially. It was a huge political football during the incorporation fight and probably the key reason there was so much opposition from the County, the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce and other citizens. (Anyone else remember the "Why you take my CID?" chants from the grassroots opposition?) PCID is a part of Dunwoody, but a very different one with different needs than the stereotypical bedroom communities. It would be unwise to hamstring it with ordinance and zoning restriction more suitable to a suburb full of center-hall colonials. The new Zoning code, when it's written should take that into account and find a way to let this very unique district develop in its own way.

Leadership is leadership: the ability to coalesce a group of people and move them to a common goal. It is actually more difficult to do this with volunteers than with paid employees. Paid employees are persuaded with a paycheck. Volunteers need emotional motivation which is infinitely harder. Don't count out the person whose experience is in working with volunteers - they've done the hardest job.

During the Chamber of Commerce forum someone (Terry Nall?) mentioned that out of the 2500 (approx) registered businesses in Dunwoody, that 500 of them are home-based. I'd like to dig around and find out if that number is anywhere near correct. That would mean that a full 20% of business establishments in this city are run from someone's home! That's not just a scattered handful of residents quietly indulging a quirky hobby, unwittingly dragged in front of City Council and used as poster children for someone's utopian re-visioning of Dunwoody. That's a significant percentage of residents who choose (or need) to conduct business in this way to make a living! Home based work is going to have to be taken much more seriously as a significant part of this city's economic viability.

The daytime population of Dunwoody is over 100K. The citizen count in the census is 46K. Homeowners are 50% of that population, which is about 23K. That means that generally, resident citizens are outnumbered 2 - 1 by students, employees, customers, and commuters. Homeowners are outnumbered 5 - 1. A city government will ignore the needs of that extended population at their peril. Being involved in the DHA leadership is not "nothing" experience, but is a DHA board/exec board member going to be able to take into account the needs of non-homeowners when making city decisions? Whether you're part of the DHA or other HOA in town, it's easy to find consensus among your membership when your needs are under attack and you're all taking cover in the same foxhole. What happens when you become the status quo and all those annoying little differences that were previously overlooked come to the forefront? Who is going to ensure that other populations continue to come to Dunwoody - and more, ensure that they leave some money behind?

The Parks "Plan" and the apartments. Either someone is flying under my radar and really does have evil intentions toward apartment residents along PIB, or someone did some galaxy-class piss-poor communicating. The planning process has been full of holes from jump. From the questions asked on the initial survey, to the statistical analysis and interpretation. (I mentioned the flaws in the latter at a DHA meeting and my point soared over everyone's head - that there was no way to tell whether people were telling the truth on the parks surveys, or if they were giving what they thought were The Correct Answers, based on what was expected.) Then there's questions of who is influencing what on behalf of what group. Then the amount of debt. Then breaking down the debt to "what does each person pay". That breakdown tactic is the same one car dealerships use to persuade a sale - get the customer to focus on the per month payment, not the total cost. I don't go for that line of thinking when buying a car, I don't go for it for any other large financial decision either.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse another piece of the puzzle becomes the anticipated October Surprise and if pursued will result in the displacement of several hundred (thousand?) Dunwoody residents. Whoever gets elected, make note: I will not vote in favor of any plan for any reason that involves the confiscation of private residential property. Unless the home is structurally unsound or the property a public health hazard, you're not going to build your support base by removing people. I don't buy the "reduce crime" argument either. First, because there is more crime in the PCID than along PIB and no one is proposing turning that into a park. Second because crime is reduced by law enforcement at all levels. If you're not going to treat your residents as people, then why are you working in the public sector and who exactly are you working for? If this plan does not imply removing people, then you best clarify your plans a lot better before signing off on a press release. Make it really clear you're treating people with the same dignity you want for yourself, you'll have a much easier time selling your ideas.

Finally, I hope that after today, Chip and Rob get a room and resolve that tension in private. I'll even donate the wine, rose petals, and leather accessories, just take it behind closed doors for a while, ok fellas?

GO VOTE!!!

Opportunity Knocking: Google+ Now Open for Business Pages

2011-11-07T14:31:00.001-05:00

Hot off the presses as of 90 minutes ago.
In its latest effort to compete with Facebook, Google + is now allowing businesses to create pages just like (wait for it....) FB.

Full article here on Search Engine Land.

Important excerpts for those looking to try this out. (Including yours truly, who just added it to the ever-expanding system upgrade project!)

Not everyone who goes to that page will get in (many will get a “Google+ Pages isn’t ready for everyone” message). Again, it’s a random rollout happening over the next two days. But once you gain access, you’ll be asked to create a page in one of five categories:
Local Business or Place
Product or Brand
Company, Institution or Organization
Arts, Entertainment or Sports
Other

Here's where it gets interesting:

Of course, many local businesses have already claimed their pages in the completely separate Google Places. Much of the information that Google+ Pages for local businesses wants — and more — are on those pages. But they remain unconnected. Google tells me:"Currently, Place pages and Google+ Pages must be managed separately. A Place page provides information about a business and makes it easy for customers to find local businesses on Google Maps and local search; while a Google+ page provides business owners with additional ways to engage, build relationships and interact directly with customers."

So if your small business is already listed on Google Places (and you should be to boost your rankings. If you're not, then what are you waiting for???) you have to decide if you want to put the time and effort into a second Google-based networking tool that isn't connected to the first. AND - has fewer eyeballs than Facebook by a landslide.

Review the article at the link above for more info on how to create a page, including some interesting limitations to the obviously step-wise technical rollout. IMHO, the desirability of a Google+ business page is going to be directly proportional to the amount of time and effort you want to put in to (a) experimenting with new outlets and (b) using social media at all.

I got the "not ready for everyone" message so I'll rely on the comments section of those who want to play with this new function for a first-hand account of its workability or lack thereof.

Dunwoody Election 2011: Lynn Deutsch

2011-11-07T13:57:00.000-05:00

Our latest response is from Lynn Deutsch. She is running for District 2 at large. Her campaign website is www.lynn4dunwoody.com

1) What one qualification do you have for elected office that exceeds those
of your opponents?

What sets me apart from my opponent is my service on the City of Dunwoody Planning Commission and my consistent and current involvement in city issues. I have attended City Council meetings, actively participating in multiple city issues, for the last three years. I am ready to hit the ground running as I am very familiar with the many issues and challenges facing the city.

2) The City's Economic Development Department's stated purpose is "The City
of Dunwoody Economic Development Director is responsible for leading efforts
to retain, expand and attract businesses that support a broad array of
employment opportunities; strategically grow its knowledge-based economy;
and expand the City's tax base." What should be this department's next
priority task to accomplish this purpose?

I think the Economic Development Department has done a great job thus far. They have attracted several high quality companies and retail outlets to Dunwoody. The department must continue to market Dunwoody as well as focusing on retaining the businesses that are already here. Exit surveys for businesses relocating out of Dunwoody must be part of the department’s strategy as well. If we understand why businesses choose other locations, or leave Dunwoody, we can better strategize in the future.

3) What was the City's best business decision to date? (Any level or
department, since operations started.)

Dunwoody’s model of government, using some private entities to provide public services, has been very successful. This model has allowed Dunwoody to offer high quality services for less cost than other governments. In addition, the city is able to hire companies that specialize in specific service provision and control costs..

4) What was one business decision made by the City (at any level, since
operations started) that should not have been made? If you were given the
chance, what would you have recommended be done differently?

The Perimeter Center Improvement District needs its own overlay district. Treating the PCID the same as Dunwoody neighborhoods is a mistake and makes extra work for everyone from landlords to the city employees. A retail establishment that backs up to I-285 should not have the same sign requirements as a retail establishment that backs up to a neighborhood. We want the Ashford-Dunwoody corridor to be high quality and not turn into “just another highway exit” but we must use common sense. The overlay district for the PCID should have been a top priority.

5) As a member of City Council, you will be able to appoint or recommend
members of various commissions. Besides an interest in the subject, and a
desire to serve, what qualifications do you want to see in a potential
commission member?

I am going to cast a wide net looking for interested persons who may want to serve. I think that the vast majority of citizens are unaware that there are opportunities for really meaningful involvement or if they are aware, they have no idea how to get involved. My recommendations will be for people who, aside from being interested in serving, will do the work necessary, attend the meetings and have a long term view to their involvement with the city. I would like us to use these commissions to get more citizens really involved in Dunwoody.

6) Which City department or commission (besides the Police) is the most
critically important in developing the future of Dunwoody?

The Economic Development department is critically important to the future of Dunwoody. What types of businesses we attract and retain has a direct impact on our commercial tax base, which impacts our ability to provide high quality services. Empty commercial space is a huge negative for a community and lowers property values for everyone.

7) Which City department or commission do you feel is underserved and needs
more attention in terms of funding and other resources (including
personnel)?

Code Enforcement. If we are going to take code enforcement seriously, we need more than one person serving in this department. If we pass ordinances, then we need to enforce them, otherwise they shouldn’t be on the books.

8) In what ways should the City and Chamber of Commerce (or any other
private entity) collaborate and in what ways should they be working
separately to grow the City's economic base?

The City can collaborate with the Chamber and the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) to promote Dunwoody to both businesses and visitors. The City and these organizations share a mutual goal, the success of the City. The Chamber and CVB can be more creative with initiatives because of their funding sources.

9) Elected officials are constantly contacted with requests to have specific
issues addressed by local citizens. If elected, how will you prioritize what
issues get on the Council agenda, what will get further private discussion,
and what will be tabled?

This will be one of the most challenging aspects of being a council person. I will work with my constituents to help them solve issues that don’t require council intervention, I will be cautious with introducing issues that really aren’t appropriate for Council meetings. The City has to be a city, not a Homeowners’ Association and it is important to remember this as we move forward.

10) Open Mike Question: Make any statement you like on what issue or action
will be most important to you as an elected official.

When I am elected to the Dunwoody City Council, I will be accessible and available to my constituents. I am both a good listener and a good communicator. I will hold regularly scheduled town hall meetings where I will actively solicit feedback about issues. I will keep in close contact via a newsletter so that Dunwoody citizens can be regularly updated on issues that are important to them. I have friends in nearly every neighborhood in Dunwoody and am lucky that I can call on them to assist me in distributing information.

Nice is the New Black

2011-11-05T13:52:00.004-04:00

I took a moment from shovelling up after Halloween to check in with the online opinionating regarding our upcoming elections. I ran across this gem and just had to share:

Now, just because I won’t talk about what they said, doesn’t mean I can’t say this. Neither one of the candidates who responded agree with me on everything but I still I had some really pleasant email with one of them. This process has taught me what I WILL HAPPILY editorialize about: we need to remember that candidates, no matter how high the office, are people. Yes, real, actual, living breathing people, with lives and families, and their own problems, issues, concerns, experiences and filters. Just because some of their positions differ from mine doesn’t make these guys wrong or stupid or dense or ANYTHING. It just makes them different from me on these particular positions. Period. End of story. We get to make ZERO inferences or conclusions about the rest of their lives. A plus B does not necessarily equal C.

All of us must step back during our political rhetoric and keep that in mind. It’s time to be nice.

We need to be nice to Sarah Palin and we need to be nice to Barrack Obama. We need to stop attacking Tea Partiers and Democrats and Republicans. We need to find common ground. Who we pick for Mayor isn’t necessarily going to change America’s political landscape but we can certainly try to start acting differently here in Dunwoody. Shoot, after the name calling during the school districting process, it’s long over due.

Spread the word: Nice is the new Black.

Dude I have no idea who you are but I'm glad I'm not alone in the universe who sees all of the people in our process as people first, people during the election, and people afterward, no matter how it turns out.

Check him out at http://howplanet.wordpress.com/

Dave FM Big Show for Little Voices - Tune in and Pledge!

2011-11-04T08:45:00.001-04:00

This weekend is the annual Childrens Miracle Network radiothon, this year broadcast by DaveFM from CHOA-Egelston. Listen in, call in, and pledge your support for CMN. Local funds raised STAY local through CHOA hospitals. Including Scottish Rite in Sandy Springs. If you're a parent, you've made at least one trip to this establishment, which means you have benefitted from CMN and radiothons just like this one.

My Phi Mu sisters and I will be taking pledges via phone throughout the day. Stay tuned for pictures on Facebook!

Opportunity Knocking - Return of the Housecall

2011-11-02T10:26:00.001-04:00

The other day I received an email from my son's playgroup list about her friend's hairdressing service. Due to the same life and family demands many of us parents face, she created a new opportunity for herself. Parts of the email are reproduced below, emphases are added.

Just wanted to share some info in case some of you other moms find it helpful. I had a hair dresser that I loved before Alexa was born but she got pregnant as well and decided to stay at home with her son. The fact is she loves cutting and doing hair so in her town she has started going to women's homes on the weekends and doing their hair in the homes to give them the convenience of not having to find someone to watch their kids. I just recently made contact with her again and every other Friday she drives to Atlanta and does hair so I got to have my hair done at my house this past Friday.

She charges $40 for a hair cut, and charged me a total of $135 for a cut, and some high and low lights I'm not sure what her other prices are, but you can email to ask her. She said a group of ladies in her town get together on a regular basis and have brunch and have her do the their hair in someone's home while the kids play. She said its a lot of fun and she get mult. people's hair done while others are processing. Could be a fun event for moms club or a play group at some point for those who wanted to try it. I asked her if I could share her info and she said sure!

Her facebook page is:
https://www.facebook.com/cayladoeshair It has her number and her email on it.

There is a number of reasons why this so simple idea is so perfect for small businesses in our town.

1) This is Dunwoody. You can't throw a stick without hitting a playgroup somewhere. So if your company markets to moms, dads, and/or kids, you can meet potential customers in a group all at once. That's a big demographic at your disposal!

2) Because playgroups and kids' activities are so hard to balance with work (including housework, on top of "the regular job") any chance to multitask is welcomed.

3) Housecalls take advantage of a large loophole in the "home business" ordinances. The Home Occupation laws say that a business owner must jump through a number of SLUP hoops - paperwork, public hearings, etc - to see customers in THEIR OWN home. However, the ordinance is silent regarding a business owner seeing a customer in the CUSTOMER'S home. No SLUP, no paperwork, no hearings. In addition, there is no complaint regarding cars on the street, traffic or other objections that routinely get raised in the SLUP process.

