SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2019
The only contested race in the 2019 Kennesaw municipal election is that for Post 1 on the City Council. These off year Muni elections usually do not get many people out to vote. There are about 19,000 registered voters within the City limits and while they do turn out in decent numbers for elections for President, Senate, House, they do not pay much attention to City races.
If you go back 4 years to find out how many voted you will come up with 1,913 in that 2015 election.
That turnout was probably boosted a bit as Derek Easterling was opposed by controversial ex-Councilman Debbie Williams, she lost 884 to Easterling's 1,071 (there were 8 write in votes also).
Going to the contested Post 1 race we find that 1,833 voted and the current incumbent Jim (Doc) Eaton got 1,029 to Steve Creason's 791 (13 write in votes).
In 2019 we do not have any real interesting races.
2 incumbents were not challenged (1 mayor, 1 councilman).
So the only real contest is Post 1 where 2 minority challengers go up against the incumbent Eaton.
It seems unlikely that we will get more than 1,600 voters out of 19,000 this time around.
Below are listed the sites of the 3 candidates. Click on a link to see what they have to say for the Post 1 race.
Antonio Jones
https://www.facebook.com/TonyforKennesaw/?tn-str=k*F
Karen Gitau
https://www.facebook.com/KAREN-for-Kennesaw-City-Council-102668117772975
James (Doc) Eaton
https://www.facebook.com/DocForCouncil/
In the run up to the 2017 Kennesaw City Council election I asked these questions and they are still relevant:
Ms. Gitau has replied and this is found below, just scroll down-
1) Should the city enact 'term limits' for all elective offices? If so how would you configure them?
2) Should City taxpayer funds continue to support the Museum and The Gardens, keeping in mind that neither has ever, nor will ever, generate any worthwhile funds by themselves? If you favor continued support, at what level?
3) Should those in elected City positions be subject to suspension (with or without pay) for any criminal acts involving 'moral turpitude' which resulted in their arrest during their term of office?
4) Should the outdated method of running for Council 'posts' be eliminated in favor of those candidates receiving the highest vote totals being elected? (i.e.: if 7 people qualify to run for 3 posts, the 3 with the highest number of votes are elected?)
5) Should inquiries be made to determine if the City would benefit financially by merging the KPD with the Cobb Police? If there were a worthwhile savings, would you favor such a merger?
6) Kennesaw has up to now considered itself to be a major player in Georgia's support of Southern independence during the War Between the States. Now there is a backlash against anything 'Confederate'. Will you support efforts to ban anything Confederate from City property such things may include, flags, historical markers/plaques, cemetery markers, re-enactors use of City property?
Here is another, not asked back then:
7) Should trash collection be taken over by the City of Kennesaw. This would require running up some cost estimates to see if $ could be saved over what is being charged by the private trash hauler.
Below, from the archives:
RESULTS FOR THE 2013 ELECTION:
Post 3
L. Church 768 40%
B. Jenkins 720 37%
Washington 434 23%
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Post 4
D. Williams 1,142 60%
Riedemann 757 40%
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Post 5
Sebastian 964 51%
Duckett 934 49%
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8/23/19
KENNESAW 2019 Election
Two hopefuls challenge incumbent on council
For Kennesaw City Council, At Large, Post 1, three candidates have qualified for the Nov. 5 general election, including the incumbent.
Councilman James W. Eaton, a chiropractor, a professor at Life University in Marietta and a U.S. Army veteran, is opposed by Karen Gitau, a senior accountant, and Antonio Jones, a smallbusiness owner.
Unopposed are Kennesaw Mayor Derek Easterling and incumbent Tracey Viars for Council, At Large, Post 2.
Information: CobbElections. org, kennesaw-ga.gov
CAROLYN CUNNINGHAM FOR THE AJC
Kennesaw Muslims look to build permanent mosque
A Kennesaw mosque that previously won a fight with the city to open and operate within a strip mall is now seeking to build its own facility on a nearby property across Cobb Parkway as soon as next year.
Masjid Suffah of Kennesaw has been operating for about four years in a strip mall on Jiles Road behind the Publix grocery store that fronts Cobb Parkway. The prayer center’s permit was granted by the City Council following an initial denial by a 4-1 vote in December of 2014. After Doug Dillard, the attorney representing mosque members, threatened to sue the council for violating the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, council members reversed their decision.
Now Masjid Suffah leaders are pursuing the initial steps to move to a permanent location behind the Bank of America on Pine Mountain Road near Cobb Parkway. Mohammad Jafari, the imam or leader of prayer at the mosque, said that while mosque leaders would like to have the facility built sometime next year, a more realistic construction table would likely see it opening in two or three years. Fundraising for the facility, he adds, will be the ultimate factor of when it is built.
The mosque has been the topic of several discussion threads on the social media site Nextdoor. The traffic generated by the facility is among the points of concern.
“My question is who in their infinite wisdom approved the construction of a potentially heavily attended, non-residential facility in a residential area on a single lane street that is already heavily burdened with traffic? Am I missing something?” wrote Larry Krause, a Pine Mountain Road resident.
