Council Member Year End Evaluations

It’s time for year-end evaluations.  Let's take a look back at the campaign promises and stated issues of local Alpharetta City Council persons before they were elected and evaluate their progress. 

D.C. Aiken

Sorry, but I can’t find D.C.’s campaign promises.  Could that be because he’s been on Council since 2002 and in his last election ran un-opposed?  Should we assume Alpharetta is pleased with D.C. Aiken?  

D.C. is a Vice-President with SunTrust Mortgage Corporation and Mayor Pro-Tem for the city of Alpharetta.

Michael Cross

Michael’s campaign platform included solving transportation issues, pushing forward with downtown development, and cooperating with adjacent cities on recreation and parks programs.  In light of Alpharetta’s recent agreement with the city of Milton and the fact that we are indeed pushing forward with downtown development, it sounds like Michael was a straight talking guy during his campaign. 

Michael Cross is an attorney with a firm that specializes in corporate and commercial law.  He just completed his first year on Alpharetta City Council. 

Jim Gilvin

Jim ran on a platform of rejecting growth in Alpharetta “that will irrepairably harm our city and our familiies.”  What does this mean?  Evidently this means being willing to vote “No” while serving on an increasingly pro-development City Council.  High marks for being gutsy enough to stand alone.  

Jim just completed his first year on Alpharetta City Council and is a residential real estate agent. 

Mike Kennedy

In 2009, Mike told the Beacon that if elected he would “budget conservatively.” That’s pretty standard Alpharetta stuff, but that’s where standard stopped because Mike Kennedy, at least before he was elected, was interested in finding solutions to a threatened water supply.  You might call him eccentric or you might call him prescient.  Mike also stated that the “city should make sure current available (retail) space is filled before approving additional retail construction.”  Hmm.  Low marks for voting to add more retail space in the form of City Center before filling all that other empty retail space but high marks for his thoughtfulness with the water supply. 

Mike has completed 2 years on Alpharetta City Council and is President of North Point Financial Advisors, Inc. 

Donald Mitchell

Donald is all about downtown.  He states on his own website that he wants to "make our downtown come alive.”  It’s hard for me to be hard on Donald because I really like those darned, expensive flower planters and, like Donald, I also want to see the arts thrive.  But, someone has to pay for the upkeep on those planters.  And it’s gonna take perseverance, vision and money for the arts gain a foothold in conservative Alpharetta.  Is Donald the one?

Donald just completed his first year on Alpharetta City Council.  He is the owner of Donald Mitchell Design, Inc. 

Chris Owens

In this article Chris campaigned by saying that he wanted to “tie land-use and transportation plans together.”  He also said he wanted to “protect our neighborhoods from unwise development putting the interests of residents first.”  His recent vote “Yes” on the Sharp Properties development indicates Chris may have changed his mind on that campaign promise.  

Chris just completed 2 years on Alpharetta City Council.  He is a civil engineer with the firm Lowe Engineers who says that he "has spent the majority of his career serving private property owners and developers in the land development industry." 

David Belle Isle

David’s campaign rhetoric included a vision for “a village style downtown” that includes the west side of Highway 9.  If by village he means walkable, playable, parkable, eatable and visually striking, then I back him on that.  Also, David envisioned a “Technology Advisory Committee”.  The latter is now reality and time will tell if this is a useful committee or a committee in name only.  On David’s campaign website he claims he will “reject calls to widen and install medians on Main Street”.  Hmm.  He also claims that if elected Mayor he will “reject calls for urbanization, apartments, rail” and that he wants to “hold back density.”  Double-Hmm.  

David just completed his first year as Mayor of Alpharetta.  He owns the Belle Isle Law Group, a firm specializing in commercial and residential real estate closings.