If your business - storefront or home-based - can be adjusted to provide housecalls, you may open up a whole new customer base and a whole new level of service that sets you apart from others in your field. It works - I've already tried it!

Happy Wednesday!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T08:41:00.000-04:00

It was one helluva night last night!
Check out the photos on Patch.
I'll upload some video "views from the swamp" sometime when my desk clears. In the mean time here's a photo I've been waiting for a month to post. Nancy, next time, my house. Go have a hot toddy and get over that cold!

Even Nancy's most mean-spirited detractors are human beings and deserve to be right one day out of the year.

Moving on now to All Saints Day, the real holiday in our family calendar preceded by Halloween.

Opportunity Knocking - Clean, Shine, Fix-Up Dunwoody

2011-10-30T19:50:00.000-04:00

Right after the tempest regarding Dunwoody Glen hit Category 5 status, an announcement was released by City Hall regarding "Clean, Shine, Fix Up Dunwoody" day on November 5.

This got me wondering: where exactly is all this cleaning, shining, and fixing up going to happen? The City Council and City employees have decided that the east side needs drastic redevelopment. Has there been any attempt to do any volunteer fixup in this area?

Here's the event announcement from City Hall. There's a vague reference to assignments and some mentions of Brook Run (stream cleanup, etc). Sounds great! More information on another website. Let's click....

Now we're at the North Atlanta Church of Christ website. Wait a minute - I thought this was a City event. Public/private partnership maybe? That would be OK. But say that on the announcement. There's no search box and the clean-up event isn't on the front page. Let's dig around a bit.

Under Calendars and Events, we find "Serve Day". No mention of a City of Dunwoody project, just anyone who wants to do some community fixer-upper service, just sign up and show up. This doesn't look like a City project, despite the main website saying, "...the City will be holding its Third Annual Clean up Dunwoody Day..."

The FAQ page has the following regarding what projects are going to be worked on:

Dunwoody Nature Center
⇒ Fire hydrant painting throughout the city of Dunwoody
⇒ City of Refuge
⇒ Ronald McDonald House
⇒ Many more!

Nothing outstanding here. Fire hydrant painting projects have happened in town before. Dunwoody Nature Center is an oldie but a goodie for community service. What is City of Refuge? Where is Dunwoody's Ronald McDonald House? What constitutes "many more"??

There's several videos from past years included as well. Brook Run and the Nature Center, Ebenezer Primitive Baptist, are obvious, but some other outdoor locations weren't clear.

Here's my question for anyone who knows: if Winter's Chapel / PIB is such a terrible part of Dunwoody that entire housing developments have to be removed to improve it, where is the volunteer effort to improve areas of that part of town? For example, everyone wants to "adopt a triangle" near the Farmhouse, who will adopt the traffic triangle at the intersection of Peeler and Winter's Chapel? Everyone wants to spruce up the landscaping at Brook Run, who wants to do the same on unused lots along Winter's Chapel?

There is NO criticism here of any of the charity work that has been done thus far under the banner of "Clean Up Dunwoody". I would like to know what volunteer efforts under this program have been done in the "less popular" parts of our City. They're not readily apparent, they're not in any of the videos I saw on the church site, and they're not listed on the City website. If the eastern parts of Dunwoody need to be "spruced" or "fixed", where are the volunteer efforts to do so? The comments section is open.

Opportunity Knocking - What to do with all of those pumpkins???

2011-10-29T13:33:00.001-04:00

As "Shrek" and "Donkey" are transforming the front yard into a swamp complete with an outhouse and "Puss in Boots" and "Baby Dronkey" are down for their naps I'm planning the rest of my errands including a last-minute Pumpkin Run for jack o'lanterns.

It's practically a rule in Dunwoody that every house of worship has to have a Pumpkin Patch to sell decorative pumpkins for fall, including Halloween. Like all produce pumpkins have a limited shelf life and they have to be disposed of. Decorative pumpkins don't get made into pie. So hooligans are going to smash them or they're going to get thrown away.

Is there a better option?

When Christmas ends and Christmas trees start dying, there is a network of tree recyclers that runs the "Bring One for the Chipper" program. Instead of leaving trees on the street to rot and then get picked up by DeKalb sanitation and put in a landfill, Christmas trees are mulched with giant chippers, then the mulch used for public beautification projects, or even given back to individual gardeners.

Is there any reason that pumpkins/jack o'lanterns can't be recycled in a similar way? You can't chip them for mulch but you can compost them. And there is a big gardening movement here in town encouraging vegetable growing. You can't have enough compost to fortify your garden beds over the winter and into spring.

Only hitch is you can't guarantee that the pumpkins are organic. Even so, this is an opportunity worth developing to keep the streets clean, avoid reeking rotting pumpkins on streets and sidewalks, and add compost to gardens that need it.

Anyone want to run with this idea?

There goes the neighborhood....

2011-10-27T12:31:00.001-04:00

www.briersnorth.org.
Get a good look because it's going to change soon.
Make sure to check out the Halloween info
and For Sale listings.

When I organized Briers North Halloween in the past, the person I inherited it from was adamant that there be no "advertising" - no Internet, media blackout in the newspapers and TV, everything.

Then a couple of years later I handed off the responsibility to another neighbor who isn't quite so concerned.

Thanks to some posts today on Facebook from Dunwoody Police and CVB, as well as some news last year, I guess it's officially "advertised" and I can chat about it.

Everything you need to know if you're planning to visit Briers North on Halloween is at www.briersnorth.org. This was one of the first sites I created after moving to Dunwoody in 2004. It's due for a tweaking and an upgrade. I created this website with an extensive private back-end info system back in the day when both Joomla and Drupal and similar content management systems were in their infancy and had security holes wide enough to drive a truck through. I didn't trust any of them. WordPress was still only a blog and even then much more primitive than most blogs today. So I created a custom database with a custom CMS that has worked continually these past 7 years. My hand-built databases have never been hacked. I'm still deciding what road to go down with this upgrade and redesign, so stay tuned. Some other customers' projects are moving along toward their launch dates.

Be careful if you do a drive-by before Monday. The streets are narrow and there are tons of kids and other folks out walking.

If you REALLY like what you see on Halloween, remember this neighborhood is here 364 other days of the year and is a great place to live. There are 3 houses up for sale, plus one up for rent. (One of them is a behemoth with a pool, spa, and finished basement - perfect for a large extended family.) Links to MLS listings are on the front page above. We need neighbors as much as we love our visitors!

See you on Monday, 10/31!

"Princess Fiona"

Dunwoody Elections 2011 - Kerry de Vallette

2011-10-26T08:20:00.002-04:00

Next up: Mr. Kerry de Vallette, running for District 2 At Large. Kerry's campaign website is at http://www.kerry4dunwoody.com His comments below are unedited, except for formatting.

1) What one qualification do you have for elected office that exceeds those of your opponents? Proven executive leadership! Both in running large and small businesses, as well as a 3,000 (plus) member civic organization – The Dunwoody Homeowners Association.

2) The City’s Economic Development Department’s stated purpose is “The City of Dunwoody Economic Development Director is responsible for leading efforts to retain, expand and attract businesses that support a broad array of employment opportunities; strategically grow its knowledge-based economy; and expand the City’s tax base.” What should be this department’s next priority task to accomplish this purpose?
To continue to execute against the 2012 Economic Development Strategy, while determining what, if any, alterations should be considered for the plan.

3) What was the City’s best business decision to date? (Any level or department, since operations started.)
Retaining Michael Starling as Director of Economic Development.

4) What was one business decision made by the City (at any level, since operations started) that should not have been made? If you were given the chance, what would you have recommended be done differently?
I think providing the position of the City Manager with signator authority for any expenditure under $50,000 without Council’s consent needs to be revisited. I want to make this clear this is not a reflection on the part of our City Manager, but of my personal belief that as a Council member I have accountability for significant tax dollar expenditures, which I consider to be non-recurring expenditures over $9,999.

5) As a member of City Council, you will be able to appoint or recommend members of various commissions. Besides an interest in the subject, and a desire to serve, what qualifications do you want to see in a potential commission member?
Proven experience and practical knowledge in the subject area of the Commission panel that they are being appointed to.

6) Which City department or commission (besides the Police) is the most critically important in developing the future of Dunwoody?
The Public Works Department. We have got to address our traffic and transportation safety issues. This includes accelerating the installation of side walks and safe bike lanes throughout our city.

7) Which City department or commission do you feel is underserved and needs more attention in terms of funding and other resources (including personnel)?
Community Development.

8) In what ways should the City and Chamber of Commerce (or any other private entity) collaborate and in what ways should they be working separately to grow the City’s economic base?
The Chamber and City do not and should not work in a vacuum. However, that does not mean that both should be joined at the hip. The City’s responsibility is to work with the Chamber, Convention Visitor’s Bureau and the PCID towards common goals shared by the various organizations. The City also has a responsibility to provide leadership and governance on behalf of our residents when it comes to matters of Economic Development, including areas related to zoning, sign ordinances, and other governance factors related to business development items that will specifically impact homeowners and homeowner rights.

9) Elected officials are constantly contacted with requests to have specific issues addressed by local citizens. If elected, how will you prioritize what issues get on the Council agenda, what will get further private discussion, and what will be tabled?
I would support a change to the current process related to how a Council member introduces an issue to Council without having a supporting “second” from the Mayor or another Council member. I would support changing this process and adding a requirement that any item that a Council member would like to place on the agenda require a second in order to be presented before Council.

10) Open Mike Question: Make any statement you like on what issue or action will be most important to you as an elected official.
I would move to add a Commission on Aging to the City’s Boards and Commissions. We need to have a Board or Commission that works with our various departments, including Economic Development, Parks & Recreation, and Police / Public Safety to insure the needs of our senior citizens are being considered as the departments develop their master plans, outreach programs, and facilities.

What exactly is Dunwoody being "transparent" about?

2011-10-25T11:17:00.001-04:00

Late last night, the City of Dunwoody issued a press release regarding the intent to purchase the Dunwoody Glen (formerly Northchase) apartments and convert them to a sports complex. A number of acquaintances, neighbors, and fellow bloggers who until now have been strongly against the parks bonds are starting to waver. So many people quietly gripe about "the apartments" in "that other ZIP code". Now a secret ballot to eliminate them doesn't seem so bad.

I had heard about this plan in a number of conversations but I ~~didn't think~~ hoped the planning process ~~had~~ hadn't gotten this far.

Here's the problem. If you think that these bonds are ONLY about eliminating "those apartments" think again. This is the same government that tried to push through a "greenway" plan that would have confiscated significant amounts of property from single family homes as well. The difference is the homeowners aren't going to take that casual threat lying down. They rose up en masse at a public meeting that had Hutmacher sewing body parts back on and the City Council in hiding. Are the families in "those" apartments going to defend themselves as vigorously? I doubt it. I'll bet City Hall doubts it too.

I'm not buying the argument about how humane it is to honor all current leases. It's not generous or moral to simply uphold a legally binding contract. How would any of you feel living in your home while someone else is sitting on the edge of their seat waiting for you to budge so they can swoop in?

Let's take a birds' eye view of City Hall's approach to development. First thing after City Government was set up was the establishment of a "Sustainability" commission. Talk of obscure certifications and awards. Green this, green that, green the other thing. Except for the sneakers - those are golden. All supposedly for the health and well-being of Dunwoody citizens. Public land was set aside for gardens with contributions to feed those in need. City Hall touts these efforts to show how enlightened and generous and "forward thinking" Dunwoody is. It's a paradise of cooperation and charity where everyone is of one oh-so-enlightened mind. In addition, elected officials discuss at length their religious affiliations and activity in charitable endeavors. Pictures and links and everything. Now the same government wants to displace hundreds of residents who live away from the central paradise. Eliminate those not-green-enough homes. It's easy to be charitable to people who are different than you are if they're not too close. It's easy to be a saint in paradise. Displacing people as a recreational development measure is not just wrong it is - dare I say it - unsustainable.

These are my thoughts on economic development, significantly clarified from my earlier vision:

1) The east side of Dunwoody has the most potential for economic development as it is the oldest and has gotten the least amount of attention from both DeKalb/Gwinnett counties and the City of Dunwoody.

2) It is never acceptable to drive an entire neighborhood away, eliminate homes, or otherwise confiscate residential property for the sake of recreation. It doesn't matter if we're talking about single family homes, duplexes, townhomes, or apartments. It's one thing to slow down growth of ~~mixed use~~ high density developments, but once a set of homes is here, it's here. Deal with it, and their residents like human beings.

3) The City has other ways of improving the area. Including incentives to both commercial and residential property owners to upgrade their properties. There is no reason why Winters Chapel cannot be as desireable as Dunwoody Village in terms of business use or residential location. Taking the land off the tax roles and eliminating the residential population is like robbing Peter to pay Paul.

4) Residents along Winters Chapel / PIB and for that matter in the 30360 ZIP code are just as much legitimate citizens of Dunwoody as those calling for their removal. If the citizens calling for more and more expensive recreational opportunities want to have their opinions taken seriously by the people in this area, then they'd better treat their counterparts with the same respect they damn well want for themselves. The latest proposal from the City doesn't qualify.

5) Quality of life in any part of the city, not just Winters Chapel/PIB is going to require a greater investment in code enforcement. One guy supervising enforcement in a city with a daytime population of more than 100K is not enough. City Council has discussed funding police, rewriting a zoning code, and a skating rink, but not optimal enforcement of their ordinances. I'd like to know why.

I'd like to see apartment residents organize their own advocacy group or civic association as the homeowners do. This latest proposal looks like that organization is long overdue. Anyone who lives inside the city has the same rights to defend themselves and their home. No one should be more equal than others. This is not "Animal Farm" - yet.

I challenge City Hall, including our Council Members to make their way down to the apartments they want to eliminate and meet some people who live there. Learn their names, look them in the eye, and tell them to their faces that a sports complex is more beneficial to the city than their presence. I don't think any of you have the guts. Prove me wrong!

UPDATE: CBS Atlanta just posted the story on their website. The comments should be interesting.

