I and a number of other people have known for a while about next Tuesday's special election in the city of Atlanta. Perhaps because I haven't heard or read any mention of it except in local news, however, I imagine that not every Atlanta voter is aware of it. For most of the city, there are two measures being voted upon.
First, and most famously, Atlanta residents are finally able to decide whether they want Sunday alcohol sales to be allowed in the city limits. This would mean that we no longer have to resort to paying bar prices should we forget the traditional Saturday evening run to the liquor store. Obviously, I plan to vote "yes" to help chip away at the influence of certain totalitarian religious sects over our laws, and I believe that most of my fellow citizens will vote likewise.
The second measure being voted on isn't as widely known. In fact, I was blissfully unaware of it until reading Creative Loafing last night. It's a special local-option sales tax, more lyrically referred to as a "SPLOST," to add funding for Atlanta Public Schools. I know what you're thinking. Their criminal enterprises alone are actually enough to convince me to vote against the SPLOST.
Just for the sake of clarity, though, here's what they're asking for, according to a sample Fulton County ballot: "new schools, land, additions, renovations, equipment, debt service and technology systems, at a total maximum cost of $499,962,831." I personally don't know the state of repair of public schools in this city, but regarding "technology systems," I do remember this debacle, and indeed, I doubt that they even need a red cent for more computers.
Regarding new schools, a planned new high school in the Mt Paran neighborhood, at the far northwestern corner of the city, comes to mind. APS claims that it is critical to convert North Atlanta High into a middle school, in order to relieve an overcrowded Sutton Middle. According to them, the site they've chosen, a former IBM office, is most cost-effective, already having a parking deck and several usable buildings. As naturally happens in such a wealthy neighborhood, some neighbors are complaining about various aspects of this particular school's size and location, which they allege is out of balance with the area's traffic patterns. A quote by APS deputy superintendent of operations (that's a mouthful) Larry L. Hoskins, reassuring residents that there are "two very well-engineered intersections there, with lights and signals," is hardly reassuring at all.
Vote as you wish, but I'll be checking "yes," then "no."
A school board seat is up for election in APS District 2, which, for simplicity's sake, is defined here by which schools are served within it. (If your polling place is at a school, obviously, you live in that school's district.) The candidates are Byron Amos, Angela Brown, Dwanda Farmer, Michael E. Jeter, and Donald Walker.
The election is Tuesday, 8 November from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The deadline to register was 11 October. If you don't know your polling precinct and its associated polling place, you can check this map; if you don't want to deal with something that feels like it was built in Mac OS 6, call the Voter Registration Office at (404) 730-7072 and ask them what polling place corresponds to your address. Turnout will most likely be low, so our votes are especially powerful.
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