Published: April 12, 2008 10:24 pm            

Jimmy Espy: At a standoff

Some politicians win office by making a lot of promises, then promptly forgetting them once they get they job.

Dalton Mayor David Pennington is not one of those politicians.

In his campaign last year, Pennington vowed to be an agent for real change in Dalton city government. Since taking office he’s forcefully attempted to follow through. That’s earned him the admiration of some and the enmity of others.

Look no further than the recent controversy over the Downtown Dalton Development Authority.

Clearly Pennington believes the DDDA is an ineffective organization. The mayor is not the first person to hold this view, nor is he the only one. Dissatisfaction with the DDDA has been commonplace for some time. At the heart of the issue is the fact that the DDDA is empowered to levy its own “special” tax on business owners in the district. That tax is currently set at 3 mills. Pennington is skeptical that the tax money already collected is being used effectively, but more importantly he views the additional levy as a major disincentive for anyone interested in creating the kind of high impact, major project that downtown needs to be truly invigorated.

DDDA supporters defend their organization and its executive director, Sarah Harrison. If anything, the blunt manner in which Pennington and the City Council have pushed this issue seems to have strengthened their resolve. Some business owners who in the past expressed to me dissatisfaction with the organization and with Harrison now are rallying to her banner.

The mayor may or may not be 100 percent right in his views, but so far all his efforts seem to have accomplished is the creation of a standoff.

The council landed an easy punch last week when the DDDA was told it would have to move out of City Hall and find its own offices, not an unreasonable request on the surface, but when viewed in conjunction with other events, it was a move that left council and mayor looking petty. Pennington, patted on the back by people who agree with him, seems unaware (or is it unconcerned) that there are citizens who don’t think this is being handled well.

There is room for compromise here. Both the mayor and council and the DDDA and its supporters have enough chips to play the game. If everyone is more interested in the overall good of downtown Dalton — and not their personal agendas — then common ground should be found.

Pennington is smart man with a strong vision for what should be done downtown. Right or wrong, he can make his case coherently and convincingly. It would be nice if the DDDA had a similar sense of purpose and confidence. That said, the mayor is only one person. Four other council members, Charlie Bethel, Dick Lowrey, George Sadosuk and Denise Wood need to step forward on this issue.

Downtown Dalton will survive if the DDDA stays in place and it will survive if the DDDA disappears tomorrow. But if government is to have any positive impact on making downtown flourish — not just survive — city council and the downtown businesses need to come together to make some hard decisions.

Otherwise, everyone involved should just acknowledge that “downtown Dalton” is now on Walnut Avenue and that everyone else is just wrestling for the crumbs.



Jimmy Espy is executive editor of The Daily Citizen

        

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