Lucy,
It is nothing more than a crying shame. We should have advocated for unity and that would have bred power. We could have then lobbied the county as a powerful unified citizenry and demanded our day at the table. I too am sorely disappointed in our proverbial close mindedness. I need a hug. And you are correct, this has decimated our good community.

Keep this in mind,
1: The people leading the cityhood effort will in fact be those who want the power.
2: If and when the county asks you to come to the table and talk, please do.
3: Remember you will still be in Dekalb County.
4: If it is up to people being the winners or politics being the winner, politics will prevail.
5: I have run across this on the Brookhaven Patch and although it is sometimes terse, there are things divulged here and nowhere else.

theotherbrookhaven.blogspot.com

OakGrove,
Get involved early, ask tough question regarding motivation, and as you as a tax payer employ the county to work for you, as for information and clarification on any topic you so desire to learn more about. Once you get that information, share it. The Pro folks will call you a lair and a county operative, but at least you will be able to sleep at night knowing you tried to tell the people the truth.

Hamburger,
I would love a hamburger and a cheerwine. Thank you very much for asking.
In addition to the links you have posted, please check out this one in particular.
http://theotherbrookhaven.blogspot.com/2012/09/post-4-brookhaven-series-we-got.html

Mr. Eric, you are just drunk with government. Too bad Dunwoody did not annex you. And, now you are trying to convince folks south of you that more government is best?

Please pass the yellow mustard!

OGP, Mr. Eric and I live in what has become Brookhaven. Not everyone was on board with this city issue like in Sandy Springs. It has been a very divisive journey. Plus, we now have another layer of government. If there are certain things that you would like to see done that a localized geographical area may better handle, there are ways to handle this. You are better off working to make change with your local government or modify it for the benefit of your area.

However, if you really think more government will be good for you, research all of the new cities from start to present. Check out the bloggers in the various areas pro and con for the pulse of the citizens. Go to some city council meetings.

Further fragmentation of the county is to the detriment of all of us. There are seven cities/counties in Georgia that have actually combined and streamlined their governments to the benefit and tax savings of their citizens. Maybe they know something?

I do have a vested interest in your area as I have properties there. My escape from Brookhaven?

Special hamburger and a Cheerwine?

OGP, Mr. Hamburger's response to me was mild for him

By the way the race didn't have to be divisive, it was made that way. Granted both sides made mistakes that ended up increasing the divisiveness. But because the Patch allows one person to post under multiple names and attack people who post under their own names on a personal basis - the difficult or obnoxious people who typed away all day under various ID's ended up amplifying the bitter part of the difference of opinion.

I almost think the Patch paid some of these posters (on both sides) to increase their revenues from page views and clicks on ads on the Patch. Frankly there's not really a logical explanation for some of the posters' behavior.

Though most residents have accepted the new city and are looking towards a future to where it sets the standard for other cities there are still some posters still doing the obnoxious pre city election posting game - which again makes me wonder why? Are they being paid by the Patch? Or are they just the bitter people you hear about from time to time?

I suppose we will never know, but whatever gets decided about cityhood in your area don't let anonymous posters influence you. But do start the conversation now because you are talking about a path that may take 2 to 3 years.

BTW I have no problem with people posting under handles so that they are anonymous. My problem is with those posters who use the anonymity to be uncivil.

Useful links here and the common thread is Fran Millar and Mike Jacobs.
http://theotherbrookhaven.blogspot.com/
http://nonewcity.org

Lou the city of Brookhaven, Dunwoody and Chamblee residents can use either the name Atlanta or the City name. Formation of the City doesn't dictate that, the Post Office does.

Interestingly the Cumberland Business District in Cobb county lobbied to create a 30339 zipcode that goes up 75 to past Windy Hill that can use the Atlanta mailing address. This was to attract businesses.

Tom, yes the original legislation was dropped at the end of the 2010/2011 and passed in the 2011/2012 session which led to the vote last July authorized the creation of the city in 2012. Though active discussion began shortly after Dunwoody's incorporation and was fueled by Chamblee's annexation prior to that.

http://brookhaven.patch.com/articles/state-legislator-mulls-brookhaven-incorporation-bill

As you know the 2 year window is based largely on the fact that legislation lives for 2 years or sessions in the state legislature.