Dunwoody City Council wants to buy the "Northchase" apartments....

2011-10-25T00:31:00.000-04:00

My commentary on the Music Festival and what an incredible time it was is going to have to wait.

From Dunwoody Patch: City Council Looks at Purchasing Nearly 42 Acres on Peachtree Industrial

I had this great post forming in my head about dealing with the landlords on the east side of town as business people, improving code compliance, encouraging a neighborhood watch, maybe forming an apartment renters' association as a counterpart to the DHA and other civic associations in the area. Just had to get past the Music Festival and get all that work out of the way and other customers caught up. I may have to rethink it. Our votes next month are going to have some serious repercussions on a lot of families.

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Calm before the DMF storm

2011-10-21T22:04:00.004-04:00

Tonight we had a party to celebrate 6 months of really hard work pulling the festival together. The highlight of the evening was Dormtainment and "Straight Outta Dunwoody". Hey fellas, next time get your audition in while the form is open, K? Assuming we can afford you next year~!!

Here's my FB photo album. I need to crash. My kids will shoot me if I don't bring them tomorrow. Nitey nite!

Music Festival on Better Mornings Atlanta This AM

2011-10-19T15:06:00.002-04:00

WAY too early for me but we've got the video from CBS Atlanta!
Here's the link in case the embedded video is squirrelly.

Even MORE Dunwoody Music Festival updates

2011-10-17T23:35:00.002-04:00

I've been working on this all night and I"m beat so here's the latest, without anything fancy to dress it up:

FAQ - read it, use it, love it, live it.

Printable Map of the festival layout

Updated Marketplace listing - including a printable to bring with you the day(s) of

Gallery - always in progress, I'm expecting to add to it.

Partial set list of the Saturday concert with Stars of 80s Rock. I'm really excited for this and no, I can't tell you the rest of it or I'd have to shoot you.

FYI, reserved "chastain" seating is SOLD OUT. That means the general admission seats are going to fly if you don't grab 'em now. The site counter is about to explode from all the TV commercials on Channel 46.

Nitey-nite. See you at the Chamber's Candidate Forum on Wednesday

Is Free Advertising Really Free?

2011-10-17T11:02:00.003-04:00

Inc Magazine posted an article last week outlining the plans several social media outlets have to offer free advertising to small businesses.

Facebook (who IMHO has peaked as an advertising venue due to its sheer size and other terms of service in advertising that I blogged about a while back) is offering free advertising starting in January.

LinkedIn is offering coupons for limited amounts of free ads, as is Google. I just got a coupon from Google myself over the weekend.

Each site/company has its own standards and limitations on the offerings.

So, is free advertising from any social media outlet worth it?
It's vital to remember that "free" always means "free of financial charge". Advertising always requires time and effort. The venue may be free but there is still an investment of time, planning, updating - or an investment of cash to pay someone else to make the investment.

Social media works in advertising because it's the online equivalent of in-person networking. All business relationships are based on personal ones to some degree. But it's more vital for entrepreneurs and small businesses to personally get the word out since their budgets are so tight.

So if you're going to venture into social networking....
1) Make sure you know where your audience is. Believe it or not, not everyone looking for your goods or services is on Facebook. Research your online outlets, talk with your current customers, find out where they are, then put your actions in that direction.
2) Count the cost in terms of time. How much time and effort can you put into social media? If you're not willing to use the service personally, then you want to rethink your ad plan. Keep your content interesting or all of the free advertising in the world won't be worth a dime.
3) Remember that social media is about driving traffic. Driving it where? To your website of course. Social media is the draw, your website is the destination. Make sure it's worth your visitors' time once they get there.

Dunwoody Music Festival Coming October 22

2011-10-14T13:31:00.001-04:00

Not many of my recent projects have had a need for video. The Dunwoody Music Festival is an exception.
Oktober Productions created a 30-second spot that is airing on CBS Atlanta during their news broadcasts. I happened to catch it on Tuesday when it started running.

Stay for the end of the video. I'm happy to say my corporate logo made it onto the final slide!

So now that video has joined the project, there naturally has to be a YouTube channel for SDOC. Don't know how much I"ll be adding to it or when, but subscribe and check it out once in a while.

See you on October 22! I'm bringing my kids to play on the rides!

Dunwoody Elections 2011 - Rick Callihan

2011-10-13T07:27:00.002-04:00

Next up, Mr. Rick Callihan, also running for District 1 at-large. His campaign website is at http://www.rickcallihan.com/

1) What one qualification do you have for elected office that exceeds those of your opponents?

I started my own business, from scratch, and then grew that business to become an industry leader. The skills used to start and grow a business are similar to the skills needed to make decisions for a city: proper planning, disciplined spending, excellent service, and a great product.

The city should create a new overlay district for the Perimeter area, allowing the PCID to have its own sign ordinance. And of course, the city should not be buying property zoned O & I. Our Economic Development Director needs all the tools he can get. It does not make sense to convert prime real estate to green space.

3) What was the City’s best business decision to date? (Any level or department, since operations started.)

Instead of directly hiring employees, I am glad the city opted to follow, to a degree, the Sandy Springs model of contracting with different companies to provide city services.

4) What was one business decision made by the City (at any level, since operations started) that should not have been made? If you were given the chance, what would you have recommended be done differently?

The city should not have taken over the stormwater system from DeKalb. In years to come this has the potential to be as expensive as our police department on an annual basis. The taxpayers in Dunwoody will see the stormwater fee on their tax bill rise steadily year after year. I would have kept the stormwater system in the hands of DeKalb, and made sure they kept up with repairs as needed.

5) As a member of City Council, you will be able to appoint or recommend members of various commissions. Besides an interest in the subject, and a desire to serve, what qualifications do you want to see in a potential commission member?

I want to see people dedicated to the success of our city, and I will seek out people with real-world experience they can bring to committees. I also feel all committee members should be residents of Dunwoody or owner/manager of a business in Dunwoody.

6) Which City department or commission (besides the Police) is the most critically important in developing the future of Dunwoody?

Zoning Board of Appeals

7) Which City department or commission do you feel is underserved and needs more attention in terms of funding and other resources (including personnel)?

Code enforcement. We have one guy responsible for inspecting apartments, removing illegal signs, and general code enforcement. If elected to council, I would suggest adding at least one more full-time person to code enforcement.

8) In what ways should the City and Chamber of Commerce (or any other private entity) collaborate and in what ways should they be working separately to grow the City’s economic base?

The Chamber has its own mission, as does the city. The city’s Economic Development Department needs to focus on bringing jobs to the city. Once here, the Chamber plays a key role in helping new (and existing) businesses get involved in city events. The Chamber can play a pivotal role, using current members to help develop leads for the Development director.

9) Elected officials are constantly contacted with requests to have specific issues addressed by local citizens. If elected, how will you prioritize what issues get on the Council agenda, what will get further private discussion, and what will be tabled?

Managing a business, I deal with major industry distributors, and I deal with the end-user of the company’s products. Both need treated with respect. Major issues need directed to the appropriate city department. In these departments we have experts that help council determine the next step. There are countless situations in regards to contact between residents and council members, and each need handled differently. There can be no set policy as to what does and does not get brought before council. As a small city, we can handle individually with all requests.

10) Open Mike Question: Make any statement you like on what issue or action will be most important to you as an elected official.

I am opposed to the urbanization of the Perimeter area. I am also opposed to Transit Oriented Developments that have Federal set-asides for low income housing. We need a council that will defend the homeowner, yet work with the PCID on job growth. I believe it is in the best long term interest of Dunwoody to maintain the current ratio of jobs to housing units in the PCID.

Home Occupation Updates from Planning Commission

2011-10-12T10:58:00.001-04:00

Last night was the perfect storm from Hell. Husband gets home late from a meeting and I leave my carefully crafted notes on a table by the door as I rush out to City Hall, arriving half an hour late.

Then discover that I am the only representative of The Public in attendance.

John's blog outlined the changes that were being made in the Zoning ordinance (which is temporary anyway, more on that later) that would affect home-based businesses and employees.

The bottom line is, most of the changes are being accepted as is - that home occupations may allow customer or employee contact, with some limitations. The verbage regarding home-based daycare centers is being removed due to the fact that day care centers are going to have several "customers" in the home for several hours a day, with several parents picking up and dropping off in a short spurt each day. Since I'm not familiar with all of the licensing and regulations and logistics of a home-based day care center, I'm going to hold comment on that one. If someone out there is familiar with home-based daycare and would like to comment, the floor (comments area) is yours.

However - there still is a hearing process in place for any home-based work/business that will receive customers or employees and there was enormous resistance to any changes at all. My friend Heather was dragged through FIVE meetings because the City staff had trouble reading their own regulations. It was only supposed to be three. After some verbal arm twisting the Commission whittled the number of hearings down to one (in front of Planning Commission) so that "the public can be notified".

In an ideal world, neighbors would talk to each other and bring issues to each other without dragging City Hall into it. However we do not live in an ideal world and some neighbors would rather whine to the DHA or email nastygram blasts than talk to the person and attempt to resolve whatever questions they have.

There's some pros and cons to the recommendations.

Pro: the business owner/employee has some protection in that they will get a fair hearing in public and can bring supporters to speak on their behalf. Their fate is not at the mercy of an individual with an axe to grind, Internet access, and too much time on their hands.

Con: for those business owners with irregular or occasional customer contact (as described in earlier posts) the process is the same. There has to be public notification, additional expense, additional time spent, all to casually meet a single person - who may be visiting anyway in a non-business capacity - every few months or so.

Con: Loophole City. The zoning code places a greater burden on a homeowner for a "nuisance" allegedly caused by a business enterprise, than a "nuisance" allegedly caused by a social event.

Is this the outcome that I believe will benefit the City in the long run? No. Is it a step in the right direction? Yes, and I credit the PC with that because redefining the nature of a "residential neighborhood" is a huge question and there is a lot of persuasion involved in convincing some sectors of the public that they will not be harmed by it. In addition, the Zoning Code as we see it today is not long for this world. An RFP was recently awarded (but not linked on the City site) to completely revamp Zoning. As I said at Community Council not long ago, the first step in setting up a comprehensive Zoning code is to clearly define "nuisance" - when do you have a problem that should involve City Hall, when you should talk to your neighbor, and when you should put on your grownup underpants and just deal with it - then use that definition as a uniform standard for any and all activity in a particular zoned area.

The question for "casual business visitors" is whether to go to the trouble of obeying the law. Is it more trouble than it's worth to drag your case of one-visitor-every-three-months through public hearings? Or do you feel safe under a "don't-ask-don't-tell" philosophy? I'm usually in favor of obeying the law to the letter. But do I submit the extra money and time into a process, or do I invest in doing the work I'm paid for? For many entrepreneurs that's going to be a tough call for a while.

Dunwoody Election 2011 - Terry Nall

2011-10-10T15:00:00.002-04:00

Mr. Terry Nall was the first to reply to my survey of candidates below. Terry is running for District 1 at-large (city-wide vote) and his campaign website can be found at http://www.terrynallfordunwoody.com/
Thank you Terry and with no further ado, here are his answers, unedited:

1) What one qualification do you have for elected office that exceeds those of your opponents?

I will be the only active CPA serving on City Council. I bring conservative, comprehensive financial expertise to City Council and a belief that needs must come before wants.”

2) The City’s Economic Development Department’s stated purpose is “The City of Dunwoody Economic Development Director is responsible for leading efforts to retain, expand and attract businesses that support a broad array of employment opportunities; strategically grow its knowledge-based economy; and expand the City’s tax base.” What should be this department’s next priority task to accomplish this purpose?

I recommend the next priority task is to build, train, and grow a volunteer “ambassadors” program to assist with economic development tasks. See question #8 below.
3) What was the City’s best business decision to date? (Any level or department, since operations started.)

This is a tie. On the personnel front, the City’s best business decision to date is the hiring of Sharon Lowery as City Clerk and Chris Pike as Finance Director. Both are extremely experienced and well-qualified for their respective positions.

On the public works front, the City’s best business decision is to evaluate the condition of its roads via laser truck and inventory the condition of the storm sewer drains. Both infrastructures are liabilities that were inherited from DeKalb County and the evaluations provide elected leaders with proper information for establishing funding priorities.

4) What was one business decision made by the City (at any level, since operations started) that should not have been made? If you were given the chance, what would you have recommended be done differently?

The city recently made a significant (in my opinion) mistake in its Request for Proposal process to secure city services vendor contracts for 2012 and beyond. The procedures of the RFP for Publics Works and Parks Departments were openly admitted by the City Manager as not followed properly. The error was publicly known, yet my opponent on the evaluation committee wanted to award the two problem contracts regardless, according to emails obtained. Others on Council prevailed and authorized a rebid of the RFP. However, Council did not replace the evaluation committee members. I would have recommended a change of membership for the evaluation committee for the rebid process. Dunwoody is recognized as a City of Ethics and we must live up to it.

5) As a member of City Council, you will be able to appoint or recommend members of various commissions. Besides an interest in the subject, and a desire to serve, what qualifications do you want to see in a potential commission member?

Beyond the obvious items mentioned in the question, I would like to see a passion for Dunwoody, a demonstrated history of collaboration in working with multiple members of committees or community projects, and a record of good attendance and participation while working on committees or projects.

6) Which City department or commission (besides the Police) is the most critically important in developing the future of Dunwoody?

The Community Development Department and its associated boards of Community Council, Planning Commission, and Zoning Board of Appeals, is the most critical to developing Dunwoody’s future. The planned total re-write of the Zoning Code, coupled with a future turnaround in the economy, will affect development projects that could set the course of Dunwoody for decades to come.

7) Which City department or commission do you feel is underserved and needs more attention in terms of funding and other resources (including personnel)?

Public Works is underfunded at its current levels. Though some progress has been made on repaving of roads, the progress remains sluggish and other needs, such as redesign of bottleneck intersections and computerized synchronization of all city traffic lights, remain unfunded despite having had three years of annual surpluses.

8) In what ways should the City and Chamber of Commerce (or any other private entity) collaborate and in what ways should they be working separately to grow the City’s economic base?

