PLATFORM

Warren Simmons for Doraville City Council

I have lived in Doraville for 10 years, and my in-laws have lived here for over 30 years. Our family is invested in Doraville and really cares about our City's plans and its future. Shortly before applying to run for City Council, I started meeting with a myriad of Doraville stakeholders to learn what they see as the top challenges and opportunities for our City, and I've incorporated these perspectives into my platform. Below are the three issues that seem to be top-of-mind for residents, and these are just the ones that I would like to tackle first.

TOP ISSUES

1 - Strategic and targeted growth

As a City Planning Commissioner, I serve Doraville in an advisory board capacity, providing recommendations to the City Council on zoning ordinance, text amendments, property zoning changes, land use changes, conditional use permits, and variances. I have personally reviewed about 100 of these proposals in the last year-and-a-half, and as a part of the Planning Commission I approved the permit for the greenway construction of the Lotus Grove property to connect the Peachtree Creek Greenway to the future mixed-use development, and approved the rezoning of the Assembly from an SD-1 to a T-5 to align with Doraville's Master Plan for The Assembly.

If elected to City Council, I will continue to carefully assess proposed plans and the direct impact the influx of companies and people wanting to come to Doraville can have on our roads, communities, culture, and the overall look of our City. The desire of so many businesses to come to Doraville is a blessing, but with the sudden uptick in applications and the amount of time needed to make sure we follow the Master Plan, it can be a lot and take a toll on the City workers including the Council. If elected, I will make sure each issue/agenda item will get 100% of my careful attention and is not just rubber-stamped.

2 - Improving mobility in Doraville

A walkable community brings everyone together, and it lets you get to know everyone better than just a wave from your living room window. If everyone feels safe walking around their community, then more conversations will ensue between neighbors, issues will be addressed quicker, and good ideas heard sooner. As a runner myself, who is out there on our streets before dawn, having more sidewalks, more bike lanes, and a walkable and bicycle-safe neighborhood means an increase in physical activity and improved health. Pedestrian- and cyclist-safe streets are especially important in Doraville, where 13% of our residents do not own a car.

Because pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles need to co-exist safely, working on getting sidewalks installed around all of our neighborhoods is a primary goal of mine.

I am encouraged by the sheer number of current mobility-focused public projects in Doraville, such as bringing sidewalks to a portion of Aztec Road, commissioning a scoping study for the Peachtree Creek Greenway, and in my neighborhood, implementing the Chicopee Trail project to connect Chicopee Park to Lumen Doraville.

I know we are currently taking the lead on submitting a Mobility Plan for Gwinnett, Chamblee, Doraville, and Brookhaven to the Federal Government for grant funding. The Federal government has over $1B in grant funding for mobility plans, and if elected to City Council, I will work to ensure that Doraville continues to receive this funding so that we can make our City more pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly.

3 - Keeping pets with their families & decreasing the stray population

My wife and I are rescue parents and animal advocates. I have brought in strays since 1993, and we have volunteered at animal shelters, including the former Animal Savers Rescue in Doraville. Because of our involvement in the Atlanta rescue community and our love of animals, we are big advocates of adoption/spay/neuter and providing humane education to pet parents.

I'm sure you have experienced walking around your Doraville neighborhood and seeing a lot of stray/loose dogs. This is very dangerous for them, and could be dangerous for Doraville residents, too. My wife and I frequently scoop dogs and cats up off the street and try to find their owners, and then bring them to shelters and rescues if we can't find them. But, this is not a sustainable solution. Our local LifeLine Animal Project notes that over 60% of the animals in shelters are stray/lost pets. 60%! And these animals should not be in the shelter because they have homes.

Instead, what if we could help our Doraville community by keeping these dogs and cats off the street in the first place?

If elected, I will champion a program that helps educate pet parents on care, nutrition, and especially spay and neuter, in an effort to help our Doraville community by keeping stray dogs and cats off the street and out of shelters. I don't have all the answers, and recognize that partnerships are vital for this effort, but initial ideas I have include:

Start a partnership with our local Lifeline Animal Project, and host a City event where their staff and volunteers educate pet parents at no cost; perhaps they could also have a program for event attendees who go to LifeLine to spay/neuter their dog or cat and then receive a type of incentive (maybe a grocery gift card).
Host a free vaccination clinic event with a mobile van that may also offer spay/neuter (like CatSnip Spay/Neuter Services).
Communicate existing low-cost veterinarian care and pet food pantry options via the monthly Doraville e-newsletter; also, have a monthly blurb about pet care in the newsletter.
Host a fun, humane education and puppy party event for Doraville's children to promote compassion and pet care education at a young age (possibly in partnership with the Humane Education Team of Angels Among Us Rescue).

I truly believe that if we could put aside judgement and instead take action to support all pet parents in our community, we'd decrease the number of dogs and cats who sadly roam our streets, and we could reduce overcrowding in Atlanta's shelters and rescues.