QUESTION TO CITY COUNCILMAN’S SITE PINE MOUNTAIN RD IMPROVEMENTS: When will work begin and how long will it last, on the $6,600,000+ improvements along the 1.5 miles of Pine Mountain Road?I understand that the project, which runs from Cobb Pky to Ellis Rd, includes widening to 3 lanes, sidewalks for both sides of the road, retaining walls, and added turn lanes. When last heard about some ‘right of way’ matters had to be addressed. Is that now completed and is the project start date now established? -------------------------------- Jim Sebastian•Reply: ~ Acquisitions are in the final stages. ~ Utility coordination in progress and follow up with non-responders. ~ Bid advertizing scheduled for October. ~ Project anticipated to start Q1 2017. ~ Project term anticipated to be 18 months. Done in segments. 8/2/16 City of Kennesaw 2016 Community Survey Full 44 page report with charts and graphs is available on the City web site: www.kennesaw-ga.gov Executive Summary Report - Overview and Methodology ETC Institute administered a community survey for the City of Kennesaw during the spring of 2016. The survey was designed to gather resident input and produce feedback on City programs and services. The information collected will be used to improve existing programs and services and give the City a better foundation for long-range planning and investment decisions. Methodology. A six-page survey was mailed to a random sample of households throughout the City of Kennesaw. The mailed survey included a postage paid return envelope and a cover letter. The cover letter explained the purpose of the survey, encouraged residents to return their surveys in the mail, and provided a link to an online survey for those who preferred to fill out the survey online. Approximately 10 days after the surveys were mailed, residents who received the survey were contacted by e-mail or phone. Those who indicated that they had not returned the survey by mail were given the option of completing it online or by phone. The goal was to receive at least 400 completed surveys. This goal was accomplished, with a total of 402 households completing a survey. The results for the random sample of 402 households have a 95% level of confidence with a precision of at least +/- 4.9%. In order to understand how well services are being delivered in different areas of the City, ETC Institute geocoded the home address of respondents to the survey. The map to the right shows the physical distribution of respondents to the resident survey based on the location of their home. Interpretation of “Don’t Know” Responses. The percentage of “don’t know” responses has been excluded from many of the graphs in this report to assess satisfaction with residents who had used City services and to facilitate valid comparisons with other communities in the benchmarking analysis. Since the number of “don’t know” responses often reflects the utilization and awareness of City services, the percentage of “don’t know” responses has been included in the tabular data in Section 4 of this report. When the “don’t know” responses have been excluded, the text of this report will indicate that the responses have been excluded with the phrase “who had an opinion.” This report contains the following: .. a summary of the methodology for administering the survey and major findings .. charts showing the overall results of the survey (Section 1) .. benchmarking data that shows how the results for The City of Kennesaw compare to residents in other communities (Section 2) .. importance-satisfaction analysis that identifies priorities for investment (Section 3) .. tabular data showing the overall results for all questions on the survey (Section 4) .. a copy of the cover letter and survey instrument (Section 5) .. a separate appendix was created with GIS Maps showing how different areas of the community responded to particular questions. Overall Perceptions of the City Most (88%) of the residents surveyed who had an opinion indicated their feeling of safety in the City of Kennesaw is “excellent” or “good”, which is significantly higher than the national average of 74%. Eighty-six percent (86%) of those surveyed who had an opinion indicated the overall quality of life in the City of Kennesaw as “excellent” or “good”, which is also significantly higher than the national average of 80%. Overall Satisfaction with City Services The major categories of City services that had the highest levels of satisfaction, based upon the combined percentage of “very satisfied” and “satisfied” responses among residents who had an opinion, were: the overall quality of parks and recreation facilities and programs (90%), overall quality of police services (83%), maintenance of City buildings and facilities (82%), and overall quality of customer service you receive from City employees (80%). For 10 of the 11 major categories of City services that were rated, 60% or more of residents who had an opinion were “very satisfied” or “satisfied”. Overall Feelings of Safety Most residents (97%) who had an opinion felt either “very safe” or “somewhat safe” when rating their overall feeling of safety within the City of Kennesaw. Ninety-six percent (96%) of residents who had an opinion indicated they felt “very safe” or “somewhat safe” walking alone in their neighborhood during the day. Ninety-six percent (96%) of residents who had an opinion indicated they felt “very safe” or “somewhat safe” in commercial and retail areas. The other situations where a majority of residents who had opinion indicated they felt either “very safe” or “somewhat safe” were: in city parks, recreation areas, and trails (93%), walking alone in their neighborhood after dark (82%), and traveling by bicycle in the City (69%). Satisfaction with Specific City Services .. Public Safety. The highest levels of satisfaction with public safety services, based upon the combined percentage of “very satisfied” and “satisfied” responses among residents who had an opinion, were: how quickly police respond to emergencies (82%), the City’s efforts to prevent crime (79%), ambulance and medical emergency response (77%), overall professionalism of the Police Department (76%), and 9-1-1 service provided by operators (76%). .. City Maintenance and Public Works Services. The highest levels of satisfaction with public works services, based upon the combined percentage of “very satisfied” and “satisfied” responses among residents who had an opinion, were: mowing and trimming of City Parks (86%), maintenance of street signs and traffic signals (82%), and maintenance of City-owned buildings (70%). .. Trash Services. The highest levels of satisfaction with trash services, based upon the combined percentage of “very satisfied” and “satisfied” responses among residents who had an opinion, were: residential trash collection services (74%) and curbside recycling services (71%). .. City Communication. The highest levels of satisfaction with City communication services, based upon the combined percentage of “very satisfied” and “satisfied” responses among residents who had an opinion, were: the content of the City’s newsletters (72%), and the availability of information about City programs and services (67%). .. City Property Maintenance Codes. The highest levels of satisfaction with City property maintenance codes, based upon the combined percentage of “very satisfied” and “satisfied” responses among residents who had an opinion, were: enforcing codes which protect public safety (61%), and enforcing the cleanup of litter and debris on private property (54%). .. Parks