In a collaborative “joint” fashion, the City and Chamber of Commerce can help retain existing businesses and recruit new businesses to Dunwoody. To be successful in either area, the community needs well-trained “ambassadors” who live and/or work in Dunwoody and would sell and resell businesses on the merits of Dunwoody as a superb location for employees and senior executive families to work and live during “location scouting” visits. The confidential introduction of ambassadors to these businesses could extend to assimilating newly relocated employees to Dunwoody into the fabric of our community. Similar to how volunteer police reserves will supplement a police department, volunteer ambassadors could supplement an economic development department.

In a separate fashion, but with collaboration and cooperation when needed, the City and Chamber of Commerce could provide a number of Leadership Dunwoody and Opportunity Dunwoody programs. “Leadership Dunwoody” would help broaden established community leaders across Dunwoody for the expanded benefit of charities, schools, churches, and government service. “Opportunity Dunwoody” would work with newer arrivals to Dunwoody who were community leaders in their prior communities in an effort to acclimate and integrate them into the many community service opportunities available in Dunwoody.

9) Elected officials are constantly contacted with requests to have specific issues addressed by local citizens. If elected, how will you prioritize what issues get on the Council agenda, what will get further private discussion, and what will be tabled?

I have experience with a number of multi-person governance bodies. The best method of dealing with issues raised is to socialize the presented issues “one-on-one” with other Council members. Issues should not be raised for the first time at a formal meeting without the prior knowledge or involvement of others who would be involved in the decision. This pre-meeting work determines whether there is broader support for the issue from others, what other information is needed about the issue for others to make an informed decision, and helps identify any inadvertent, unintended consequences of the issue. This is called consensus-building and is needed by others on Council.

10) Open Mike Question: Make any statement you like on what issue or action will be most important to you as an elected official.

A key principle during my term will be to “maintain a small, efficient, disciplined government with accountability.” Government serves a limited purpose and we should stick to our priorities of needs first. We also need accountability. We’re no longer a start-up and we have well-paid, experienced staff in place. Certainly no one is perfect, but we need Council members to not be afraid to ask the tough questions when things go wrong. I am that person and that CPA.

Opportunity Knocking - City of Dunwoody is Hiring

2011-10-06T14:24:00.000-04:00

... a Community Development Director

Excerpted essential job duties from the official description linked above:

•Supervise the initiation, amendment, and implementation of ordinances and resolutions relevant to community development such as zoning, land division and development, and building;

•Assures that citizen complaints and inquiries relating to departmental activity are researched and resolved in a timely fashion;

•Communicates official plans, programs, policies and procedures to staff and the general public;

•Directs ongoing research into new technologies and trends, and recommends implementation of programs and equipment to help the Department achieve its objectives more efficiently;

•Coordinates, researches and evaluates projects and programs that will enhance and preserve the City’s economic base;

•Ability to identify the department’s future direction in response to changing community needs, and to develop, implement, and monitor appropriate plans, schedules, and action steps;

Can you say "Hot Potato"? I knew you could. :-) Who will step up and put their hat in the ring for this one?

Remember in an earlier post (linked here) where I said you can learn a lot about an elected official by who they appoint or hire? The Council has final say on City hires and policies to be implemented - but it's people in roles like that that tell them what direction to go in, policy-wise.

Let's pay attention to who applies and who gets hired. That could put an awfully big spin on some referendums coming up, as well as elections.

Speaking of which, I'm still waiting to see if there will be any responses to my one-woman campaign forum. IMHO, I'll know who's responsive to the average Dunwoody citizen, and who may not be, based on who bothers to answer and who doesn't. But like everything else, that's just one opinion. That ends up on this blog.

Steve Jobs 1955 - 2011

2011-10-05T23:55:00.003-04:00

Everything we do on a computer today - streaming movies and animation, picking out a font in our email, to animated apps on our phone - is because of Steve Jobs and Apple Computer. They're the reason I have a job today, and impacts every bit of my design and programming choices.

My family got its first computer - a Mac Plus - when I was 14. I remember being fascinated by the "mouse" and how I had to sync an audio tape with the "Intro" program to follow the tutorial instructions.

My sophomore year in college, I was the only person on the dorm floor to have a computer - this time a Mac SE. TWO floppy disk slots and an external hard drive. I was hot sh*t in a champagne glass and I knew it. The MacPaint program saved my life in the sterochemistry chapter of Organic Chemistry 204. With my ImageWriter 2 printer I had the best documents in Warren Towers and the grades to show for it.

Today, whenever I create a website (especially the Dunwoody Chamber and a number of new projects coming up) a key question is "How is this going to look on an iPhone?" "Do we need to make this mobile?" The answer to that last one isn't always "yes" but it always has to be considered.

Rest in peace, Steve. You did it - you changed the world. I think for the better.

Straight Outta Dunwoody

2011-10-03T10:47:00.001-04:00

BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!!!!!!!!!
Now I see wahy this was trending on Twitter after the DHA meeting last night!

Duwnoody Election 2011

2011-10-02T14:57:00.001-04:00

And, they're off!
Campaign signs and bumper stickers are popping up like mushrooms and brief campaign bios are showing up in newspapers online.

Yesterday I sent out the following email to all candidates in our city's contested races to see if they would offer some deeper insights into their philosophy of local government and vision for Dunwoody. As I promised, whatever responses arrive will be posted without editing or editorial comment.

Let's see what happens!

Tonight, I'm headed to the DHA meeting to hear the ~~knock-down-drag-out~~ civilized discussion over the Parks Bonds up for a vote in November. I'm composing my own epistle on that saga for a future post. Until then I'm packing a snack, a bottle of wine, stadium seat, and maybe a pillow and toothbrush, depending on how much this gets drawn out.

Ladies and Gentlemen

I’m writing to you today to invite you to participate in an online Q&A on the Dunwoody Working Girl blog.

At the end of this email, ... I’ve assembled some questions regarding your vision of City government and your ideas of your place in it that are generally not covered by the local media. This invitation is going out to all candidates in contested races for the upcoming Dunwoody city election.

Any answers you choose to give will be posted on the blog, in their own dedicated post, in their entirety, unedited. (I’m not even running a spell-check!) Aside from some formatting, what you choose to say is what gets broadcast to the world.

This isn’t an “official” forum hosted by any group, HOA, the Chamber of Commerce, etc. I write a blog with a perspective on local business – citizens making a living. I am happy to provide a forum to each and every one of you to address questions and concerns from this perspective. I’ll post replies in the order that I receive them, as soon as they arrive. I am also planning a banner on the blog that will link to everyone’s official campaign site (or blog, etc). Feel free to include a mug shot to include with your responses if you wish.

Thank you in advance for your consideration and I look forward to learning more about each of your perspectives both online and in the upcoming candidate forums.

1) What one qualification do you have for elected office that exceeds those of your opponents?

2) The City’s Economic Development Department’s stated purpose is “The City of Dunwoody Economic Development Director is responsible for leading efforts to retain, expand and attract businesses that support a broad array of employment opportunities; strategically grow its knowledge-based economy; and expand the City’s tax base.” What should be this department’s next priority task to accomplish this purpose?

3) What was the City’s best business decision to date? (Any level or department, since operations started.)

4) What was one business decision made by the City (at any level, since operations started) that should not have been made? If you were given the chance, what would you have recommended be done differently?

5) As a member of City Council, you will be able to appoint or recommend members of various commissions. Besides an interest in the subject, and a desire to serve, what qualifications do you want to see in a potential commission member?

6) Which City department or commission (besides the Police) is the most critically important in developing the future of Dunwoody?

7) Which City department or commission do you feel is underserved and needs more attention in terms of funding and other resources (including personnel)?

8) In what ways should the City and Chamber of Commerce (or any other private entity) collaborate and in what ways should they be working separately to grow the City’s economic base?

9) Elected officials are constantly contacted with requests to have specific issues addressed by local citizens. If elected, how will you prioritize what issues get on the Council agenda, what will get further private discussion, and what will be tabled?

10) Open Mike Question: Make any statement you like on what issue or action will be most important to you as an elected official.

Introducing... The YPODs!

2011-09-28T23:09:00.002-04:00

www.dunwoodycommerce.org/ypods

I've been working on this project for several months.

The YPODs are the Young Professionals of Dunwoody, a committee of the Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce that was designed specifically for the needs of young professionals ages 21 - 35. The YPOD site is a "subsite" within the main Chamber web complex.

This demographic needed two things: 1) an image that is slick, hip, and upscale in a sense that appeals to a generation that was born with a cell phone in its hand - that is, radically different from the primary Chamber site and 2) a layout that was easily adaptable to mobile devices. Everything had to be mobile ready, on any brand of device.

I decided to create a theme that mimicked the standard iPhone graphic and utilized a grid layout of icons that resembled an app. There is no menu, just a "Home" link on each page. But it's still a website, and appears the same whether you're looking at a desktop, laptop, tablet/iPad, or smartphone. There's no mistaking the YPODs for any other committee or initiative of the Chamber. A blog is maintained by YPOD committee members. Prospective members can even join through the online registration form, or contact the leadership with questions.

Most of all, the site is usable by any mobile device.

<--- Try it!

Update on Bone Marrow Testing Drive for Isaac del Valle

2011-09-28T08:14:00.001-04:00

Again, from Holy Redeemer's email list:

Dear Friends and Family of Isaac:
This note is to try to answer as many questions as possible concerning the bone marrow testing event that will be held on Friday, September 30th at Marist High School (located at 3790 Ashford Dunwoody Rd, NE, Atlanta, GA 30319). The purpose of this event is to specifically look for a bone marrow match for Isaac del Valle, a 10th grade student at Marist. Details are as follows:
The bone marrow drive will take place from 12:00-8:00 at Marist and people can come any time during these hours. No appointment is necessary. Testing involves a simple cheek swab and should take about 20 minutes.
Testing will be performed on individuals ages 18 and older. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (and many other children’s hospitals) has policies which prohibit bone marrow transplants from unrelated donors under the age of 18. Because of this policy, the del Valles have decided to limit testing to those ages 18 and older.
We cannot know who might be a match for Isaac. His doctors believe the most likely match will be someone between the ages of 18-60 of a mix of Hispanic and Caucasian background. However, anyone can be a match and are welcome to be tested. We do have a limited number of free tests for those who cannot afford the $115 cost. We do not want to turn away ANYONE willing to be tested and, therefore, are seeking donations to cover the cost of more test kits. If you would like to help us purchase test kits which will be made available to willing participants, you can donate online to www.curechildhoodcancer.org. Click on “donate” and put “Isaac” in the comments section. A special fund has been set up for Isaac at CURE Childhood Cancer for the express purpose of accepting donations to purchase test kits.
We will be selling t-shirts on Friday for $10.00 each in support of Isaac. All proceeds will go towards the test costs.
11Alive has been covering Isaac’s story and will be on site at Marist on Friday during the test drive to continue the coverage of this urgent bone marrow drive. We want to thank everyone for their assistance in helping to find a match for Isaac and in particular to Marist for their support and allowing the bone marrow drive to be held at the school. Thank you to everyone who has already donated money for this bone marrow drive and in advance to those who are considering a donation.
We are urgently looking for volunteers to cover one or two hour shifts from 12-8 pm on Friday. We need at least 15 volunteers per shift. If you can volunteer, please send the time slot you are available to Lynne Bauman at LBauman@syntapharma.com.
The following are some FAQ’s regarding bone marrow testing and bone marrow transplants. If you still have questions, please email them to Lynne Bauman at LBauman@syntapharma.com or Kristin Connor atkristin@curechildhoodcancer.org. Please do not call Kashi Labs. They have been overwhelmed with calls and do not have the resources to handle a large volume of calls.
1. What if I'm already on the registry? Should I be tested again Friday?
No. If you are on the registry, we already know you are not a match for Isaac and there is no need to be re-tested.
2. What if I can't come Friday or am already on the registry? How can I help Isaac?

Because of the cost involved in expedited testing ($115 per person), we are trying to raise money to cover the cost of the kits so cost does not prevent anyone willing from being tested. The more people tested, particularly those fitting the profile of 18-60, Caucasian/Hispanic mix, the greater the chance a match will be found. You can contribute to this effort by visiting www.curechildhoodcancer.org and clicking on "donate". Enter "Isaac" in the comments section.
3. If I contribute to Isaac's fund through CURE, how will the money be used?
100% of all donations to Isaac's fund will be used to cover the cost of bone marrow testing. In the event funds donated are not exhausted by the bone marrow testing, excess funds will be used to cover cancer related costs incurred by the family, or, if the family chooses, they will be donated to CURE to further our mission of curing childhood cancer through research.
4. Are there medical conditions which might make someone ineligible to be a donor?

Yes. There are many factors that may make a person medically ineligible to donate. For guidance, please visit http://www.marrow.org/Join/Medical_Guidelines/Medical_Guidelines_for_Joining_the_Registry.aspx.
5. How is a bone marrow match determined?
Doctors look for a donor who matches their patient's tissue type, specifically their human leukocyte antigen (HLA) tissue type. HLAs are proteins — or markers — found on most cells in your body. Your immune system uses these markers to recognize which cells belong in your body and which do not. The closer the match between the patient's HLA markers and yours, the better for the patient.
Source: http://www.marrow.org/
6. What happens if I am identified as a potential match?
More testing will be done to see if you are the best possible match for the patient. Additionally, an information session will be scheduled so you can learn more about the donation process, risks and side effects.
7. If I am tested Friday, will I be added to the National Bone Marrow Registry

No. This testing is being done by a private lab specifically for Isaac. If you wish to join the National Bone Marrow Registry, you will need to contact the Be the Match Foundation, http://www.marrow.org/.

Who Wants to Work for Dunwoody Bakery?

2011-09-27T16:31:00.003-04:00

Announcements have popped up on John's blog and the Aha!Connection about Dunwoody Bakery opening up a retail location in the strip mall between Jett Ferry/Dunwoody Club/Mt Vernon. This is a Dunwoody-Mom-owned firm that not only uses organic ingredients, but also has a line of gluten-free products.
Here's the ad from today's Crier:

Not only are they increasing their visibility, and improving their sales, they're creating jobs too, right here in town!

