Tuesday, December 20, 2011
“Why are we paying city taxes for traffic lights the county routinely builds and operates everyday in unincorporated Cobb County? That’s a dangerous precedent to set.” - Smyrna City Councilman Wade Lnenicka
A lengthy discussion at Monday’s city council meeting ultimately resulted in a 6-1 vote in favor of traffic improvements that are 17 years in the making. Smyrna city council voted to make a contribution not exceeding $35,000 for a traffic signal and intersection improvements at Gaylor Street and East-West Connector. According to the city maps and website, the intersection is in the city limits, but Gaylor Street is not, nor is the nearby Estates at Ellis Wade Park neighborhood whose residents would be using the new traffic signal from Gaylor Street. Eric Taylor, Smyrna’s city administrator, said that the total cost of the project is $255,694.94 with developers contributing $150,000, Cobb County contributing $70,694.94 and Smyrna …
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Susan Dease Wilkinson and Ron Fennel also were victorious in Wards 5 and 7 respectively.
Update 10:05 p.m.: Smyrna’s city council will have four new members sworn in next month as engineer Charles “Corkey’’ Welch defeated Ward 4 Councilman Mike McNabb in Tuesday’s runoff election. Three of the Jonquil City’s four new council members were determined on the overcast and drizzly Tuesday that produced light voter turnout. In Ward 5, Susan Wilkinson defeated Jason Saliba, a Cobb deputy assistant district attorney; and in Ward 7, former state representative Ron Fennel was victorious over Garry Osborne. The result are unofficial as the Cobb County Board of Elections still has to certify the results. Welch defeated McNabb, 219-169 Wilkinson defeated Saliba, 143-110. Fennel defeated Osborne, 436-362. They will join councilmembers Teri …
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Patch is at the King Valley at Vinings neighborhood to provide live coverage of Thursday night's public forum involving the two candidates involved in the Dec. 6 election runoff.
Ron Fennel and Garry Osborne are in the Smyrna Ward 7 election runoff that will take place on Dec. 6. Check back shortly before 7 p.m. for our live coverage of the event. Makes note that at last council meeting that he suggested having concrete trucks come through on a Saturday rather than on weekdays.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Three city council seats to be determined by the Dec. 6 runoff election.
Smyrna’s Dec. 6 runoff election for Wards 4, 5 and 7 is less than a week away, but advanced voting continues through Friday at the Smyrna Community Center. Advance voting hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Those who did not vote in the Nov. 8 general election can still vote in the runoff. On a raw and wet Tuesday, turnout was very light at community center. Then again, on a picture-perfect Election Day four weeks ago, less than 22 percent of the city’s registered voters (5,638 of 26,223) bothered to head to the polls. “I do share the disappointment of others that we couldn’t get more people out to vote,’’ said Ron Fennel, who is facing Garry Osborne in the Ward 7 runoff. More than 25 percent of registered voters in Ward 7 cast ballots …
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
A quick peek at Smyrna election and government news this week.
Two weeks from today, Dec. 6, is the runoff election date for Smyrna Wards 4, 5 and 7. All six candidates - Councilman Mike McNabb and Corkey Welch from Ward 4; Jason Saliba and Susan Wilkinson from Ward 5; and Ron Fennel and Garry Osborne from Ward 7 - took to the microphone to speak of their candidacy during Monday night’s city council meeting. And the latter two will have at least one more opportunity to introduce themselves to voters next during a public forum next hosted by the King Valley at Vinings neighborhood. The forum will be on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. at the King Valley Clubhouse located on Queensgate Drive. It will be moderated by former Ward 7 candidate Ziad Salameh, who garnered 18 percent of the vote during this month’s …
Request from contractor would have had concrete trucks rolling through a residential neighborhood as early as 4 o'clock in the morning.
Smyrna’s firearm manufacturing giant gets Jonquil City residents fired up. It happened again at Monday’s Mayor and City Council meeting where Glock, Inc., again appeared on the agenda. This time, contractor JE Dunn Construction came before the mayor and council asking for extended work hours to pour the concrete foundation for Glock’s Building B, the first of four buildings as part of its planned expansion. Last year, more than 100 people filled the council chambers to watch the council vote 7-0 to allow Glock to expand its assembly plant located on Highlands Parkway. From that proposal, Glock has cleared out 18 acres of heavily wooded land on its property with plans to construct four new buildings on the land that is zoned Light …
Friday, November 18, 2011
With Friday's recount results, Ward 1 incumbent Melleny Pritchett keeps her city council seat, while Garry Osborne keeps his name on the Ward 7 runoff ballot.
After a week of speculation as to the outcome of the Smyrna city council races for Wards 1 and 7, Cobb Board of Elections issued a statement this morning that Monday’s original certified results will stand. Both John Miller, Ward 1 city council candidate, and Vic Yankouski, Ward 7 city council candidate, exercised their right to a recount because the difference between the number of votes earned by their competitors was less than one percent. After conducting the recount Friday morning Cobb Board of Elections verified that John Miller earned 204 votes to his opponent Melleny Pritchett’s 207. Pritchett will be sworn in for her fourth term as Ward 1 city council member in January. Cobb Board of Elections also determined that Vic Yankouski …
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
It hasn't always been pretty this election season in Ward 7, which is set to have a new councilman for the first time in two decades.
Smyrna’s general election will be held one week from today on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Early voting in ongoing at the Smyrna Community Center through Friday, Nov. 4 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. In the 2007 election, less than 3,000 of 29,000 registered Smyrna voters bothered to go to the polls. For the past two elections combined, less than 7,000 casted their ballot for mayor in Smyrna. Will the presence of a record 19 candidates on the ballot help send more to the polls this year? Most observers say yes, as it has been a very spirited and at times nasty election season in the Jonquil City. Oh, and residents will also vote on whether they want the choice to buy alcohol in stores on Sundays. The law would go into effect on Jan.1 if the referendum passes. …
Friday, October 28, 2011
Longtime Smyrna resident and Cobb native says he is excited, both about his future and the future of Smyrna.
Smyrna’s election is about a week and half away, but there’s been no campaigning for Smyrna City Councilman Charles Pete Wood this fall. Wood can look out the window of his second-floor office at City Hall and see where he grew up. The house he was raised in has long since been torn down and the Veteran’s Memorial built in its place, but knowing this easily viewable spot is where he experienced many fond childhood memories makes him smile. In a way, Wood has come full circle, and after 20 years on the Smyrna City Council he has decided to retire. The soft-spoken councilman took time recently to discuss both his career serving on the council and his love for Smyrna. Wood, 77, has served Ward 7 consecutively on the council since 1991. He …
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
City council candidate's wife the victim of an alleged attack after encountering a man removing her husband's campaign signs.
Smyrna City Council candidate Vic Yankouski provided Patch with a description of the man who assaulted his wife Monday night when she encountered him removing one of her husband’s campaign signs. “He was a white male, late 20s to early 30s, 5-feet-10 to 6-feet tall and 185-to-190 pounds,’’ Yankouski said of the alleged attacker who twice punched his wife Pat to the left side of her face. The incident was just the latest in series of ugly incidents involving his campaign signs. Last Wednesday, Yankouski, one of four candidates vying for the Ward 7 council seat being vacated by Charles Pete Wood, detailed to Patch how seven of his campaign signs had been vandalized with orange spray paint. A couple of days later, four of his signs were “…
Ellen Milberger
11:20 am on Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Not to mention the revenue the Smyrna police are generating when they write tickets there. That would also have to stop. more ›