Eric--in that 2011 article:
"Jacobs is reviving an old conversation about whether Brookhaven should move toward independence from DeKalb County. Proponents of the idea want more local control over planning, zoning and land use. In 2008, Jacobs proposed similar legislation to incorporate Brookhaven, though it never materialized."

(my problem with the whole process I suppose is perspective--I consider floating a trial balloon in 2008 neither "old", nor a "conversation" (that goes to the point of community history and organization)
Also--I don't consider one year between "dropping" enabling legislation and passing it, considering the significance of the matter--sufficient to fully vet the issue (that is the critical phase, not the referendum). Needless to say, I also don't think pressing the matter into action a role that only one legislator should lead...
Again I refer to the "bones" that Sandy Springs built up over time. I can't imagine what people in Sandy Springs think of all of this.

Here is my prognosis--here's the real two year discussion you're likely to have. The new so-called "city" of Brookhaven will be in discussions with any city they can find next to them to consolidate (really--borrow) their services within two years.

Tom, I agree nothing was old and the process moved fast.

I don't agree that more time was necessarily needed. Chamblee's annexation of the area north to 285 took under a year. And the latest proposal that was favored by folks including some who actively posted against the city of Brookhaven went to ballot in under a year and passed the legislation within months of being proposed. Also this is no longer rocket science or even new. The course to cityhood has now been done many times.

Now if you are speaking of allowing time for a community to coalesce, I don't think the area would ever have come to anywhere near a unanimous decision. While I'm a Dem I still recognize that the Democratic Machine in DeKalb got very active in fighting the Brookhaven incorporation. With that kind of effort you aren't ever going to reach unanimous thought or anything close to it.

We will reach unity once the fears of not enough police coverage or revenue is proven to be something that is not a problem. More time wasn't going to add anymore information to that debate. Besides, anyone honestly looking at it knows their is plenty of money to have a good police force and reasonable taxes. Sure if the number of police needed goes up we may need to cut back on our parks spending which is the CVI study put at 3x current spending.

Also from a service area - map drawing exercise the city is fairly logically drawn. I mean early maps had the city just going to Buford Highway, but that doesn't really make sense to leave out a sliver to between Buford Highway and 85.

Maybe Brookhaven should have left out Ashford Park and just taken the part of Buford Highway and 85 that is not adjacent to ashford park. Ashford Park doesn't abut any of the major commercial centers included in Brookhaven after all. But then what happens to Ashford Park?

We can't form cities and leave pockets or islands of unincorporated areas. The area taken by Brookhaven was pretty much surrounded on 3 sides by Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Dunwoody and Chamblee.

Now as to providing more time for a discussion on logical boundaries, I agree for the rest of DeKalb south of I 85 it may not be as clear as to where to draw city limits and thus it may take a little more time. Which is why I said the rest of DeKalb should start talking now since the process could take 2 or 3 years.

I'll end it with the thought that I won't say that people who called for more time to discuss Brookhaven were wrong. But that question is now moot. And its time to move on. I like the fact there is not a uniformity of opinion in Brookhaven. I view that as a strength not as a problem with the map making.

You're over generalizing what is a very complex subject. Counties providing municipal services is endemic to the south, but there are also many variants. In Virginia for example, they have three classifications, "unincorporated areas" (such as Sandy Springs was), towns and cities. They don't form new cities from unincorpated areas and its unusual to form cities out of towns. In fact, the movement is toward getting rid of cities in urbanizing counties, remarkably enough. But hell, that's just one example showing its a more complex subject than you portray.

Truly the only thing that I can think of that's unique about the case of the metro counties in Atlanta is the current rapidity of forming new cities. You will find the climate of destabilizing county finances and destroying good will VERY unique to this city. You will find the process of coercing county government to downsize essentially by force of will (and having control of the legislature) quite unique. You will find the unsaid message to each successive "domino" unincorporated community--of "don't be the last area to support county government"--unique.

I will try to simplify my position--I'm in favor of an orderly transition to separate municipalities (and schools BTW)--orderly, so that the entire county below US 78 doesn't have to go thru hell after the Republicans finish what they are interested in. Orderly and cooperative with county government--assuming a good faith effort can be made by participants.