Alpharetta Mayoral, Council Candidates Self-Promote at Forum

Alpharetta City Council candidate Jim Gilvin chose to use part of his one-minute summation at a candidates forum to criticize his opponent Cheryl Oakes, the incumbent. He said in her four years on the council she failed to be transparent and to control development. Because Oakes had summed up just before, she didn’t have a chance to dispute Gilvin’s criticism.

“I want a rebuttal,” she said. But that fell outside the pre-arranged rules of the forum. The focus moved on to another panel of city council opponents.

Other than that little dust-up, it was pretty much all sweetness and light at the Downtown Alpharetta Trade Association Candidate Forum on Tuesday night.

Candidates used their limited time to discuss what they would do as mayor or as a City Council member.

Major disagreements were lacking, perhaps because Oakes was the only candidate seeking the same seat among six running for city council and three for mayor.

The forum attracted about 50 on-lookers to The DeVore House on Church Street. The election is Nov. 8. Early voting started on Oct. 17.

Oakes, who seeks re-election to the city council Post 4 seat, touted her work on public safety, parks and recreation and to help ease congestion. She said her decades of work as a realtor help her understand the city’s needs.

“I do know what brings people here,” she said.

Her opponent hit hard on a recurring theme of the evening.

“The city needs to get serious,” Gilvin said, “about attracting and retaining business.”

The forum began with a panel of the Alpharetta mayoral candidates: David Belle Isle, Doug DeRito and Jim Paine. Moderator Hatcher Hurd, executive editor of , asked all the questions and candidates were bound by time-limited responses.

Jim Paine touted his 15 years on the city council and that he has no other job that would conflict with his work as mayor.

DeRito said that “vibrancy doesn’t exist downtown.” Alpharetta needs to “invest money downtown on an annual basis.”

Belle Isle said Alpharetta must deal wisely with economic pressures, maintain its identity and stave off outside pressure to urbanize.

City council Post 5 candidate Michael Cross, who is running against Hans Appen, had the humorous line of the night. “Thanks,” he said to the crowd. “This is most attention a tax attorney has ever gotten.”

Cross said he thought the city should have two staffers who work solely on economic development.

Appen, whose parents own the Appen Newspapers, said city traffic problems should be solved regionally. “I don’t think traffic stops or starts at the Alpharetta city limits.”

Ron Carter faces off against Donald Mitchell for the unexpired Post 1 council seat.

“We need to move Highway 9,” Carter said. “We have to have a pedestrian-friendly Main Street. People have to be able to cross there safely.

“When I see our Main Street two years from now, I see a two-lane street with angle parking, lots of landscaping and a big roundabout at Academy Street. This would be a nice, warm fuzzy feeling for downtown.

“Business would automatically be attracted.”

“Let’s move on past that,” Mitchell said. “Let’s talk about what we can do with Webb Bridge Road. Let’s talk about what we can do with Kimball Bridge Road.

“Those projects have dragged on forever. We have to have a comprehensive approach about traffic and downtown.”