But the city has yet to receive any building plans, and no votes have been taken regarding the proposed mosque site by the city’s planning commission or council, according to Councilman Chris Henderson, who says the mosque has so far only gotten approval for mass grading of the site and pre-engineering work.
In 2016, mosque officials said their plans called for an 8,500-square-foot space with a larger worship area, multi-purpose space for kids to play and about 200 parking spaces. The property, which was donated to the mosque by a member, was said at the time to be about 3.5 acres.
The mosque has yet to submit to the city any documents pertaining to its proposed facility.
“I would assume at some point, it will come to us for final plat approval,” Henderson said of the residentially zoned property, which under city zoning code and federal law is allowed to have religious facilities built on it and therefore does not need to be rezoned.
The mosque would still have to meet all building codes and other regulations, he added.
“So far, I’ve had one phone call, and that’s the main interaction I’ve had with the community on it. I have heard from other council members that at least one other has had at least one phone call,” Henderson said. “It’s an understandable concern — as the gentleman who talked to me said, he bought his property and it had residential behind it, so the worst he expected was a house built behind him. Now that there’s a parking lot that’s going to be built behind him, that’s a surprise and a completely understandable surprise.”
NEIGHBOR SEEKING EFFECTIVE BUFFER
Mitchell Hyre, who resides in the Village At Pine Mountain neighborhood near the proposed mosque site, shares Henderson’s concern. He says his goal is to see the formation of a committee of nearby property owners that would meet with the developer and the city to come up with buffers that would be visually pleasing to those in neighboring residents and would muffle any sound from the mosque.
“These people bought their properties with the understanding that all around it was residential, and we were told by Realtors that nobody (else) could build there, and ‘you’ll be fine,’ and it’s all wooded, and there are deer and rabbits and foxes,” Hyre said, who says his opposition is not based on religion.
“If they do their due diligence, and we don’t have to look at it, and we don’t have to hear it, that we don’t have lights shining in our bedroom window and that we don’t listen to garbage trucks at 2:30 in the morning servicing their dumpster, that’s about all we can do,” Hyre said, “and that’s all that I want.”
The city of Kennesaw, Henderson adds, has received “zero complaints“ since Masjid Suffah began operating, adding that he would vote in favor of the mosque’s plans if they met all city codes.
“It comes down to there is no difference in a mosque or a Baptist church or anybody else, and I have to protect their rights, just like I protect the rights of any other citizen in Kennesaw,” he said. “If they are following our zoning ordinances, and they are building to code, then there is absolutely no reason that I can ever see saying ‘no’ to it.”
Amid Masjid Suffah’s efforts to open in the strip mall in 2014, protesters attended numerous council meetings about the mosque, carrying signs saying “Ban Islam” and “No Mosque,” and voiced concerns about the mosque spreading Shariah law.
Jafari, the mosque’s imam, said he fears that anti-Islam sentiment could return.
“People are not aware of what or who Muslims are, and so I think that’s the main issue that we’re dealing with,” said Jafari, adding that a church operates on the same street, likely less than a mile down the road.
In the meantime, Jafari is extending an invitation for community members to visit Masjid Suffah when it is open at prayer times.
We are here to establish our connection with God, and that’s by the teachings that have been taught to us in the Quran and ultimately by the example of our prophet, Muhammad,” Jafari said. “Our responsibility as Muslims is to make sure that our neighbors are always good in terms of our relationship with them. This is just our gesture to them and our way (to say), ‘Hey, we’re open to helping you guys understand what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.’”
COBB COUNTY - Work progresses on North Cobb library
Crews continue working on construction of the North Cobb Regional Library.
This 25,000-square-foot facility will be located in Acworth at the intersection of Old Highway 41 and Blue Springs Road directly across from North Cobb High School.
The library will include creative space, a community room, study rooms, dedicated children and teen areas, an outdoor plaza for children, state-of-the-art technology and a drive-up book return.
The facility will be a consolidation of the Acworth and Kennesaw public libraries that were built in the mid-1960s.
This $8.6 million project is funded by voter-approved 2016 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax funds.
Information: cobbcat.oig, CobbCounty.org
CAROLYN CUNNINGHAM FOR THE AJC
Cobb - KENNESAW 1/26/19 - Qualifying fees set for mayor, Council members
Kennesaw qualifying fees were set Jan. 22 by the City Council at $576 for the mayor and $360 each for two City Council members for the Nov. 5 on. Fees are determined as 3 percent of the $19,200 gross salary for the mayor and $12,000 gross salary for the Council members.
The Council members are for Posts 1 and 2, which are elected at-large by all registered voters in the city.
These three terms will last four years, starting Jan. 1,2020.
Qualifying dates will be in late August.
Currently, these posts are held by Mayor Derek Easterling, Post 1 Councilman James Eaton and Post 2 Councilwoman Tracey Viars.
CAROLYN CUNNINGHAM FOR THE AJC