Click to email your CV: jbakerlesperance@thedunwoodybakery.com

(Hint to the owners: show up with cupcakes at a Dunwoody Chamber networking event and you'll be beating away the traffic with a stick!)

New Restaurant in Dunwoody Village

2011-09-25T19:46:00.000-04:00

Ya Shu Yuen left a gaping hole with red doors when it closed suddenly.
In its place is now Carbonara Trattoria with new doors.

I haven't tried it yet, but my next-door neighbor has and they had a wonderful time.

Here's their website (bare bones) and here's Facebook If you know the story behind this restaurant and its owners (or, if you are the owners) post a reply and bring us up to speed!

Support Dunwoody business and support our city!

Bone Marrow Drive for Marist Sophomore

2011-09-24T16:02:00.001-04:00

I received the following via Holy Redeemer's email network this morning:

Dear Holy Redeemer Families,

On Friday September 30th friends of Isaac Del Valle—former Holy Redeemer student and now a Marist sophomore-- have organized a ‘Bone Marrow Test Drive’ to be held at Marist School, 12pm to 8pm, in the Centennial Center.

The Kashi Lab has agreed to lower its cost per test to $115 per person. Some sponsorship is available and more is hoped for! Note that this testing is still specific to Isaac, and is not for the National Bank of Bone Marrow Donors [sic] (National Marrow Donor Program)

The testing range is between 16 years and 60 years. Children (16 and 17) WILL REQUIRE a waiver from their parents.

Channel 11 has taken up Isaac’s need and it will have the first airing of his story tonight at 11.00pm on Channel 11. They will continue to air his story throughout next week and will give specific messaging on the testing that will be done and even the population they are hoping to attract so the best possible match might be found.

You will find helpful information about becoming a bone marrow donor at this website. http://www.marrow.org/Registry_Members/Donation/Donation_FAQs.aspx#happens

If you are willing to be tested and/or can contribute towards a sponsorship, please contact Ana Shields at anashields@comcast.net

Thank you.

This subject is near and dear to my heart because I worked in Pediatric Oncology back in the day, as well as in the Blood/Marrow Transplant department (currently called Stem Cell Transplant). In 1996, I registered with the National Marrow Donor Program as a potential donor and had my HLA types recorded for this kind of emergency. I haven't received a call, so that means my tissue type has already been screened and is not a match. There are MILLIONS of potential donors tissue screened and listed on the database. They got one match - ONE out of 8 million - and it fell through. He's still waiting.

This story is more common than not: tissue types have to be very close matches and more people die waiting for a match to appear than actually get one. People of mixed racial heritage are even more difficult to match because of the unique genetic scramble.

If you would consider being a bone marrow donor, please use the links above for more information and have your tissue type tested ASAP or at the drive next Friday. If you are unable to potentially donate marrow, please consider donating the cost of a test so someone else can.

You can also register to potentially match other patients in need. Contact the NMDP at the link above for more information.

Come on, Dunwoody - time is of the essence and a life is in the balance.

Takorea - a New Dunwoody-Resident-Owned Restaurant

2011-09-24T11:33:00.002-04:00

Buying local isn't just measured in miles. You can buy local by supporting businesses owned by your neighbors, wherever it is! Their website describes Takorea as "the best of Mexican and Korean street food ... East Meets Mex" Interesting idea! Check them out at http://www.mytakorea.com/ and at their Buckhead location on Juniper Street.

Volunteer Websites - Keeping a Good Relationship with your Webmaster

2011-09-22T23:09:00.000-04:00

A lot of not-for-profit organizations and ultra-small businesses are caught in a catch-22 when it comes to their online promotion. They need a professional website presence to give a first good impression online, but they don't have the money to pay for a truly high-end custom job.

Many of these organizations solicit a donated website like any other donation. But building a professional website is not the same as simply writing a check or dropping off a load of supplies. There are numerous factors involved and good communication is essential to a good working relationship. Here are some tips for working with a volunteer webmaster that will make everyone's life easier.

If your organization's membership includes a web professional, DO ask them if they would be willing to donate their time and/or other resources to a project. Some pros are happy for the chance to contribute to their favorite cause or need to build their portfolios. DON'T merely assume that their skills are yours for the taking. Freelancers may not have the time or may not be able to afford to donate their resources. Salaried employees may not be permitted to use company assets in this fashion.

If you are not able to pay for a webmaster's services, DO consider other forms of compensation. Like promoting their services via advertising in your organization's publication. Or endorsing them on LinkedIn, Yelp, Yahoo Local, Google Local, etc. Or providing them with a testimonial to use in their advertising. It is very difficult for web professionals to write off their services on their taxes. A creative approach I learned from a colleague involves exchanging checks for the same amount: the webmaster gives a donation to the org, the org pays the webmaster. Both sides break even but the advantage is reporting to the IRS. Yes, it's legal.

DO decide what your site is going to entail before embarking on the project. DO include the webmaster in the conversation to determine exactly what services they will be able to provide, and how much time. DO put these decisions in writing so both sides know what to expect of each other. DO allow the webmaster to set some limits. DO agree to a "sunset" time when further development or maintenance is turned over to another group member internally. Remember, they have to work their pro bono assistance in with the jobs that pay the bills!

DO appoint one or two people as the webmaster contact for your group. It is easy to let a creative endeavor like designing a website become a tug-of-war between personalities. DON'T drag the webmaster into any internal conflicts. It will sink your project as well as alienate the very person trying to help you.

DON'T add more features or requests on to the project after it starts. The webmaster has to measure the amount of time they can donate. Additional development not previously discussed may be infringing on time that someone else has already bought and paid for. There's even a term for it: "scope creep". Unless there has been a critical oversight, or a significant change in the organization, avoid last minute additions or "emergency changes".

DO invest time and effort into learning to maintain the site, if you don't already know how. DO know if you require any software, or how to manage the content management system (CMS) that is going to run the site. The more the organization can handle itself on the web, the less likely you'll get into a bind if you need changes made and your volunteer is no longer available.

DON'T assume that you'll have your webmaster's services indefinitely. Situations change, business picks up, life moves on. Besides, some people get very comfortable having a professional at their side, and forget that they're working with a volunteer, not a paid contractor. That's the fastest way to destroy an otherwise good relationship. Service-on-demand-without-question is a commodity that you pay for. See the comment above re: sunset time.

Finally, DO take the opportunity to learn all you can from your volunteer. You'll be able to apply their insight and technical tips to future communications.

Come Buy Our Stuff

2011-09-21T14:20:00.001-04:00

A while back I posted in "You Know You're in Dunwoody When...." that no one pays retail for kids' stuff.

It's true!

This weekend is the Kingswood KidStuff Consignment sale, one of many held in churches around Dunwoody. Buyers get deep discounts on good quality childrens' clothing, toys and supplies, sellers get some pizza and beer money, and Kingswood UMC gets funding for its mission programs. Everybody wins!

This is my first time as a seller. Be gentle with me! I managed to save lots of great stuff and now that my kids have outgrown it, it's up for sale!
Here's the official verbage.....

KidStuff & More Consignment Sale

Come shop with us!
Incredible bargains on everything for babies & children!

Fall and winter clothing, shoes, and accessories
Costumes and dress-up clothes
Baby equipment, bedding, room décor
Books, games, toys, movies, music, software, video games
Bikes, trikes, scooters, skates, athletic gear

Sale Times:
Thursday, September 22, 5 pm – 9 pm (no children under 10, please)
Friday, September 23, 9 am – 2 pm
Saturday, September 24, 8 am – 1 pm (many items 1/2 price!)

Kingswood United Methodist Church
5015 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, GA 30338
(corner of Tilly Mill Rd. and North Peachtree Road)
Community Life Center Gymnasium
(Use North Peachtree Road entrance)

For more information:
http://www.kingswoodumc.org/missions/kidstuff.htm

Who Likes Mike?

2011-09-21T13:47:00.003-04:00

Anyone else running for office who'd like to post an announcement for their event, feel free to send it on over. :-)
I've got questions of my own for everybody coming up....

FREE - Two Tickets to Jazz and Art from the Heart

2011-09-20T16:08:00.005-04:00

SDOC is a corporate sponsor of the Dunwoody Friends of Childrens' Healthcare of Atlanta.
Check out my earlier post for the story behind that decision and our involvement in Taste of Dunwoody.

This Saturday is Jazz and Art from the Heart, also benefiting CHOA.

Normally my husband and I would be here with bells on but, alas, we have a scheduling conflict.

So the tickets that go along with our sponsorship are up for grabs!

First Dunwoodian to send me an email at duncan@sdocpublishing.com to request the tickets gets them. That's $125 gala tickets free for typing fast!

Include in your email the two names of the people who would like to go, so I can get you on the guest list. Enjoy the gala with my compliments!

Opportunity Knocking - Now that we have it, what do we do with it?

2011-09-20T08:54:00.002-04:00

According to Dunwoody Patch, the PVC purchase is now a done deal. Right or wrong, whatever the reason was, we the City now own it.

Now what?

Everyone and their dog has an opinion about what should be done with this property, usually centered around their own personal priorities. That's normal. However the City can't use an individual's single perspective in this kind of decision.

My opinion is it should be used for some facility that we do not already have, and can be created on a reasonable budget. (I'm leaving the definition of "reasonable" to whichever CPA is holding the City's pursestrings.) The City should also not compete with the private sector. The latter pays taxes - don't drive them out of business.

We already have tennis courts, baseball/softball fields, youth soccer fields, a nature center, community garden, greenhouse, playgrounds, and nature trails. These already exist in other parks, and private facilities like church campuses. Some of them are very underutilized. Paying for something twice isn't a good use of tax money, by any standard.

There are two things that Dunwoody doesn't have:
1) A freestanding municipal center for our government
2) A multiuse football/soccer/track field for Dunwoody cluster schools.

The first idea is not original - it has been bandied about ever since the first news broke about this land deal. There's nothing wrong with renting space temporarily. Dunwoody only had a few months to get its feet under it and start operations and leasing a space was the only option feasible for that timeframe. But for the long haul, leasing can be more trouble than its worth. Buildings get sold, landlords go bankrupt, mortgages go into foreclosure. Time to start thinking about developing a municipal space wholly owned by the city that doesn't exist according to outside real estate machinations.

There's been a lot of chatter about "what to do with Georgetown" as in, how should it be developed, improved, etc. The general opinion I've heard is that it just "isn't a nice area". I haven't seen any crime statistics but when I go down there for a bottle of milk or baby formula at some obscene hour because I didnt' get to it during the day, I don't feel unsafe. Sure, the shopping center is an older building, that doesn't make it "bad" or blighted. But if there are concerns about public safety, try putting your police precinct smack dab in the middle of the development. Any remaining do-bads will scatter like roaches in daylight.

The idea for the second option came from the last DHA public meeting where a gentleman representing DHS girls' lacrosse appeared with two ladies from the team requesting financial support to refurbish a field on Peachtree MS' property for practice. My head has nearly exploded more than once from the twisted logic that is DCSS so I don't try to make sense of it. There's good and bad news here. The good news is that the ~~kids~~ team members at DHS are willing to put in the sweat equity to earn their money and pay for what they need, even going so far as to rebuild a field in a flood plain that DCSS owns. They'll do what it takes to provide for themselves. The bad news is the same 'ole story: DCSS isn't going to provide facilities for Dunwoody, they don't give a damn about the increasing student population on the north side of the County, and maintaining the status quo in Stone Mountain is Priority One.

There's nothing stopping the City from creating a sports complex with scholastic sports in mind. Dunwoody HS doesn't have a home stadium - even for this Yankee that's ridiculous, moreso in the heart of SEC country. The girls' lacrosse team is willing to rebuild a flood plain because North DeKalb Stadium is too booked for any additional teams to use. Add to that boys' lacrosse, football, soccer, track & field, and you have one very busy athletic calendar.

A municipal sports complex geared toward scholastic athletics would provide teams from high school (and middle school, if necessary) the space to get practice and workouts in and a place to call "home field". The PVC farm has easy access to Peachtree and DHS, as well as 285. There's room for parking, and even access to MARTA. Bring in private vendors to manage concessions and maintenance, so you create jobs - hopefully for Dunwoody-area firms.

If DCSS should want to use the field for official season games, they would be able to negotiate a reasonable fee. (Clarification: this does not mean that DCSS would have priority over a Dunwoody stadium or even that they would have any rights to it at all. This does mean that if a regular game between Dunwoody and another DCSS school were to take place in this hypothetical stadium, DCSS would have to pay up to some degree.)

Thus Dunwoody scholastic athletics would have a place to play, and room to expand. If the "charter cluster" concept, where local authorities/boards could manage the local schools, comes to fruition, or even if Dunwoody should find itself in another county, the infrastructure is there to support the schools' athletic needs.

With all of this said, the City should never again have to ask the opening question in the title. "So now that we have it, what do we do with it?" Plan first, the negotiate and buy. Not the other way around, unless someone at City Hall thinks we have money and karma enough to squander.

You know it's election season when....

2011-09-14T20:53:00.000-04:00

OK, kids, time to fess up:

Who contracted the robo-survey that I got at dinner time tonight regarding the Mayor's race?

Opportunity Knocking - Transportation Growing Pains

2011-09-14T14:00:00.000-04:00

John's blog has a new article today about a severe wipeout on North Peachtree Rd this past Friday, near Kingsley Lake.

A week doesn't go by without hearing someone complain about traffic and the dangers thereof. You have speeding everywhere, most notably on North Peachtree (commuters getting to/from 285) Tilly Mill (students at GPC) Womack Road (ditto) and on Roberts Road (commuters cutting through to 400). Local neighborhoods (like Village Mill) have had to make modifications to keep traffic and speed down and they get very sensitive when cars start backing up or parking on their streets. (Like when Dunwoody High was being renovated.)

Add to this the MARTA bus stop at Tilly Mill and Womack where riders heading to class jaywalk around the bus to get to the building sooner. Right where other students may be speeding in their cars. Someone's going to get killed there.

It's getting even more complicated: there is now a greater push to rebuild the streets so pedestrians and bike riders can make better use of them. However - who remembers what all the "rules of the road" are for pedestrians and bikes as well as for cars? I'll bet money a lot of people either flat out don't know or misunderstand them. Then you have a subset of pedestrians and bicyclists who think that because they may have the "right of way" they can defy the laws of physics by venturing out too close to an approaching car. There's an effort to incorporate different kinds of transportation on the streets but what kind of effort is there to fully integrate them safely?