and Recreation. The highest levels of satisfaction with parks and recreation services, based upon the combined percentage of “very satisfied” and “satisfied” responses among residents who had an opinion, were: Swift-Cantrell Park (91%), the maintenance of City parks (91%), safety at the City’s Parks and Recreation facilities (80%), outdoor recreation facilities (77%), and the quality of picnic and pavilion areas and playgrounds (76%). Other Findings .. Seventy-nine percent (79%) of residents who had an opinion feel “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the drainage of rain water off City streets; 63% of residents who had an opinion are either “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with how easy their stormwater bill is to understand, 63% of residents who had an opinion are either “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with drainage of rain water off properties next to their residence, and 56% feel “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the amount charged for stormwater management. .. Seventy-one percent (71%) of residents who had an opinion believe the City’s current pace of industrial development is “just right”. Sixty-one percent (61%) of residents who had an opinion believe the City’s current pace of commercial development is “just..right”, and 59% of residents who had an opinion believe the City’s current pace of..multi-family residential development is “just right”. .. The most frequently mentioned sources of information residents use to get information about community activities and services are: the quarterly newsletter. (Inside Kennesaw) (65%), City website (www.kennesaw-ga.gov) (45%), word of mouth..(36%), electronic sign boards (36%), and signage or printed material from the City (35%). .. Only 39% of residents have called the City with a question, problem or complaint during the past year. Of those who have called the City and who had an opinion: 81% were either.. “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the courteousness of staff, 77% were either “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with how easy the department was to contact, 77% were either..“very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the professionalism and knowledge of the City employees who assisted them, and 71% were either “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the overall responsiveness of City employees to their request or concern. .. Residents were asked to indicate which special events they have attended in the past five years, the Big Shanty Festival was the most attended with 70% of respondents indicating they had attended the event within the past five years. Taste of Kennesaw was attended by 56% of respondents within the past five years, 51% attended Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival, and 43% attended the July 3 Salute to America within the past five years. .. Ninety percent (90%) of residents indicated it is “very important” (66%) or “somewhat important” (24%) for the City to offer a wide range of sponsored events. Only 3% indicated it was “not important”, 1% did not provide a response, and 6% percent indicated they were “not sure” Full report with charts and graphs is available on the City web site: www.kennesaw-ga.gov ------------------------------------------------------------- 7/31/16 ELECTION 2016 We have the worst 2 Presidential candidates in modern history. Neither are worth a vote.Although I have a Trump sticker on my car, it is NOT because I like him, it is because I DO NOT have any use at all for Hillary. If Trump keeps running his mouth he may just talk himself out of being President, even I have limits to how much bull shit I will listen to and still vote for him.The Country is doing very poorly when these 2 idiots are the best we can do for Presidential candidates. _______________________ Council Action Summary July 18 Meeting July 19th, 2016 by Pam Davis The following were the actions taken by the City Council at the July 18 meeting: It is recommended by legal that due to the financial expenditures associated with the debt owed by Swift Wheels to collect, the City shall not proceed against Swift Wheels. Motion by Councilmember Eaton to forego any additional spending of public funds to collect this debt and not proceed against Swift Wheels, seconded by Councilmember Sebastian. Vote taken, approved 3-1-1 (Councilmember Daniel opposed, Councilmember Patel absent). Motion carried see also: http://swiftwheelskennesaw.blogspot.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Swift Wheels Skake Shop, Kennesaw For those few who have any interest in the Skate Park you can find some info on the City suing Swift Wheels at: http://swiftwheelskennesaw.blogspot.com/ In Feb. 2008 Swift Wheels Inc was established by local business woman June Wick, it was located across the street from the Swift Cantrell Park at 3081 Old Hwy #41 (Main St). To facilitate a temporary skate board ramp Swift Wheels pledged $25,000. Only about $6,000 was paid. The City sued, got a judgement which remained uncollected and in July 2016 the City gave up trying to collect the remaining money due from the defunct company. In Feb. 2008 Swift Wheels Inc was established by local business woman June Wick, it was located across the street from the Swift Cantrell Park at 3081 Old Hwy #41 (Main St). To facilitate a temporary skate board ramp Swift Wheels pledged $25,000. Only about $6,000 was paid. The City sued, got a judgement which remained uncollected and in July 2016 the City gave up trying to collect the remaining money due from the defunct company. http://swiftwheelskennesaw.blogspot.com/ __________________ 7/29/16 ABSENTEE VOTING - APPLY FOR APPLICATION NOW Applications for 'voting by mail' are now open statewide. You don't have to be away from home for such an application, anyone can vote by mail. You do NOT need to go in person to vote. It is a waste of your time, gas and effort. Why would you want to stand in line for a couple of hours when you can mail in your ballot? Oregon votes entirely by mail, Georgia should follow this lead. I registered using the State of Ga form (see attached). I completed it online, printed out a copy, scanned it into my computer and emailed it to the County registrar. Didn't even have to use a stamp, although when voting for the Nov 8th election you will need first class postage for the return envelope. You can use either of generic State of Georgia form, valid in all counties, or get one from your local County Elections Dept. I noticed that they differ slightly for my County which makes it optional to provide your Georgia DL or ID number, but does request the last 4 of your social security number. The state form wants your DL/ID # but says nothing about your SSN #. No idea why, but it is the 'Government' so that is just that, anyway, either form is entirely acceptable. Top: County, Bottom: State form _____________________________ Citizen Satisfaction survey results released MDJ - 7/29/16 The first scientifically valid citizen survey of Kennesaw residents was conducted and will be presented Aug. 1 at the meeting of the Mayor and Council. The survey was designed to monitor satisfaction of city services including public safety, sanitation, maintenance and more from the long list of city services. Around 400 surveys were submitted from a range of age groups, income levels and geographic areas of the city. The results will be presented by Jason Morado, senior project manager of ETC Institute. The report will be available after the presentation at Kennesaw-ga.gov.

