Betsy Parks, Lakeside resident and LCA supporter’s view of Tucker Together Meeting: “Kicking and screaming”, Tucker Together asks folks to open their wallets and calendars.

Tucker’s long time spokesperson, Honey’s opening statements were clear.  Tucker Together (TT) believes the closely-knit historic community with vague and fluid boundaries was forced into this process by elitist land grabbing neighbors.  Kicking and screaming and as a last resort they created Tucker Together (TT) to hold informational meetings and to protect the “Tucker area”.  TT is now a 501C3, applicant just like their perceived rival Lakeside.   I could almost hear the band playing at Adams Stadium.  TUCKER, TUCKER, TUCKER!!!!!

A legislator at the meeting held in a church strategically located in between Main Street, Tucker and I285/Northlake area stated the legally established process of more localized control is moving too fast for them.   Although no one mentioned they had filed a placeholder also.   No real mention of this genuinely rushed “effort” or as I see it, a knee jerk reaction.  Later TT admitted Lakeside has been holding appropriate community meetings for quite some time and TT leaders supported other cities right to incorporate. 

TT feels the status quo of unincorporated Tucker is and would have continued to work just fine for them but they can no longer remain undecided or unengaged.  TT leaders now believe Tucker must unite, volunteer, land grab and open their wallets or Tucker will be consumed and destroyed by evil expansionist land grab efforts whose sole purpose is to disrupt the Tucker community.    It was clear by the cheers and laughter most in the church felt the danger and evil around them was not ineffective government or the corruption of elected or indicted officials/representatives but neighbors who are supporting the new City of Lakeside!

They stated the small group of unelected, self-appointed activist leaders have worked very hard and the community owes them a great deal of continuing gratitude. They feel they presented information only.   They disclosed that even their small group of decision makers who created TT is not united on a particular path.  They did not conduct any polls or solicit input in any organized statistically reliable way.   Yet a group of volunteers in support of the Tucker City was standing by in the back of the room and formally introduced toward the end of the meeting.

The views of any residents outside of the loop or those who did not attend the three short informational meetings question and answer periods before creating the aggressive map (many in the audience had not even seen) were not considered in any real way.  There was no support or any discussion of amending or listening to the input of say Neighbors’ of Lakeside group as Lakeside had done, I believe twice. TT passed around laminated copies to the possibly 100 people in attendance. With the help of the unnamed consultants and experts this TT small group admitted they had used their vast knowledge and opinions to alone in private create, approve and publish a map that included areas North of I85, all of Northlake, pretty big part of Stone Mountain. 

 It should be noted this small group of self appointed people reference the “GA TECH STUDY” often but there was never a study done by any university or group of experts. Georgia Tech students studied the feasibility of a possible City of Tucker as a term paper around 2006.  The students reported in the conclusion of term paper that Tucker would have to land grab Northlake Mall shopping area and perhaps others to be successful.   It was debated if this report should have ever been published at all.  To use it as an expert opinion should be done with extreme caution especially if it is used to solicit financial donations.

Options:

1.     Incorporate- Tucker Together (TT) has determined “they” will be strangely enough be copying Lakeside’s choice in services.  TT doesn’t think they would be able to match much less improve the current level of services provided by DeKalb County.  They feel they have the ear of DeKalb County but thru volunteers they can protect what they feel is Tucker’s even if it means claiming areas north of Spaghetti junction or Stone Mountain.  They made the claim that 95% of the people in Lakeside community don’t know what is going on.   Michelle said TT was different than LCA’s group of seven elitists meeting in private and shelling out the big bucks instead of a grass roots effort like TT.  Yet 14K they finally announced last night was from an anonymous or surprise big buck donors.  Oh the irony.  TT finally stated the 30K for the required by law study is just the beginning of the financial obligation.  In order for Tucker to incorporate and successfully compete with City of Lakeside, TT will need to hire lobbyists, conduct polls and employ consultants.   Money, money, money and they estimated an additional 40K would be needed for those efforts and organizational expenses.  When asked, TT claimed that the structure of the city government could not be addressed at this time. 

2.     Maintain Borders- TT stated this would be as expensive and required just as much community effort as incorporating.  Consultants, lobbyists and lot of work but they felt up for the fight someone else, Lakeside brought upon them.  They “just can’t swallow the name Lakeside”…“slimy, nasty pond scum”, the lady sitting behind me added. 

3.     Do nothing-

We left before the “vote”, if they had one laughing about a “slimy, nasty pond scum” earlier comment the lady sitting behind us made loud enough for everyone to hear.   Maybe, we thought she did not know how much fun my children have had fishing and frogging on the many lakes that surround Lakeside community.  Hopefully one day we will be able to hand them a City of Lakeside!