A Government Watchdog Project
A Government Watchdog Project
About the Project
What I do. Why I do it.
Northeast Georgia has been my family's home for many generations. It was a great place to be a kid, and grow up.
Recently, this quiet suburban neighborhood has been rapidly morphing into something like one of the Atlanta neighborhoods. While times change and towns grow naturally, the Sugar Hill government is aggressively forcing urbanization of the area - as much as possible, as fast as possible, at an ever-increasing expense to existing residents.
I'm concerned about what I see – its effects on myself, my neighbors, the environment, and the livability of what I have always considered a wonderful place.
In a city with almost 25,000 people, there are naturally a variety of viewpoints. But every month, all five elected officials vote in lockstep on almost every issue, with little or no public discussion. Only one viewpoint is being represented. They appoint others with that viewpoint to advisory boards and commissions. Anyone with a different viewpoint is shut out of the process.
Public engagement is almost nonexistent. Not necessarily because people approve of what’s happening, but because they just don’t see an opportunity to change it. And when no one opposes officials in elections, no one even gets a chance to weigh in at the ballot box. It’s not an appropriate way to conduct public business and spend public funds.
Clearly, this is a government that NEEDS some citizen oversight.
In April 2019, I began attending all of the public meetings in Sugar Hill, conducting an ongoing, in-depth audit of their activities from a citizen's perspective. I speak at public meetings and hearings; speak one-on-one with elected officials, staff, and appointees; request and review documents that haven't been shared publicly by the City; video record discussions of vital interest to the public; and blog about what I see and my impressions.
My goals are to:
- Inform people about what the city government does with the resources that citizens give them.
- Restore the dynamic of PEOPLE over the government.
- Reframe the way people think about government overall, and encourage them to take ownership of government and responsibility for its management, starting with the level of government closest to them.