Anonymous asked Jim Sebastian:

Mosque Question

I saw this question asked on Facebook, but did not see your response. Would you please address this issue. Thank you.

====================================================

Q)  As I recall the approval for the Suffa Dawat Mosque/Worship Center was phrased as a ‘variance’ for 24 months of usage. We are approaching the end of that period now.

Did they in fact get a 2 year variance or did they just get total approval with no specified time limit?

---------------------------------------------

Jim Sebastian • reply
Get the Story about Kennesaw

In April 2015 , to ensure compliance with all Federal laws, including the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (commonly referred to as RLUIPA) and to bring the City of Kennesaw into compliance with recommendations made by the Department of Justice, the Mayor and Council unanimously amended the Kennesaw Code of Ordinances Appendix A, Chapter 2, Sections 2.02.03 “Table of Land Uses- Residential Districts” and 2.02.04 “Table of Land Uses – Non-Residential Districts.”

This conformity was made to allow for Religious Assemblies (defined as a site or facility maintained by a bona fide religious groups) for the primary purposes of religious worship, study, prayer or other religious practices of such religious groups.

Religious assemblies include but are not limited to churches, mosques, synagogues and temples in residential and non-residential districts. As these uses are now allowed, there are no limits on times or durations of use.

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8/7/16

Letter to all tenants:

NEW MANAGEMENT FOR REVIVAL ON MAIN

August 10, 2016

Revival on Main

2825 S. Main Street

Kennesaw, GA 30144

Dear Residents:

We are pleased to announce, effective today, Wilkinson Real Estate Advisors will assume management of Revival on Main Apartment Homes. Wilkinson Real Estate Advisors, Inc, is a Georgia based company that manages approximately 6,600 apartment homes in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee.

We encourage you to drop by the office and introduce yourselves and discuss any concerns that you may have regarding this transition or your apartment.  It is our goal to provide the best possible professional customer service and to exceed your expectations.

You may have questions about the possible ways to make payments.  We plan to utilize the same resident portal that you have been using!  Your current user ID and password will allow you access.  Any recurring auto payment option that you currently have set up will continue effective September 1st.  Access to the resident portal should be available on August 17th.  Please do not attempt to use the payment portal until after this date.  Once active you can access the portal through this link: http://revivalonmain.com.  The property website will look different, however the resident portal will look and feel just as you’re used to.  We will happily assist you with setup if you are new to using this online payment portal.  In addition to the online payment portal, you can also make payment in the office with a personal check, money order or cashier’s check.  We also accept MoneyGram payments.  Keep in mind that we do not accept personal checks for late rent.  For your convenience, additional clarification of payment information will also be distributed in the near future.  Please continue to make all payments for rent, utilities and other charges to Revival on Main.

We would also remind you that for all after hour’s emergency calls you should continue to call the office number: 678 883-3736.

We appreciate that you chose to make your home at Revival on Main and strive to ensure that your living experience here is pleasant.

Thank you,

Debra Millwood

President and COO

Wilkinson Real Estate Advisors, Inc.

(Note:  This firm is rated at D+ by the BBB.  Will problems continue at Revival?)

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8/7/16

KENNESAW MARKETPLACE TO OPEN FIRST PHASE IN FALL

Anthony White, MDJ

KENNESAW — The massive, 50-acre mixed-use development under construction at the corner of Cobb and Barrett Parkway in Kennesaw is set to welcome its first tenants in the coming months.

The retail side of Kennesaw Marketplace is expected to open in two phases during fall 2016 and spring 2017; the residential portion of the development is projected to open in 12 to 14 months.

When the $180 million development is fully opened, it will be one of the largest of its kind in Kennesaw, according to Kennesaw Mayor Derek Easterling.

“The more I think about it, the more I realize this could be one of the most important developments ever in Kennesaw,” Easterling said. “If you look at the quality of stores and restaurants, it’s got it all. It’s a great opportunity to transform the city into a real competitor.”

Jeff Fuqua is the principal at the Fuqua Development Company, which is building the Kennesaw Marketplace project. Fuqua agreed with the mayor’s assessment of the project’s possible effect on the city.

