What Do the LaVista Hills and Tucker Vote Outcomes mean for Greenhaven?

Photo credit: John S. Quarterman

On November 3, 2015, the residents of two unincorporated areas took a vote on cityhood.  One proposed city, Tucker, won by a landslide; the other, LaVista Hills, lost by the merest whisper of a vote.  The next day, Dr. Kathryn Rice, the Chair of Concerned Citizens for Cityhood of South DeKalb Inc. (CCCSD), received calls from the press about what the loss in LaVista Hills meant for Greenhaven.  Her answer was,“IT’S GOOD NEWS!”

What LaVista Hills and Tucker demonstrated is democracy in action!  All CCCSD has been asking of the legislature is that they give us, the people, the opportunity to decide our future.  All we ask for is self-determination - the opportunity to vote on what we want for ourselves. 

When CCCSD proposed Greenhaven in HB613 and SB221 in the 2015 legislative session, legislators worried about whether to support and approve a new city.  It sometimes appeared as though they were taking on the responsibility of deciding whether Greenhaven should exist.  What LaVista Hills and Tucker showed is that residents can take responsibility for themselves.  The PEOPLE can and SHOULD make the decision about whether they want a city.

We have been asked, “If LaVista Hills didn’t pass, why do you expect a city like Greenhaven to pass when it is larger and you have to convince more voters?”  Why?  Because Greenhaven residents will be voting on different issues than Tucker and LaVista Hills.  Note that the voters of Tucker are next door to LaVista Hills and were in the same time period, issues and discussions.  Yet, just like Greenhaven they were not voting on the same factors and, hence, their results were quite different (74% approval results).   

Greenhaven, which comprises most of south DeKalb, is relatively underdeveloped compared to the rest of the county.  It needs economic development, investment, jobs, transportation and other things.  So, how will the proposed city of Greenhaven accomplish those things?  Stay tuned for the economic development plan and vision about to be issued.

In summary, we say to our legislators that we have met every requirement laid out by the GA State legislature.  Now they should do the right thing, which is to allow the citizens of Greenhaven to make the decision about whether they want a city.

Our unwavering message to the GA State legislature

WE WANT A VOTE!!

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Greenhaven is a proposed city that comprises much of the unincorporated area south of US-78 and Memorial Drive in southern DeKalb County. Bills proposing the city were sponsored by 12 DeKalb county delegates in the 2015 legislative session.  The bills carry over into the 2016 session where legislators will vote on whether to allow citizens a public referendum on creating a city of Greenhaven.

BE IN CONTROL OF YOUR DESTINY!

For more information go to www.GreenhavenGA.blogspot.com. 

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