Decatur, GA — Municipal elections are Nov. 7 and there are three incumbent Decatur City Commissioners running for reelection. George Dusenbury, Lesa Mayer and Tony Powers are all running unopposed.
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Decatur has two election districts and one at-large seat. Voters in District 1 and District 2 will cast votes for their respective commissioners, and all voters in the city can vote for the at-large seat. To see a copy of the Decatur district maps, click here. If you are unsure who is on your ballot, you may find a sample ballot by clicking here to visit the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page.
The deadline to register to vote or change your address is Oct. 10. Absentee ballots will be mailed and advanced voting will begin on Oct. 16. To check your voter registration, click here. For more information on how to register to vote, click here.
The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 27. Absentee ballots must be turned in by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 7. For more information about absentee ballots, click here.
Decaturish gave each candidate running in the Nov. 7 elections a Q&A. All Decaturish.com elections coverage can be found at Decaturishvotes.com
Here are the responses from candidates running for the Decatur City Commission. Not all the candidates responded to our Q&A. The answers have not been edited.
Tony Powers holds the at-large seat. Decaturish did not receive a Q&A response from Powers by our deadline. This article will be updated when his response is received.
City Commissioner District 1
George Dusenbury
George Dusenbury
What is your occupation?
State Director, Trust for Public Land
What is the neighborhood you call home?
Clairmont/Great Lakes
Can you tell us anything else about yourself or your life that you think is important for voters to know?
I try to be a good listener.
If you are elected, what are your top two or three priorities?
1. Expanding and improving public space, especially parks in and near Downtown
2. Finding a holistic solution for those experiencing homelessness
3. Improving sidewalks, crosswalks and pedestrian infrastructure
What is Decatur’s greatest strength?
Its residents and its sense of community.
What is Decatur’s toughest challenge?
Finding a holistic solution to those experiencing homelessness
What are your thoughts on supporting more affordable housing? How do you think the city should balance concerns about increased density with the need to build more housing?
Decatur took numerous steps to expand affordable housing over the past four years, including requiring all developments of more than 5 units to include affordable housing, providing support for private affordable housing developments, and partnering with the Decatur Housing Authority to create affordable housing at what was once the Methodist Children’s Home. We can balance increased density by investing in more and better public spaces and improved pedestrian infrastructure.
Cities around Decatur have recently tried to annex areas into their city or have discussed the possibility of expanding their city limits. Do you think the city of Decatur should consider expanding its city limits through annexation? Why or why not?
I do not have a strong opinion at this time. Any annexation would have to consider its impact on our school system and be done in consultation with our school board.
How would you like to see the city and the school district work together to plan for future growth?
We should increase communication and collaborative planning efforts. We should maximize the joint use of facilities like the schools, parks, athletic facilities and auditoriums/gymnasiums.
The ability to find parking has been a common complaint from people visiting Decatur. Do you think access to parking is a problem in Decatur and, if so, what would you do to address it?
Too many people have trouble finding parking in downtown Decatur, while there are multiple parking decks with abundant parking. Decatur should explore increased signage, valet parking and improved standards (lighting, cameras) for parking decks, as well as improved walkways between parking decks and downtown. The Downtown Master Plan recommends a comprehensive parking study for downtown, which the City is exploring.
One recommendation to come out of the downtown master plan is to redesign the Square. What changes would you like to see made to the Square?
I support the recommendations in the plan, including transitioning parking into shared used space, replacing the gazebo with a new stage at the western end of the square, improving Swanton Way and the bus turnaround, and building a splashpad and other leisure amenities where space allows. I also would like to see the City find more land for plazas and public space and working with public and private partners to develop a shared parking garage that serves multiple constituencies during different times of the day.
It’s been some time since the tree ordinance was updated. Has the amended ordinance accomplished what you hoped it would? If so, in what ways? If not, why not?
I was a strong supporter of the tree ordinance and believe that it has been successful, while recognizing that we need more time to evaluate its effectiveness.
What are your ideas to increase recruitment and retention of police officers?
Decatur has increased police pay and instituted a take-home car policy, which are concrete steps to attracting and retaining our police officers. In conversations with police officers, I have come to believe that the most important retention tool is to let them know how much we value them and the work they do to make Decatur a better place. As we struggled in the aftermath of George Floyd, our police force did a good job working with and supporting our community as it expressed its outrage. As we ask that police recognize the inherent dignity of all human beings, it is important that we recognize the inherent humanity and dignity of our police officers.
If elected, do you promise to conduct yourself in an ethical and transparent manner? What will you do to promote ethics and transparency in government?
Yes. I have and will continue to use my seat on the Commission to ask necessary questions, promote full disclosure of information and have open conversations about difficult subjects.
City Commissioner District 2
Lesa Mayer
Lesa Mayer
What is your occupation?