“It will have a large economic impact on Kennesaw,” he said. “It is expected to create 1,600 to 2,000 new jobs.”

The development, which began construction about a year ago, will feature a wide variety of retail stores and restaurants, as well as a multi-family senior-living residential facility with 190 units catering to residents 55 and older.

Most of the retail space in the development on the corner of Cobb Parkway and Barrett Parkway has already been leased, and “some of the retailers will open in the fall and the rest will open in the spring,” Fuqua said.

Kennesaw Marketplace will be anchored by a Whole Foods Market and include regional sporting goods stores, restaurants and other specialty retailers.

The 50-acre development is on the former site of a trailer park and an old granite mine, which presented some issues.

“It has been an extremely difficult project to develop,” Fuqua said. “The site was all rock and part of it was an old granite mine with a 60- to 80-foot deep crater in the middle. We had to fill the hole, which made this a major construction feat. That’s why it sat there for 50 years because it was a very difficult place to develop.”

The developer also had to consider the area’s transportation and traffic infrastructure.

“We’re building a half-mile long road in the middle of our property that will relieve traffic from the intersection,” Fuqua said. “So, if you don’t want to go to the intersection, you can cut through the road we’ve built.”

Fuqua said the company has also built a structural bridge across Noonday Creek that will eventually extend to the adjacent property.

Fuqua Development Company, headquartered in Atlanta, has also partnered with the Atlanta Braves on the retail portion of The Battery Atlanta, the mixed-use development under construction next door to SunTrust Park, the team’s new stadium in Cumberland.

Kennesaw Marketplace tenants will include:

♦ Whole Foods Market

♦ Academy Sports

♦ AT&T

♦ Aspen Dental

♦ Burger 21

♦ Cactus Carwash

♦ Freddy’s Steakburgers

♦ Hobby Lobby

♦ Luxury Nails

♦ Mattress Firm

♦ Medalyn Salon and Med Spa

♦ Menchies

♦ Newk’s Cafe

♦ Nothing Bundt Cakes

♦ Panda Express

♦ Petco

♦ PIE 5

♦ PNC Bank

♦ QuikTrip

♦ Relax the Back

♦ Smoothie King

♦ Sports Clips

♦ Starbucks

♦ SunTrust Bank

♦ U-Break I-Fix

♦ Volcano Steak and Sushi

♦ Which Wich

♦ Zoe’s Kitchen

The CLMHP Class Action Suit Continues

Civil Suits, particularly those asking for 'class action' status, tend to drag on for years, this one is no exception. Now it is set for Alternative Dispute Resolution.

CASTLE LAKE - ROUND 2 IN SUPERIOR COURT

Regular readers of my various blog sites are well aware of the Castle Lake Mobile Home Park and how 2/3 rds of that downmarket trailer park was abruptly rezoned and brought into the City of Kennesaw, all in a remarkable time of 28 days from proposal to approval and also how badly the low income tenants were treated by Jeff Fuqua ("Atlanta's Most Controversial Developer") and the Vancouver, BC slum lords of the Ergas family.

The trailers on those 52 acres are now gone, the retiries, low income residents and the large Hispanic population are all scattered to other parks, counties and even other states.

The land clearing for the new 450,000 sq ft retail and residential buildings is well advanced. You can have lunch at the IHOP and watch the blasting and earth moving while you have lunch, which was quite likely prepared and served by former CLMHP residents as several cooks and waitresses once resided at the park and probably still work at IHOP.

What you may not be aware of, is that 2 yrs ago a dozen former residents and trailer owners of this park banded together and filed what is hoped to be a 'class action' suit against 3 of the corporate entities of the Canadian slumlord* for various misdeeds over the years in the administration of the MHP.

Full details on this suit are available: at: http://kennesawinfo.blogspot.com/

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Davey Crockett

QUESTION TO CITY COUNCILMAN’S SITE

PINE MOUNTAIN RD IMPROVEMENTS:

When will work begin and how long will it last, on the $6,600,000+ improvements along the 1.5 miles of Pine Mountain Road?I understand that the project, which runs from Cobb Pky to Ellis Rd, includes widening to 3 lanes, sidewalks for both sides of the road, retaining walls, and added turn lanes.
When last heard about some ‘right of way’ matters had to be addressed. Is that now completed and is the project start date now established?

--------------------------------
Jim Sebastian•Reply:

~ Acquisitions are in the final stages.

~ Utility coordination in progress and follow up with non-responders.

~ Bid advertizing scheduled for October.

~ Project anticipated to start Q1 2017.

~ Project term anticipated to be 18 months. Done in segments.

8/2/16

City of Kennesaw 2016 Community Survey

Full 44 page report with charts and graphs is available on the City web site:  www.kennesaw-ga.gov

Executive Summary Report - Overview and Methodology

ETC Institute administered a community survey for the City of Kennesaw during the spring of 2016. The survey was designed to gather resident input and produce feedback on City programs and services. The information collected will be used to improve existing programs and services and give the City a better foundation for long-range planning and investment decisions.

Methodology.

A six-page survey was mailed to a random sample of households throughout the City of Kennesaw. The mailed survey included a postage paid return envelope and a cover letter. The cover letter explained the purpose of the survey, encouraged residents to return their surveys in the mail, and provided a link to an online survey for those who preferred to fill out the survey online.