Finally, "Dunwoody" is not just the 48,000 people counted in the last Census. During the day, the population is up around 110,000 at least. That's people who come in to work, go to school, worship, use recreational facilities (including the JCC), socialize, and just drive through. Any effort at preventing accidents before they happen has to include that larger community. Dunwoody groups and blogs - including John's post above - isn't going to get out to the majority of the people who need to hear it.

So how do we do it?

Enforcement is a big part. I'll leave that one on Chief Grogan's desk, he understands that process better than I ever will.

Basic PR outreach to all of our organizations - especially those that cater to a large number of regular "out of towners" like GPC - is also critical. The City is going to have to partner with the organizations in town to get info into people's heads about staying safe on the roads. GPC, all houses of worship, the JCC, and the CVB and Chamber of Commerce. I'll even start you off: "Drive Safe in Dunwoody". If you must, drag one of the "Smart" phrases out of the branding style guide - "Smart Commute" could be reinterpreted for a campaign. "Smart Travelling" would work too.

Get local businesses behind a "safe roads" ad campaign and position it as a win-win for everybody. Make it part of one of the usual fairs (Music Fest, Lemonade Days, 4th of July, Art Fest, etc etc etc) or create a new festival or fair. I'd suggest one at GPC where there are plenty of games and opportunities to win free stuff. The college kids will flock to it. Bottom line, create a fun and social event designed to inform attendees about the rules of the road. Interested businesses could offer up freebies, contests, or even merch for sale. Imagine Sports Authority selling workout wear and sneakers. Auto Zone showing off the latest car rims. That bike shop in Roswell (I think it's Roswell?) displaying the latest models. Even MARTA could try to promote its bus routes for school and work. Even local gas stations, car washes, and auto shops could get into the act both advertising and promoting safe driving. Since parks like Brook Run and the Nature Center see visitors from all over, how about posting signs/literature at their exits, reminding everyone using the road to use caution and know the law.

That's the "off the top of my head" approach. Get the authoritative final word on what are the rules of the road for multiple types of vehicles and pedestrians. Step up enforcement. Make it a full-scale PR/Awareness campaign. I believe it will be a lot more effective than an obscure "golden sneaker award" that the general populace doesn't care about.

(Bumped to the top - bad timing w/ 9/11. )

(untitled)

2011-09-11T13:07:00.002-04:00

Music Festival Updates

2011-09-09T19:44:00.000-04:00

Yes, I actually do "work", despite a bunch of posts that seem contrary.

Some major movement on the Music Festival site.

First, the Chili Cook-Off is "on hiatus", meaning "not happening in 2011". Don't shoot the messenger I just post what they tell me.

However the Battle of the Bands is back! I just wrote up an online registration form last night and an update on the main page. Registration fee is $30. Perform to win an opening act gig at the Georgia Theater in Athens. Moms and Dads if the teens have a band that has taken over the garage and is driving you out of your tree with the jam sessions, get them focused on something serious!

Here's the Battle info page

Here's the registration page. You can upload an MP3 as an audition clip but your life and the lives of the festival staff will be easier if you link to a website with your music on it.

The new Young Adult Zone will be rounded out with a "Break Down" contest. I'll post the 411 as soon as I get it.

Finally the Food Vendor application has been reopened. This is your last chance to sell food at the Festival. Sign up ASAP because once I get the Word From On High, it gets closed again.

Check out the Volunteer app and the Submit your pictures forms. I'm working on the photo gallery as we speak (type?) Festivals function with volunteers and it's the only way to get a true inside look.

Best place for questions is Oktober Productions at inquiries@dunwoodymusicfestival.com.

No time off for me. I'm back to the gold mines all the way through Monday.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

How to Rebuild Dunwoody Zoning

2011-09-06T21:27:00.001-04:00

Zoning. One of the key (if not THE key) rallying point that led to our City's existence.

The first time we threw our codes together, it was a patchwork of ordinances copied and pasted from a number of sources, especially DeKalb county. Ironic as hell when you think about it but we had to start somewhere.

This is an ideal time to review our ordinances from the top all the way to the bottom. It's relatively early in our City's life, so we don't have to undo a ton of precedent. At the same time we have some experience with the kind of life people want to live in their homes.

There's an inherent flaw in the entire zoning process as it stands: ordinances are based on a listing of individual activities and their limits, in the quest to protect neighbors from pissing each other off. This is a flaw for several reasons:

it is a reactive process, rather than proactive. Ordinances have to be created bit by bit as a new fashion or trend becomes popular and people want to integrate it into their lives. We all know how well that went the first time the City tried to process a major ordinance change.
it is a process that allows individuals or groups to demand that their interests, hobbies, or lifestyles be codified. Everyone wants to enjoy what interests them but the scrutiny and criticism dip to a whole new depth when City Hall gets involved. That isn't necessary. It's also not a productive use of City Hall's time.
the process is polarizing. Otherwise rational adults turn into bickering, backstabbing "dead end kids" when an extended conversation would probably reveal quite a bit of common ground. Even worse, a "litmus test" arises for future elected officials. Just this past week, when candidates qualified for this November's elections, the first question asked on the local blogs regarding candidates is, "What do they think about chickens?" A discussion about a special interest is now being promoted as the deciding factor in who is worthy of holding office. If that standard becomes dominant we're in for a lot of unhappy residents and ugly elections for a very long time.
it creates double standards, multiple loopholes, and conflicting regulations. The same behaviour or activity may be allowed or not depending up on the alleged intent of the homeowner. A lawsuit is only a matter of time.

To stop this and similar snowballs from picking up steam and making Dunwoody miserable, it's time to rethink how ordinances are drawn. Rather than organize ordinances according to a list of specific actions, base ordinances on general boundaries according to their zoning designations. Set one uniform standard for all activity, regardless of whether it's business, or personal. Everyone has to meet the standard, for any activity. Then all homeowners in a specific residential area could do as they please with their property without having to split hairs between residential, commercial, or agricultural purposes.

First, you have to review the ordinances that are currently written and have a serious think about why some behaviours or activities are limited or prohibited. You have to decide exactly what is a "nuisance", one of the most common words in an ordinance. What activity is tolerable, what is intolerable and why. What is an inherent right in the use of one's property, and what will inherently infringe on others' rights. When you're able to set this definition, application becomes fairer.

For example, some of the concerns about my special interest (home business with customer visits) include increased traffic and the risk that homes may be converted to commercial enterprises, thus, interfering with the enjoyment of a residential community. In my solution above, the ordinance would not ban businesses per se, but would set limits on the number of cars parked at a residence on a daily basis, or the amount of land that can be paved over, or whether or not the residence could be rezoned in any way.

In another (in)famous example, rather than categorizing domesticated animals as either pets or livestock, set basic parameters on the maximum number and maximum size of animals allowed at a residence, based on the size of the lot. (Homes zoned R50 will have more stringent limits than those zoned R85, and so on.) Then everyone in a basic zoning designation can choose whatever animals they keep, so long as they are within the size and number limits.

This process is not going to be easy or simple or without conflict. However if done well, now, while the City is still in its adolesence, there will be long-term advantages.

A more consistent application that Code Enforcement can apply evently
Resistance to legal challenges that would be possible due to multiple standards
Consistent application over time as interpretations of what consititutes a "residential neighborhood activity" evolves and fads or styles ebb and flow. This is the real strength - there will be less of a need to go to the expense of rewriting codes every couple of years as popular activities change.
Finally, people can keep their opinions about what is a good idea to use their home for, and what isn't. As long as the codes are written and enforced so that rights don't start infringing on each other, there will be a lot less to worry about.

How's this for a start? Given enough time and effort, is it doable?

The Home Occupation Glacier Shifts

2011-09-01T12:23:00.000-04:00

Per public notice in the Crier and the City website:

THE CITY OF DUNWOODY, GEORGIA NOTICE OF MEETING FOR THE PUBLIC

A public meeting will be held before the Dunwoody Community Council on Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. at Dunwoody City Hall, 41 Perimeter Center East, Dunwoody, Georgia 30346, for the purpose of due process of the following:

Amendments to the text of Chapter 27, Sections 27-183, 27-185, and 27-1321 regarding home occupations in the R-100 (Single-Family Residential) District and “Supplemental Regulations.”

For further information please call the Community Development Department at (678) 382-6800.

Agenda isn't posted by the City yet. However the sections involved are currently worded as the following:

Sec. 27-183. - Principal uses and structures.

The following principal uses of land and structures shall be authorized in the R-100 (Single-Family Residential) District:
(1) Detached single-family dwelling.
(2) Personal care home, family.
(3) Personal care home, registered.
(4) Stable.

Sec. 27-185. - Special permits.The following uses and structures shall be authorized only by permits of the type indicated:
(1) Special administrative permit from city manager or his designee: Home occupation involving no customer contact and no employee other than a person residing on the premises.
(2) Special exception permit from the zoning board of appeals: Utility structure necessary for the transmission or distribution of service.
(3) Special land use permit from city council:
a. Adult day care facility.
b. Amateur radio service antenna exceeding 70 feet.
c. Cemetery, columbarium, or mausoleum.
d. Child day care facility.
e. Convent or monastery.
f. Home occupation involving any customer contact.
g. Home stay bed and breakfast residence.
h. Neighborhood recreation club.
i. Place of worship.
j. Private elementary, middle and high school.
k. Congregate personal care home if located on a campus of no less than 25 acres.
Sec. 27-1321. - Home occupations and private educational uses.

The following provisions shall apply to home occupations. Private educational uses shall only be required to comply with subsections (1), (2), (3), (4) and (8) of this section:
(1) There shall be no exterior evidence of the home occupation.
(2) No use shall create noise, dust, vibration, odor, smoke, glare or electrical interference that would be detectable beyond the dwelling unit.

(3) The use shall be conducted entirely within the dwelling unit, and only persons living in the dwelling unit shall be employed at the location of the home occupation.
(4) No more than 25 percent of the dwelling unit and in no case more than 500 square feet, whichever is less, may be used for the conduct of the home occupation.
(5) No use shall involve public contact on the property and no article, product or service shall be sold on the premises other than by telephone.
(6) No materials or equipment shall be stored on the premises upon which the home occupation is located, except where such materials and equipment are stored entirely within the residence.
(7) No vehicle other than a passenger automobile, passenger van, or passenger truck shall be used in the conduct of a home occupation, and no other vehicle shall be parked or stored on such premises.
(8) No home occupation shall be operated so as to create or cause a nuisance.

(9) Home occupation shall not include the use of a dwelling unit for the purpose of operating any automobile repair establishment, taxi service, van service, limousine service, wrecker service, car wash, or ammunition or firearms sales establishment.
I can think of a number of changes that could be made to the above ordinances to make business easier and less expensive while still protecting the residential nature of the neighborhood and respecting the rights of residents who do not conduct business from home.

I can also think of verbage that should be clarified. For example in (8) above - define "nuisance". I can think of residential activities that create a greater nuisance than a home-based business. I'd like to see the City (at whatever level - commission, council, manager, etc) set a single standard on what should be a tolerable level of activity, and what is an over-the-line "nuisance" for all activity in a traditionally residential community, regardless of purpose and then write your codes accordingly to encompass home-based employees.

Finally - why just R100? Why not include R75 and R50 zoned areas? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

I'm going to try to make this meeting. Anyone else have any input or info on this discussion coming up?

DHS Academy of Finance Garage Sale - Dunwoody School Daze

2011-08-31T15:36:00.001-04:00

Dunwoody School Daze

DHS Academy of Finance is still raising money for their trip to the NYSE.

Let's support the next generation learning how to be creative and make a living!

BTW - 2526 Lost Mine Trail is off of Tilly Mill Road, near the Doraville city line, near the Buddhist meditation center.

Dunwoody Election Season Hits the Ground Running

2011-08-30T10:22:00.001-04:00

Qualifying for Dunwoody city office is open this week through Friday. General Election information for qualifying as a candidate is available from the city website. We'll know what the race looks like finally on Friday afternoon.

This is the first time since the inaugural city elections that city council seats have been contested. The city coucil doesn't always make decisions directly, but they do impact every decision. What isn't handled in council chambers is decided by the employees they hire and the commissions they appoint. You can tell alot about an elected official by who they appoint to a commission. A lot has changed since the first election and there were plenty of surprises between campaign rhetoric and actual actions when the votes were counted. You can tell alot about an official by those differences too.

Get to know the candidates, not as your neighbors, not as your friends, not as the guy/gal you wave to while walking his/her dog as you drive past. Get to know them as potential government agents and try to see what kind of decisions they are going to make. Chatting over a cold beer at the pool may bring a different answer than a serious debate in executive session. All of these decisions are going to affect how citizens and visitors make a living, from the multinational corporation all the way down to the lowly solopreneur.

A few candidates and their representatives have contacted me to inquire if I will post about them on the Working Girl. I will and to keep it fair and impartial I'm going to come up with a list of questions that I will pose to everyone running in a contested race. Anyone who wants to respond is welcome to and their comments will be posted in their entirety, unedited (not even a spell check!) as they come in.

Regarding a few of the other questions I've received:

No, I am not running for office. I've said this before, I'm more effective in the private sector.

No, I will not be creating any campaign websites for this particular season. I've got a big batch of long-term projects on my desk and I don't have the time to commit to a seasonal site that requires frequent time-sensitive updates and interactivity. Maybe next time, OK?

I am not sure whether I will make any endorsements on the Working Girl. We'll see how that pans out as we get closer to November. If I do, it will be after Halloween has passed and we all know what that event is like.

What I will do is make some suggestions to our esteemed neighbors-turned-candidates that will get repeated on election day.

Stay classy. No matter who wins and who loses, we still have to live together. Things to avoid include

Cheap shots at your opponents that don't have anything to do with managing the city
Creating personal controversies. Remember how the Pankey campaign in 2008 allegedly tried to create dirt on Adrian Bonser? Like that. Don't do it.
Gratuitous negative campaigning. I don't care what the marketing statistics say, negativity will bounce back on you.
Putting flyers on cars parked at a church/synagogue during worship. Enough said.
Bragging about your campaign's strengths if you win. The only thing worse than a sore loser is a sore winner.