Risk Manager, Truist
What is the neighborhood you call home?
Oakhurst
Can you tell us anything else about yourself or your life that you think is important for voters to know?
I am a mom of three- Zak, Dash and Prince- and have lived in Decatur for 20 years. I am currently completing my first term as a City Commissioner.
If you are elected, what are your top two or three priorities?
In my next term, I will continue to focus on ways to preserve and create more housing affordability and housing equity. This was my priority during my first term, and while we have made some incremental progress, that progress is small compared to what we need.
I will also continue to push forward initiatives that focus on social justice and equity. Acknowledging Decatur’s history of injustice towards it’s most marginalized residents is critical, if we are going to prevent the ordinance that we are responsible for passing today from having unintentionally adverse impacts to members of our community in the future.
My third priority will continue to be promoting smart growth. Growth is inevitable, but as a city, we need to focus on growth that takes into account environmental impacts, as well as the needs of our youth, seniors and most vulnerable community members and visitors, while considering the needs of those who have to commute into Decatur to work, but due to the lack of affordability in housing, are unable to live here.
What is Decatur’s greatest strength?
It’s reputation for diversity, equity and being a welcoming city.
What is Decatur’s toughest challenge?
Continuing to make sure that our actions and plans as a city align with the values that we so strongly promote.
What are your thoughts on supporting more affordable housing? How do you think the city should balance concerns about increased density with the need to build more housing?
I am a strong advocate for more affordable housing in Decatur and for more diversity in housing options in Decatur.
When we plan for density, we are really planning for the future- a future with greater use of transit, less dependence on cars, less adverse environmental impacts, and with more people working remotely, the need for amenities that allow for its residents to access their needs within a short distance from their homes. That future state is not possible without affordability. Our city’s diversity will not be persevered without affordability. An increase in density must be coupled with access to basic needs, including grocery and transit, AND affordability in order for it to make sense for Decatur.
Cities around Decatur have recently tried to annex areas into their city or have discussed the possibility of expanding their city limits. Do you think the city of Decatur should consider expanding its city limits through annexation? Why or why not?
Annexation is not something that I feel should be a priority for Decatur at this time.
How would you like to see the city and the school district work together to plan for future growth?
The city and school district should be collaborating closely on matters that mutually affect residents, visitors and students. Some examples of that collaboration could be planning for sidewalk repairs and installations based on both community and school needs, shared use of greenspace and the development of new and the enhancement and repair of existing athletic facilities.
The ability to find parking has been a common complaint from people visiting Decatur. Do you think access to parking is a problem in Decatur and, if so, what would you do to address it?
Parking is definitely a concern, but I don’t think that it is the lack of parking spaces available that is an issue. Decatur’s shops and businesses, especially those around the square, are not businesses that visitors can expect to drive up to the door and walk into, like many of the businesses in suburban areas nearby. It is the city’s responsibility to make sure that the parking near our business districts is accessible, affordable- if not free and are easy to locate. While the city has no control over the availability and cost of parking in privately owned lots, we must do a better job of informing our visitors and residents of where parking is available, when parking charges apply and what they can expect to pay for parking when they arrive.
One recommendation to come out of the downtown master plan is to redesign the Square. What changes would you like to see made to the Square?
I’m really excited about the prospect of permanent, amphitheater style staging, restrooms and a welcoming design with access to the square from both sides of the Decatur MARTA station.
It’s been some time since the tree ordinance was updated. Has the amended ordinance accomplished what you hoped it would? If so, in what ways? If not, why not?
I think that more data is needed to be able to truly determine whether the tree ordinance has accomplished what was hoped. I was most concerned about the clear cutting and grading of lots during new construction and look forward to analysis that confirms that there has been a marked improvement in preventing that. It was also incredibly important to me that our tree ordinance was equitable and easy to navigate for all residents, and that those who needed to remove an ailing tree would be able to do so and that fines for removing trees would not be inequitably adversely impactful to a resident, compared to a developer or business who may consider a fine to be nothing more than a standard business cost. I’ll look forward to the annual update that will provide us with the information that we need to assess how effective the tree ordinance has been, and if it has not been effective or has had adverse implications to our most vulnerable community members, I will push for an appropriate revision.
What are your ideas to increase recruitment and retention of police officers?
I strongly believe that our community policing model, our city’s commitment to diversity and equity and our incredibly low number of annual cases of use of force should be the driver for a police officer to want to serve in City of Decatur. It is important to me that all of our officers embody and embrace those values. For me, all of our recruitment efforts should be most focused on finding officers who are the right fit for our city’s model and our model for them.
If elected, do you promise to conduct yourself in an ethical and transparent manner? What will you do to promote ethics and transparency in government?
I will continue to conduct myself ethically and with transparency. Residents can expect more of the candor and directness that I consider incredibly important in this role and a critical component to earning the trust of the members of our community.
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