Approximately 10 days after the surveys were mailed, residents who received the survey were contacted by e-mail or phone. Those who indicated that they had not returned the survey by mail were given the option of completing it online or by phone.

The goal was to receive at least 400 completed surveys. This goal was accomplished, with a total of 402 households completing a survey. The results for the random sample of 402 households have a 95% level of confidence with a precision of at least +/- 4.9%.

In order to understand how well services are being delivered in different areas of the City, ETC Institute geocoded the home address of respondents to the survey. The map to the right shows the physical distribution of respondents to the resident survey based on the location of their home.

Interpretation of “Don’t Know” Responses.

The percentage of “don’t know” responses has been excluded from many of the graphs in this report to assess satisfaction with residents who had used City services and to facilitate valid comparisons with other communities in the benchmarking analysis.

Since the number of “don’t know” responses often reflects the utilization and awareness of City services, the percentage of “don’t know” responses has been included in the tabular data in Section 4 of this report.

When the “don’t know” responses have been excluded, the text of this report will indicate that the responses have been excluded with the phrase “who had an opinion.”

This report contains the following:

.. a summary of the methodology for administering the survey and major findings

.. charts showing the overall results of the survey (Section 1)

.. benchmarking data that shows how the results for The City of Kennesaw compare to residents in other communities (Section 2)

.. importance-satisfaction analysis that identifies priorities for investment (Section 3)

.. tabular data showing the overall results for all questions on the survey (Section 4)

.. a copy of the cover letter and survey instrument (Section 5)

.. a separate appendix was created with GIS Maps showing how different areas of the community responded to particular questions.

Overall Perceptions of the City

Most (88%) of the residents surveyed who had an opinion indicated their feeling of safety in the City of Kennesaw is “excellent” or “good”, which is significantly higher than the national average of 74%.

Eighty-six percent (86%) of those surveyed who had an opinion indicated the overall quality of life in the City of Kennesaw as “excellent” or “good”, which is also significantly higher than the national average of 80%.

Overall Satisfaction with City Services

The major categories of City services that had the highest levels of satisfaction, based upon the combined percentage of “very satisfied” and “satisfied” responses among residents who had an opinion, were: the overall quality of parks and recreation facilities and programs (90%), overall quality of police services (83%), maintenance of City buildings and facilities (82%), and overall quality of customer service you receive from City employees (80%).

For 10 of the 11 major categories of City services that were rated, 60% or more of residents who had an opinion were “very satisfied” or “satisfied”.

Overall Feelings of Safety

Most residents (97%) who had an opinion felt either “very safe” or “somewhat safe” when rating their overall feeling of safety within the City of Kennesaw.

Ninety-six percent (96%) of residents who had an opinion indicated they felt “very safe” or “somewhat safe” walking alone in their neighborhood during the day.

Ninety-six percent (96%) of residents who had an opinion indicated they felt “very safe” or “somewhat safe” in commercial and retail areas.

The other situations where a majority of residents who had opinion indicated they felt either “very safe” or “somewhat safe” were: in city parks, recreation areas, and trails (93%), walking alone in their neighborhood after dark (82%), and traveling by bicycle in the City (69%).

Satisfaction with Specific City Services

.. Public Safety. The highest levels of satisfaction with public safety services, based upon the combined percentage of “very satisfied” and “satisfied” responses among residents who had an opinion, were:

how quickly police respond to emergencies (82%),

the City’s efforts to prevent crime (79%),

ambulance and medical emergency response (77%),

overall professionalism of the Police Department (76%), and

9-1-1 service provided by operators (76%).

.. City Maintenance and Public Works Services. The highest levels of satisfaction with public works services, based upon the combined percentage of “very satisfied” and “satisfied” responses among residents who had an opinion, were: mowing and trimming of City Parks (86%), maintenance of street signs and traffic signals (82%), and
maintenance of City-owned buildings (70%).

.. Trash Services. The highest levels of satisfaction with trash services, based upon the combined percentage of “very satisfied” and “satisfied” responses among residents who had an opinion, were: residential trash collection services (74%) and curbside recycling services (71%).

.. City Communication. The highest levels of satisfaction with City communication services, based upon the combined percentage of “very satisfied” and “satisfied” responses among residents who had an opinion, were:
the content of the City’s newsletters (72%), and
the availability of information about City programs and services (67%).

.. City Property Maintenance Codes. The highest levels of satisfaction with City property maintenance codes, based upon the combined percentage of “very satisfied” and “satisfied” responses among residents who had an opinion, were: enforcing codes which protect public safety (61%), and enforcing the cleanup of litter and debris on private
property (54%).

.. Parks and Recreation. The highest levels of satisfaction with parks and recreation services, based upon the combined percentage of “very satisfied” and “satisfied” responses among residents who had an opinion, were: Swift-Cantrell Park (91%), the maintenance of City parks (91%), safety at the City’s Parks and Recreation facilities (80%), outdoor recreation facilities (77%), and the quality of picnic and pavilion areas
and playgrounds (76%).

Other Findings

.. Seventy-nine percent (79%) of residents who had an opinion feel “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the drainage of rain water off City streets; 63% of residents who had an opinion are either “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with how easy their stormwater bill is to understand, 63% of residents who had an opinion are either “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with drainage of rain water off properties next to their residence, and 56%
feel “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the amount charged for stormwater
management.