This is a small town. Creating more conflict in a race than absolutely necessary can follow you around like a bad smell and can compromise any positive input you have on this city.

This campaign will go down a lot easier if you can focus on your strengths, abilities, and spell out as much as you are able your intentions for Dunwoody. Compare yourself with your opponent when you must and be a lady or gentleman about it.

See you on November 8!

Why Are Dunwoody Banks a Frequent Target for Thieves???

2011-08-26T12:43:00.001-04:00

Yes. Again.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/28986763/detail.html

I believe this is the second time this branch of Regions Bank has been hit. The Chase branch near the Village has been hit three times.

If these low-lifes are this brazen when it comes to armed robbery in our banks, then no business that handles cash is safe. That's about 2500 - 3000 establishments. That number doesn't include homes.

What is it going to take to convince this segment of society that Dunwoody isn't worth their trouble? A bullet to the head? Hard time busting rocks? Getting dragged out of the brush and mauled by a K-9 officer? Group beatdown by soccer moms who are sick of this crap?

I'm wide open to suggestions, folks.

UPDATE:
Here's DPD's official press release. If you have a tip, call DPD, yadda yadda yadda.

Heneghan’s Dunwoody Blog: Solicitation in Dunwoody - changes need to be made.

2011-08-25T08:34:00.003-04:00

Heneghan’s Dunwoody Blog: Solicitation in Dunwoody - changes need to be made.

I've seen a lot of these emails floating around about how random people "claiming" to be selling door-to-door are scoping out potential targets for burglary.

I've had my own encounters. Like the well-dressed young gentleman claiming to be soliciting for a youth organization - but he doesn't have any sales materials with him. Or the young lady claiming to be from Georgia Perimeter College soliticing for another alleged charity. At 10 PM. Again, with no sales materials but says "[she] can go get it."

Then you have your solicitors who go through the permiting process and show said permit on request, but they don't know where to paint the line between making an assertive sales pitch and being an intrusive PITA.

The only solicitors I purchase from are the ones already exempted in the current ordinance: Girl Scouts (I need my Samoas, dammit!) school kids selling wrapping paper, Boy Scouts selling popcorn, and the like. Otherwise, I bring up my defensive posture backed by a full-on attitude problem that makes me look like I'm more trouble than I'm worth. That way if a "solicitor" does have bad intentions, they'll move on down the road.

This is why I think a community marketplace (see post further down) would be an asset; not-for-profits and others who would consider selling door-to-door would have a place to set up shop and see customers without risking putting off homeowners who would feel threatened by this type of action at their door.

From Patch: Dunwoody Moms Create Important New Children's Book

2011-08-24T11:36:00.001-04:00

Two Dunwoody mothers have turned a difficult subject into what they hope is an accessible and even fun lesson for children.

Tatiana Matthews and Allison Fears have just self-published their first children’s book ‘Fred the Fox Shouts “No!”,’ a book that takes on the issue of sexual abuse.

“A few years ago I realized that there was a huge hole in the publications and curriculum that was offered for kids,” Matthews said. “Everything seemed to be focused on stranger danger and there was very little that was geared toward safety with people we know and trust.”

Full Article

Too often we remember the lesson of "be polite", "don't create a scene", etc. In general that's good advice but when there's danger, you have to make a scene. It's true for adults as well as children.

Buy the book online here.

You can also contact the authors who are looking for opportunities to make presentations to local groups

Dunwoody High School Academy of Finance Puts Lessons into Action

2011-08-24T08:50:00.000-04:00

The Dunwoody High Academy of Finance is raising money for its trip to the NYSE. In addition to raising their own money for their own trip, they are also donating a portion of the proceeds to the Intreped Fallen Heroes Fund.

The Academy will deliver Krispy Kremes TO YOUR DOOR on Saturday the 27th. To pay on delivery, get your order in TODAY via this form on the AhA! Connection. You can also link to Academy members' email with questions.

I love this group and more high schools (public and private) need a Finance Academy. From Dunwoody High's wikipedia page:

The Academy of Finance is a two-year program in which students gain specialized preparation in the field of finance while completing their normal course curriculum. Over the course of the program, students are introduced to four segments of business: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, International Business and Personal Finance. Students practice real world activities while preparing marketing plans for products and competing in financial competitions. Business partners from the community visit the class and work with the students to prepare them for their future. Each year, the academy students visit the New York Mercantile Exchange, the Stock Exchange, and an investment bank to experience how the world’s largest financial center operates.

If we want more business in town, we have to see that the kids in school get a chance to learn first hand what that entails. These teens are learning by doing - they're going out and earning their own money with their own effort for their own field trip. I'm putting my money where my mouth is and supporting this effort.

There are other Academy of Finance fundraisers around town supported by other businesses so if you see one, lend them a hand!

Local Business Films Grand Opening for TLC Series

2011-08-20T12:36:00.001-04:00

It's not a Dunwoody business but lots of Dunwoody moms and girls of all ages flock here for parties and "girl-time" fun. It started as a cupcake bakery but it has become so much more.

Pink Pastry Parlor has been around for some time at the corner of Holcome Bridge and Spalding but is now located in Rivermont Plaza, down by the corner of Holcombe Bridge and Nesbit Ferry in Alpharetta.

Today's grand opening festivities were filmed by a production company for a TLC reality series, tentatively titled "Pink" that is slated to air in November, according to the producers on site. Little girls from all over North DeKalb and North Fulton lined up to have their makeup done and explore the newly-expanded location.

Hint - there are now TWO pillow-fight and bounce-on-the-bed rooms. And a baking class room, and a grownup girl/pink party room. And lots more pink "hand" chairs for pedicures. And a separate fashion show room. And a HUGE movies-and-toys-for-the-really-little-girls room.

Production crew was everywhere and there was no ignoring them. Their detachment is like the guards at Buckingham Palace: they don't interact with anyone, even to smile or speak, and they don't visibly react to anyone or anything aside from pointing the camera or boom. That brings its own sense of intimidation, like Sasquatch the Sound Guy here. I whispered that his testerone levels will eventually recover. I thought I saw a tear in the corner of his eye.

The potential here is huge because they've expanded their clientele to include adults as well as children and teens. It's ok to be a grown woman who likes to indulge the little girl inside (timely article from Knitternall here) and it's one more place where moms can get away from it all, even for just a couple of hours. (Dunwoody MOMs South, St Brigid's Circle @ All Saints and Greater North Fulton Alumnae of Phi Mu, I'm talking to YOU!!!)

Go ahead. Have a cupcake.

REQUIRED WEB GEEK REVIEW:

I'm a web geek so I have to give the website some commentary.
http://www.pinkpastryparlor.com/ was created by the store's owner with a commercially-available template and the latest version of WordPress. WP has come a long way from "just a blog" to a growing powerhouse of content management. It's not right for every project but I'm finding more and more opportunities to use it for clients.

They covered most of the bases: social media links, video, consistent naviagation, easy-to-find contact information. Beautiful layout to frame their information.

But there's a couple of lessons to be learned too:
1. NEVER put "coming soon" on a page. Back in "the day" it was helpful to remind visitors to keep checking back but today it turns into an albatross. Everyone (yours truly included) forgets to update the page with the "coming soon" content.
2. NEVER (and I mean NEV-ER) launch a page or a blog without real information on it. If you don't have anything to blog about (and they sure did today!) don't post it in your navigation bar. If any of your content involves the words "Lorem ipsum" or "Hello World" you're not finished yet. Make sure your blog sidebars promote only relevant links and content as well. No one cares about wordpress.org.

I'll have more to chat about in the "Opportunity" sense once the sugar buzz wears off! When I hear about the series airing, I'll post it here. Or, if someone else has details, post a comment.

You Know You're in Dunwoody When....

2011-08-19T10:26:00.009-04:00

Just a little fun with the truth at the end of the week. Have a great weekend, everybody!

You Know You're in Dunwoody When....

down-home family supper involves a run to Kroger for pre-washed, evenly cut and bagged collard greens, pre-peeled onions, diced-and-measured mirepois, and hot pre-cooked BBQ ribs. Don't forget the ready-to-bake potatoes in their own foil.
social plans in the Spring involve Methodist and Jewish friends organizing a camp out at the Catholic place for dinner on Friday.
community activists want to turn backyards into full-on working barnyards, regardless of the impact around them. HOWEVER - they also think a garage sale sign on a street corner is a hanging offense.
once a week a crowd of minivans and SUVs will converge on a street corner or parking lot so that their kids can walk to school.
trick-or-treating on Halloween requires finding a parking spot three hours before ringing the first doorbell.
no one pays retail for baby clothing or supplies. Just wait a week and you'll hear about a consignment sale.
drive-through restaurants do brisk business for local citizens and visitors, while the legality of menu boards for said restaurants are debated for 18 months at a time - by the people using the drive-throughs.
when someone is injured or has a new baby, a line of volunteers spontaneously forms to bring dinner for a few weeks. The pertinent details are distributed across town in less than an hour.

Are there any others? The comments are wide open.

Opportunity Knocking - Dunwoody needs a permanent community marketplace

2011-08-17T17:32:00.001-04:00

The Dunwoody Green Market (DGM) opens shop at the Dunwoody Post Office on Wednesday mornings. It's a great little outlet for local farmers (and lately, artisans and cooks) who will never get shelf space at Kroger or Publix to offer their wares directly to the public that seeks out small business to purchase from.

Why is it perched at the Post Office? Good question with an interesting story. Originally the "green market" was to be an organic farmers' market hosted at a church. Problem: churches (and other houses of worship) are zoned residential. And according to our city ordinances, there is to be no business with customer contact in a residential zone. (That has been slightly modified with a SLUP procedure. However, if my neighbor the violin teacher had to go through a couple of circles of hell to get one student at a time in her home, imagine the response to a market with several hundred shoppers.)

Making an exception to the ordinance for enterprises housed at religious facilities would not hold water when the inevitable lawsuits spring up. The city council was not ready to overhaul the ordinances regarding zoning and business operations. What to do?

Bob Lundsten came up with the idea of asking the Post Office to allow the market to borrow their property once a week. US Post Offices are by definition federal land. City ordinances don't apply. So while the DGM is in the Post Office's good graces, the market opens every Wednesday - legally.

How lucky do you feel existing at the whim of the Feds? I wouldn't. The USPS can revoke its permission at any time. They can close that location and sell the land, which they routinely threaten to do. Or the market can stifle its own growth to fit within the property it's allowed to use. The market is already growing - it's not just "organic farming" anymore. You have artisans, prepared food sellers, bakers, a pizzeria(!!) and who knows what else will be added from time to time. The other businesses in Dunwoody Village that DO pay taxes without finding a loophole tlike DGM has aren't too thrilled. Plus, there are other business enterprises that are either home-based or otherwise don't rise to the level of a stand-alone brick-and-mortar storefront that need outlets to meet their customers. Then you have mobile enterprises like the "upscale mobile restaurants" (read: roach coach w/out the roach) like "Hail Ceasar".

With a variety of vacant commercial properties that can be negotiated, it's time for one of these landlords to organize the good old fashioned Flea Market. I wouldn't call it a flea market though. Anything with "flea" in the name isn't going to be considered upscale enough for Dunwoody. How about Community Market?

The Premise (This is general there would be a lot of details and bugs to work out.)

Find one of the many legally-zoned storefronts in town not currently used. Examples: the Ace Hardware at Mt Vernon and Dunwoody Club or the old Blockbuster next to Azima Salon and the BP gas station near the Village.

Persuade the landlord to convert the unused storefront into a part-time (at least) or full-time (ideal) marketplace. Charge rent to whoever has something to sell or promote. The DGM could potentially negotiate a rent for all of its members and camp in its own section. In addition, home-based businesses promoting themselves, not-for-profits selling for charity or doing other promotions could also rent spots. Or even brick-and-mortars could promote their wares. Any specialty seller looking to carve their niche would have a leg-up to build their following.

By paying rent for a space, taxes get collected and the landlord doesn't have to wait forever for a permanent tenant that doesn't want to change the zoning.

Said landlord could even charge the roachless roach coach to park and sell lunch.

Retail spaces are already zoned for (wait for it...) retail activity so zoning issues are avoided. If you find a big enough space, you're going to have plenty of parking. No matter how much people opine regarding alternate transportation, "smart cars", bicycling, or other ideals, people drive their cars. Especially when they shop. Even to a local organic "green" market. The parking lot today was full of cars and SUVs, not Segways.

Retail spaces also have rest rooms. Lots of people bring lots of kids to the DGM. Where you have kids, you have need for bathrooms. Especially if they have diaper changing tables. That doesn't exist in the current location.

Retail spaces are easier to operate rain or shine. That roof comes in pretty handy when the rain finally returns. Electrical power also makes for a wider variety of merchants to join in. An indoor open-concept community market could operate year-round, even if the DGM is closed for the winter.

The Ace Hardware location would be my first choice. Don't know if they're getting a tenant or not. I've heard that Kroger has loosened its grip and a contract is in the works. The DGM and other merchants could still work in that area. Like that restaurant in Orchard Park that has been sitting empty forever. (Yes, I know, it's in Sandy Springs but it came to mind.) Given the niche audience that DGM and other small merchants market to, there would be no competition with Kroger, or any major supermarket.

There are probably many more storefronts that would fit the bill for this venture that I can't even think of. Anyone know a landlord willing to take a shot at making some money and gaining some community goodwill in the bargain?

Atlanta Panhellenic is 2nd Runner Up for Outstanding Alumnae Panhellenic Award

2011-08-16T15:51:00.001-04:00

From the Atlanta Alumnae Panhellenic Association:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The National Panhellenic Conference announced via their Facebook page that AAPA is the 2nd runner up in their annual Outstanding Alumnae Panhellenic Award. Since 2005, AAPA has ranked in this award competition every year it is eligible. In 2009, AAPA was 1st Runner Up for Most Outstanding Alumnae Panhellenic. AAPA won Most Oustanding Alumane Panhellenic for the 2003 - 2005 biennium.