.. Seventy-one percent (71%) of residents who had an opinion believe the City’s current pace of industrial development is “just right”. Sixty-one percent (61%) of residents who had an opinion believe the City’s current pace of commercial development is “just..right”, and 59% of residents who had an opinion believe the City’s current pace of..multi-family residential development is “just right”.

.. The most frequently mentioned sources of information residents use to get information about community activities and services are:

the quarterly newsletter. (Inside Kennesaw)
(65%),

City website (www.kennesaw-ga.gov) (45%), word of mouth..(36%),

electronic sign boards (36%), and signage or printed material from the City (35%).

.. Only 39% of residents have called the City with a question, problem or complaint during the past year.

Of those who have called the City and who had an opinion:

81% were either.. “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the courteousness of staff,

77% were either “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with how easy the department was to contact,

77% were either..“very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the professionalism and knowledge of the City employees who assisted them, and

71% were either “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the overall responsiveness of City employees to their request or concern.

.. Residents were asked to indicate which special events they have attended in the past five years, the Big Shanty Festival was the most attended with 70% of respondents indicating they had attended the event within the past five years.

Taste of Kennesaw was attended by 56% of respondents within the past five years, 51% attended Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival, and 43% attended the July 3 Salute to America within the past five years.

.. Ninety percent (90%) of residents indicated it is “very important” (66%) or “somewhat important” (24%) for the City to offer a wide range of sponsored events. Only 3% indicated it was “not important”, 1% did not provide a response, and 6% percent indicated they were “not sure”

Full report with charts and graphs is available on the City web site:  www.kennesaw-ga.gov
-------------------------------------------------------------

7/31/16

ELECTION 2016

We have the worst 2 Presidential candidates in modern history.  Neither are worth a vote.Although I have a Trump sticker on my car, it is NOT because I like him, it is because I DO NOT have any use at all for Hillary.

If Trump keeps running his mouth he may just talk himself out of being President, even I have limits to how much bull shit I will listen to and still vote for him.The Country is doing very poorly when these 2 idiots are the best we can do for Presidential candidates.

_______________________

Council Action Summary July 18 Meeting

July 19th, 2016 by Pam Davis

The following were the actions taken by the City Council at the July 18 meeting:

It is recommended by legal that due to the financial expenditures associated with the debt owed by Swift Wheels to collect, the City shall not proceed against Swift Wheels.

Motion by Councilmember Eaton to forego any additional spending of public funds to collect this debt and not proceed against Swift Wheels, seconded by Councilmember Sebastian.

Vote taken, approved 3-1-1 (Councilmember Daniel opposed, Councilmember Patel absent). Motion carried

see also: http://swiftwheelskennesaw.blogspot.com/

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Swift Wheels Skake Shop, Kennesaw

For those few who have any interest in the Skate Park you can find some info on the City suing Swift Wheels at: http://swiftwheelskennesaw.blogspot.com/

In Feb. 2008 Swift Wheels Inc was established by local business woman June Wick, it was located across the street from the Swift Cantrell Park at 3081 Old Hwy #41 (Main St). To facilitate a temporary skate board ramp Swift Wheels pledged $25,000. Only about $6,000 was paid. The City sued, got a judgement which remained uncollected and in July 2016 the City gave up trying to collect the remaining money due from the defunct company.

In Feb. 2008 Swift Wheels Inc was established by local business woman June Wick, it was located across the street from the Swift Cantrell Park at 3081 Old Hwy #41 (Main St). To facilitate a temporary skate board ramp Swift Wheels pledged $25,000.

Only about $6,000 was paid. The City sued, got a judgement which remained uncollected and in July 2016 the City gave up trying to collect the remaining money due from the defunct company.

http://swiftwheelskennesaw.blogspot.com/

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7/29/16

ABSENTEE VOTING - APPLY FOR APPLICATION NOW

     Applications for 'voting by mail' are now open statewide. You don't have to be away from home for such an application, anyone can vote by mail.

     You do NOT need to go in person to vote. It is a waste of your time, gas and effort. Why would you want to stand in line for a couple of hours when you can mail in your ballot?

     Oregon votes entirely by mail, Georgia should follow this lead.

     I registered using the State of Ga form (see attached). I completed it online, printed out a copy, scanned it into my computer and emailed it to the County registrar.

     Didn't even have to use a stamp, although when voting for the Nov 8th election you will need first class postage for the return envelope.

     You can use either of generic State of Georgia form, valid in all counties, or get one from your local County Elections Dept.

     I noticed that they differ slightly for my County which makes it optional to provide your Georgia DL or ID number, but does request the last 4 of your social security number. The state form wants your DL/ID # but says nothing about your SSN #.

     No idea why, but it is the 'Government' so that is just that, anyway, either form is entirely acceptable.

Top:  County, Bottom:  State form

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Citizen Satisfaction survey results released

MDJ - 7/29/16

The first scientifically valid citizen survey of Kennesaw residents was conducted and will be presented Aug. 1 at the meeting of the Mayor and Council.

The survey was designed to monitor satisfaction of city services including public safety, sanitation, maintenance and more from the long list of city services.

Around 400 surveys were submitted from a range of age groups, income levels and geographic areas of the city.

The results will be presented by Jason Morado, senior project manager of ETC Institute.

The report will be available after the presentation at Kennesaw-ga.gov.

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7/25/16

Taxpayer Money Being Wasted on Useless Courses for New Council Member

Davey Crockett asked Jim Sebastian:

Ethics Question

New Council member Daniel will attend a 6 day $2400 ARC program 9/25/30. This was approved by a 5-0 vote in Council on June 20th. In effect she voted for her own 6 day vacation.

Why do Council members vote on issues that benefit them?

Didn’t the City Attorney cover this sort of ethics issue for the new members and if he didn’t why not.

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Jim Sebastian•7 hrs
Get the Story about Kennesaw

Earlier in the year, the Council voted for the Leadership Cobb program for one member (Mayor or Council) to attend. At that time, there were no known members chosen. Ultimately, none were selected for the upcoming nine (9) month class.

Unbeknown to most of the Council, Ms Daniel applied (or was nominated) for the ARC program and was accepted. The vote you are referring to was to apply the $3,000 set aside for the Leadership Cobb program for the ARC program. There needed to be a vote as it was an unbudgeted item.

As a side, there are no funds in the upcoming budget allocated for these events. Each member has a set allowance for classes/travel and that is it. You can track each elected officials spending via an Open Records Requests. You will find some spend everything they have while others spend next to nothing.

We were not advised by the City Attorney regarding the specifics of who could vote or not vote on this issue as it was considered a generic fund. Given she took the route of asking for forgiveness rather than notifying and getting approval of the Council ahead of time is something you need to address with her.

Appreciated (2)•2 Replies

Davey Crockett•1 hr

Even if there was no formal ‘Introduction to Ethics’ provided by the City Attorney, it should be obvious to anyone with connected brain cells that if a course of action is going to benefit a serving Council member that said member should avoid casting a vote on the issue.

Also it would have been nice had others on the Council suggested that if she wanted to go back to her old S. Georgia neighborhood for 6 days that she should pay for it herself.

$2,400 is a lot of taxpayer money for a new council member, for a Mayor, maybe but what use is this for one of 5 council members? This sort of pork barrel stuff should not happen.

Hopefully the City didn't issue her a credit card. Her past bankruptcy and large debts should be enough to make a credit card out of the question.

I recall that in the closing days of the old mayor Mathews administration he wanted to get an expense paid trip to some place out west for a conference and even the old City Council had enough guts to say that the City wasn’t going to pay for the trip. He went anyway but had to pay for it himself.

A pretty poor showing that this new Council wasn’t even up to the minimal standards of an old Council.

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Anonymous•1 hr

Let's see.If I'm correct, and. Daniel has been in office for seven months and has gone on two long distant trips on tax payers dollars. Not to mention th spending hike on those trips. Now we see she is attending another program, all in her first seven months. She's requested additional monies for education and travel - all TAX PAYERS dollars.

Exactly who monitors the Mayor and Council spending? It's very evident Ms. Daniel has found her cash cow in the Kennesaw government and most citizens are just to naive to see it, or they simply don't care.

Ms. Daniel campaigned on transparency, financial stewardship, and honesty. Appears it was typical politician rhetoric. Does Kennesaw really have that much excess money to be paying for a "government funded lifestyle" for this Councilmember? Are people afraid to confront Ms. Daniel or the Council regarding the spending taking place with this new Council? This ARC program is not mandatory, it's a luxury. Are we to continue to pay for the political career plans of a local politician with a questionable past financially and educationally.

Didn't the prior Council reduce the Mayor/Council budget around $32,000? Now Ms. Daniel is requesting to increase it for her personal/professional benefit? With her bent on 100% disability, she can't work and draw a paycheck, so she chooses a profession in politics for the "recognition".

How can he citizens stop this erroneous spending by the "tribe" before it's too late, and put those dollars where it's most needed?

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Davey Crockett says:

Don't forget to keep up with her at: 

http://catcherfreeman.blogspot.com/

_____________________________

Bankruptcy Information for current/past/candidates for City Council/Mayor

Davey Crockett I have found that some folks are 'known by' their middle and last name and omit the first name, others may use a nickname rather than their full name, this applies to the first 2 below. Also you may need to check various 13 Federal Circuits if they have lived outside of Georgia (11th Circuit), ie: Jimmy Dickens from NC (4th Circuit).

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08-61529-crm Charles Derek Easterling and Dawn Michelle Easterling
Case type: bk Chapter: 7 Asset: No Vol: v Judge: C. Ray Mullins
Date filed: 01/31/2008 Date of last filing: 07/27/2009 Date discharged: 06/02/2008
Date terminated: 06/02/2008 

----------------------------------------

04-71201-mhm George Leroy Grumbein and June Lula Grumbein
Case type: bk Chapter: 7 Asset: No Vol: v Judge: Margaret Murphy
Date filed: 07/09/2004 Date of last filing: 10/16/2004 Date discharged: 10/14/2004
Date terminated: 10/14/2004

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02-11284-JSD Yvette Daniel
Case type: bk Chapter: 13 Asset: Yes Vol: v Hon.: John S. Dalis
Date filed: 04/17/2002 Date of last filing: 08/26/2005
Date terminated: 08/26/2005

-----------------------------------

09-74712-mgd Timothy Alan Killingsworth
Case type: bk Chapter: 7 Asset: No Vol: v Judge: Mary Grace Diehl
Date filed: 06/07/2009 Date of last filing: 10/20/2012
Debtor discharged: 09/18/2009
Date terminated: 10/18/2012