Congratulations to all 21 of our member sororities for their work in serving women in need, providing scholarships for women in college and grad school, and professional networking and friendship for NPC women of all ages!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Atlanta Panhellenic has been working with SDOC Publishing for internet services since 2006. Since taking over the maintenance of the site, there have been two distinctive design changes, the development of a growing news blog, major hosting upgrades, addition of interactive functionality (event calendar and online RSVPs for events), extensive social media integration via Facebook and LinkedIn, and a comprehensive intranet including closed email distribution and private document management.

For fall of 2011, I'm planning further architectural upgrades and greater interactivity, especially internally among the 21 (!!!) individual sororities.

Congratulations, AAPA and continued success for the coming academic year. I am very proud to be of service.

Opportunity Knocking - Dunwoody Music Festival

2011-08-15T00:54:00.002-04:00

Small businesses looking for a local market need look no further than Brook Run Park in October. The Music Festival, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce is looking for food vendors, artisans, business exhibitors (including non-profits) and sponsors.

There's some way for everyone to get involved here, from small businesses with limited (read: almost no) budget to large corporations. Small local businesses have the advantage because of the face-time contact. The Chamber is expecting 10,000 sets of eyeballs to see your logo, purchase your products, or visit your booth to learn about your services and you. Food vendors - or restaurants who can create a mobile setup - this one's for you. (Anyone got the number of that "Hail Ceasar" salad truck that was in the July 4th parade??)

You can submit your application in less than 5 minutes online at http://www.dunwoodymusicfestival.com/. If you have any issues with any of the forms in the application menu, post a comment and I'll get right on it.

Food vendor applications are due AUGUST 30. (That's 2 weeks from now, gang! Don't put it off to the last minute.)

Marketplace and Business Exhibitor applications are due September 30. First come, first served.

Marketplace vendor booths are $195 each and Exhibitor booths are $500. Discounts apply for early submission.
Food vendor pricing is more detailed. Check out the Food Vendor Application for more info.

Yes, the Chili Cook-Off will be back too. Info will get posted as soon as Oktober gets it over to me.

See you there!

Facebook and Phone Numbers - the latest complaint

2011-08-11T15:50:00.000-04:00

About half of my Facebook friends and their friends had the following on their status some time today.

ALL PHONE NUMBERS IN YOUR PHONE ARE NOW ON FACEBOOK! Go to the right of screen, click on Account, click Edit Friends, see left side of screen, click Contacts - you will see ALL phone numbers from your phone (FB friend or not) are published that you've stored in phone. REMOVE, go to Right column, click on "this page" then REMOVE. How did FB get all our Phone numbers out of our phone?

The following is Facebook's official comment:

Rumors claiming that your phone contacts are visible to everyone on Facebook are false. Our Contacts list, formerly called Phonebook, has existed for a long time. The phone numbers listed there were [snip] either added by your friends themselves and made visible to you, or you have previously synced your phone contacts with Facebook. Just like on your phone, only you can see these numbers.

I thought this might be the case when phone numbers of people NOT on my phone contacts list were visible. It is startling to see phone numbers under peoples' faces all of a sudden. The explanation has yet to reach http://www.snopes.com/, I'll post it when it does.

Let's be careful out there, people. Just because some website asks for your phone number so you can talk to your friends doesn't mean you should give it. Especially your personal or private info. Facebook, like Google, is nosy as hell. Between the requirement of cookies on your computer and the API tapping into advertising companies, I'd start feeling naked about now if I used either of these for any kind of networking other than my job.

Maybe all of these sudden scares about info becoming visible are going to get people to pay attention to how much information is taken and shared. Remember the "right to privacy" touted in legal cases only applies to privacy from the government. There is no constitutional right to privacy from private individuals or private organizations. If you value your privacy, limit the information you distribute online and be vigilant about what other companies (*cough*Google*cough*) acquire on their own for their own uses. Demand that info and photos be removed if used without your express consent.

Opportunity Knocking - SOHO Office

2011-08-10T00:29:00.001-04:00

There are a lot of good local print-and-mail shops in Dunwoody but one has an edge.
I do all of my "official SDOC business" at the local SOHO Office store in Orchard Park (near that Kroger and right next door to that restauarnt that doesn't seem to last more than a few months at a time.)

Technically, this isn't "in" Dunwoody but I do my business here because they offer a corporate meeting room with WiFi. Sure they have mailboxes, notary, printing, and the usual services too. But if I'm meeting a client for the first time, or making a presentation, and I don't feel like stalking Starbucks for a half-decent table, the meeting room service makes a very professional impression. The location even matches my mailing address. Even the chairs are nice and cushy.

Most of all this is a small, local operation created by a couple of guys looking for new careers with hands-on service. They understand "small office / home office" needs. (SOHO - get it?)

Lots of opportunity here. For part-timers, and entrepreneurs, this set of services is a big hand-up for the inevitable meetings and presentations that have to be given "face time".

SOHO Office is also looking to open new franchises. If you're in the market for a new career or new business, check out the operation at http://www.sohooffice.com/.

For the other mail store companies in town: you might want to put some serious thought into renting meeting space to meet the needs of entrepreneurs in this growing market.

INTRODUCING ... Traci With An Eye Graphic Design, LLC

2011-08-05T12:39:00.001-04:00

I'm proud to present the new (and continually growing) website for Traci With an Eye Graphic Design, LLC. Traci Sampson has been a Dunwoody Chamber colleague, a partner in crime and business, and a good friend. She specializes in logo design, print materials, advertising, and interior design. When her extensive portfolio is uploaded the new site will showcase all of her work.

You're probably already familiar with Traci's art - she designed the current Dunwoody Music Festival logo in use this year.

Traci is also in the process of developing SDOC's print promotional materials coming soon.

The Traci With An Eye site is based on WordPress with a custom-built theme and functionality for showcasing an art portfolio. In the mean time the current splash page will get you in contact with her and introduced to her design work.

You can usually find Traci in person at Dunwoody Chamber 1st Monday Networking events so stop by to say hello and get her viewpoint on your logo and print material needs!

Dunwoody's Heather Chlup Violin Studio is open

2011-08-03T12:43:00.001-04:00

Heather's shingle is officially out and she's receiving new students.

Check out Heather Chlup Violin Studio here:

http://heatherchlup.musicteachershelper.com/

Working from home is a reality - Dunwoody moves with glacial speed to acknowledge it

2011-08-01T23:36:00.002-04:00

From the Dunwoody Crier coming to a driveway near you tomorrow morning:

After 4 months, Dunwoody approves permit for violin lessons from teacher’s home

Heather Chlup finally has passed the final hurdle to obtaining a special land use permit (SLUP) from the city of Dunwoody so she can give violin lessons from her home on Brierwood Place. City Council Monday unanimously passed the application on second reading, ending an arduous four-month process.

Read the full article here.

I held off on blogging about this particular issue for quite a while. Heather and I had chatted about her embarking on this enterprise and at the time, I had NO idea that she would be the first to endure it. And "endure" is the word. She never intended to be a "cause celebre" for the Crier or for a blog. I hope some good comes out of it - like customers.

The paperwork and extra expenses were somewhat expected. But the vicious cloak-and-dagger email campaigns by a homeowners' association were not. This was the same lot that organized a loud, angry mob at a meeting for an ill-advised rezoning.

It is time to realize that working from home is not the death-knell of a cozy neighborhood and does not mean the neighborhood streets will turn into bustling commercial centers.

It is also time to realize that for a community to survive as the economy changes, it's important to have the most flexibility for its residents to make a living. That "perfectly safe, perfectly sane" world of "bedroom communities" where Dad come shome at 5 o'clock sharp every night and leaves his hat on the hatrack before sitting down with the newspaper were only a reality in 1950s' sitcoms. If you think I'm overly concerned, take a look at South DeKalb county. Once a growing residential community, now it is stagnating in poverty. There's no reason why that can't happen to Dunwoody if we don't keep reasonable options open for business and its income.

Rather than make up a new blog, I'll copy and paste the letter I wrote to City Council in advance of their final review. (This was in addition to several others I had written to earlier-level commissions.)

From: SDOC Publishing [mailto:duncan@sdocpublishing.com]
Sent: Friday, July 08, 2011 1:56 PM

To: ken.wright@dunwoodyga.gov; denis.shortal@dunwoodyga.gov; adrian.bonser@dunwoodyga.gov; douglas.thompson@dunwoodyga.gov; robert.wittenstein@dunwoodyga.gov; danny.ross@dunwoodyga.gov; john.heneghan@dunwoodyga.gov

Subject: SLUP for 4607 Brierwood Place

Hi folks—

I know most of you are aware of the above SLUP and the discussions going on around it. This is my formal, in-writing endorsement of the SLUP and request that you vote in favor of it when it’s gone through the motions at Council. A previously scheduled meeting prevents me from speaking to it in person on Monday.

For the future, I believe it is time for the City to have a very serious re-evaluation of the ordinances regarding home-based businesses and home-based employees. Working from home has been a part of life since this country was founded. It isn’t something new, although technology and economic constraints have made it an easier choice in recent years. There are at least half a dozen residents in my tiny subdivision alone who work from home as business owners or telecommuters. Sometimes we even work with each other. Yet legally, we are all restricted from doing so. Even inside our homes where there is no inherent nuisance to anyone else.

It has been my experience as both a business owner and homeowner that the ordinance as written is overly restrictive and punitive, to the point of being unenforceable and unrealistic. My business (web development) mostly involves the phone and internet. However all business – including mine - requires human contact at some point. All business is not necessarily a store front on a main street with parking lots, as Heather’s application demonstrates. Any conversation regarding a client or their project is against the law! For example:

1) I could have a gathering of 20 people in my house for a club meeting, with as many cars on the street for hors d’oeuvres and conversation. It is perfectly legal according to current ordinances. If one of those people solicits my input as a professional on their web project during that gathering, I have now violated the law. (Note: this actually happened. I hosted the Board of Assistants of the Georgia Mayflower Society in my house. Huge afternoon cocktail thing. Cars parked up and down the street. Everyone was careful not to block driveways or be obnoxious, so there was no problem. But I got really nervous when another board member asked for my input on a web presence for the Society. I have to start with the disclaimer, "We can't talk about this outside because this is my work and I'm breaking the law by discussing it in my house. " Yes, really!)

2) When making a formal presentation to a new client that I do not know well, I either set up shop in Starbucks or rent a corporate meeting room from my mail store. A lot of times, though, I work for clients who are good friends. If a good friend comes over for coffee and chats about the weather, there is no problem. But if they sit in my dining room to discuss their website, I’ve broken the law. (Also happened. I wonder if Chief Grogan is going to arrest me now....)

3) Some of my past clients live on my street. If they walk over to my house (or, if I walk over to theirs) to chat about Halloween, that is allowable. If the conversation turns to their website, we have both broken the law – because we are both resident homeowners doing business in another private residence. (Ditto)

Pretty silly, isn’t it? And yet, that is what is on the books. Not only are these laws unenforceable because enforcement would require measures tantamount to stalking, it leaves business owners and home-based employees vulnerable to complaints based ... on something as petty as a personality conflict. Or the prejudices of an overzealous community activist. Even if a complaint is found to be without merit, the business owner/employee must spend time and money fighting it, just as Heather did in her application. It just isn’t fair.

It is time to bring city ordinances regarding home-based employees and owners in line with reality. There is no major threat to the “residential nature” of our subdivisions by allowing a business owner to have occasional human contact on their property commensurate with that expected by non-commercial property use. There is no benefit to punishing freelancers with arduous and expensive applications because someone might want to visit in person on occasion. It is a waste of tax money to attempt enforcement and a waste of community spirit and goodwill to nano-manage this very common practice.

I know that some of you will not be on Council after the next election. Be that as it may, the conversation on what constitutes reasonable business use at home in this day and age of economic difficulties and a greater push for “sustainability” should start sooner rather than later.

Sincerely,

Adrienne Duncan

SDOC Publishing Internet Solutions
2090 Dunwoody Club Drive
Suite 106-124
Atlanta, GA 30350

Let's Compare Google+ to Facebook

2011-07-10T14:59:00.002-04:00

Adrienne Duncan invited you to join her on Google+

Learn more about Google+

The Google+ project is currently working out all the kinks with a small group of testers. If you're not able to access Google+, please check back again soon.

Circles

The easiest way to share some things with college buddies, others with your parents, and almost nothing with your boss.

Hangouts

Let friends know you're free for a video hangout, any time, anywhere. Then catch up, watch YouTube, or... just hangout.

Sparks

A feed of just the stuff you're really into, so when you're free, there's always something waiting to be watched, read, or shared.

You received this message because Adrienne Duncan invited serenitynow@bellsouth.net to join Google+. Unsubscribe from these emails.

Introducing... Dunwoody Music Festival 2011

2011-07-09T12:05:00.000-04:00

The Dunwoody Music Festival is back for 2011!
At this time, applications are being accepted for musicians, food vendors, and marketplace vendors.
More features and information are added all the time so check back often!

www.dunwoodymusicfestival.com

This site is a "subsite" of the Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce. It has its own design which took inspiration from the Coachella Music Festival - grungy, edgy, with lots of textures. The handwritten-style titles and headers (the font is called "Rock Salt") were made possible with a Drupal module. There are numerous customized information forms, each built by hand. Because it is part and parcel of the Dunwoody Chamber, various info can be moved freely to other pages for promotion through the same administrator interface.

The site is a constant work in progress. In this first phase, requests for applications from vendors and musicians take priority. Next will be information for sponsors and partners. Finally, the forms will rotate off and general festival information for the public will be rotated on.

It's been a great pleasure working with Oktober Productions organizing the information for this year's Dunwoody Music Festival. SDOC has great freedom in terms of design and organization, creating the best presentation. Oktober is also responsible for the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, so the Music Festival at Brook Run is going to be a real treat.

Check back frequently for new features all the time. Hint: if you have photos from 2009 or 2010, get them ready for a new gallery coming soon. ~~And yes, the Chili Cook-Off will be back too!~~

There was a change in plan regarding the Chili Cook-Off. That contest is on hiatus until further notice. I'm not happy. But it is what it is.

See you in October!