-------------------------------------

09-73096-mgd Mark Rea Mathews and Betsy Kaye Mathews
Case type: bk Chapter: 7 Asset: No Vol: v Judge: Mary Grace Diehl
Date filed: 05/21/2009 Date of last filing: 04/01/2010
Debtor discharged: 10/22/2009 Joint debtor discharged: 10/22/2009
Date terminated: 03/30/2010

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98-68112-pwb Matthew John Riedemann and Beth Paulson Riedemann
Case type: bk Chapter: 13 Asset: Yes Vol: v Judge: Paul W. Bonapfel
Date filed: 05/07/1998 Date of last filing: 04/10/2006 Date discharged: 01/26/2002
Date terminated: 04/22/2002

---------------------------------------

01-21396-RBR Nimesh Patel
Case type: bk Chapter: 7 Asset: No Vol: v Judge: Raymond B. Ray
Date filed: 03/05/2001 Date of last filing: 09/10/2001 Date discharged: 07/10/2001
Date terminated: 09/10/2001

----------------------------------------

11-64956-pmb Brigette Pennington Washington and Anthony Washington
Case type: bk Chapter: 13 Asset: Yes Vol: v Judge: Paul Baisier
Date filed: 05/19/2011 Date of last filing: 06/08/2016 Plan confirmed: 03/08/2012

------------------------------------------

95-00426-5-ATS Jimmy Devall Dickens and Cindy Denise Dickens
Case type: bk Chapter: 13 Asset: Yes Vol: v Judge: A. Thomas Small
Date filed: 04/07/1995 Date of last filing: 12/21/1995
Date terminated on the ‘Debtors Motion to Dismiss’: 12/29/1995

-----------------------------------------

Misc: A very old filing may apply to another council member but records are not clear enough to be sure the case is for this person.

========================================================

7/23/16

KENNESAW OFFICIALS:  Key Contacts

Print out and Save:

(Main Number 770-424-8274)

City Manager: Jeff Drobney

770-429-4544
jdrobney@kennesaw-ga.gov

Building Services : Scott Banks
770-429-4554
sbanks@kennesaw-ga.gov

City Clerk: Debra Taylor
770-424-8274
dctaylor@kennesaw-ga.gov

Court Clerk: Linda Johnson
770-429-4531
ljohnson@kennesaw-ga.gov

Economic Development: Bob Fox
770-794-7075
rfox@kennesaw-ga.gov

Finance: Gina Auld
770-424-8274
gauld@kennesaw-ga.gov

Human Resources: LisaRae Jones
770-424-8274
ljones@kennesaw-ga.gov

Parks & Recreation: Doug Taylor
770-422-9714
dtaylor@kennesaw-ga.gov

Planning/Zoning: Darryl Simmons
770-590-8268
dsimmons@kennesaw-ga.gov

Police Department (Dispatch)
770-422-2505

Property Tax: Christy Huiel
770-424-8274 Ext 3015
chuiel@kennesaw-ga.gov

Public Works: Ricky Stewart
770-421-8582
rstewart@kennesaw-ga.gov

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The Kennesaw Watch · 

SUFFA DAWAT MOSQUE, KENNESAW

A week ago an inquiry was emailed to the City of Kennesaw, flagged to be forwarded to 'Code Enforcement' with copies to the Mayor and Council, asking if the usage of the mosque was in violation of their agreement for the variance, in that on Friday afternoon the attendees to the mosque completely filled the parking lot (except for a few coned/reserved spaces for other units) and over flowed to the Publix parking lot next door.

No reply from Code Enforcement, one reply from a Council member acknowledging my inquiry.

Details at: http://suffadawa.blogspot.com/

• Suffa Dawat Center Issue
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  Suffa Dawat Center Issue
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  Suffa Dawat Center Issue
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  Suffa Dawat Center Issue
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  Suffa Dawat Center Issue
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  See more at SUFFADAWA.BLOGSPOT.COM

Chronological

Comments

The Kennesaw Watch Friday 7/22/16, early arrivals for afternoon service put out a few cones to reserve spaces for other retail spaces. The lot later filled past capacity and over flowed into the Publix parking lot next door.

Like · Reply · 1 min

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7/21/16

Kennesaw City Council votes to adopt millage rate, not to pursue debt owed

KENNESAW — The Kennesaw City Council approved a resolution 

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
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• to adopt new fiscal year millage rates that are the same as
•  last year’s rates at its regular meeting Monday.
The council approved the city’s proposed 8 mill rate for maintenance and operations and its 1.5 bond millage rate by a 4-0 vote. Councilman Nimesh Patel was not present for the vote.
The millage rate approved by the council is the same as it has been for the last eight years, according to the city.
Proceeds collected through the maintenance and operations millage rate are used to fund such general government expenses as public safety, public works and parks.
The bond millage rate is levied to fund the debt service on the $15 million recreation and traffic safety bonds approved by voters in 2004, according to the city.
The millage rate approved by the council is the same as it has been for the last eight years, so taxpayers will only see an increase in their taxes owed to the city if their property values increased.
A home appraised at $200,000 would result in a tax bill of $760 if not granted any exemptions.
The council also voted not to proceed with collection actions on an $18,798 judgement against Swift Wheels Inc., a company that was administratively dissolved by the Georgia Secretary of State in 2012.
In December 2010, the city received a judgement against Swift Wheels in Cobb Superior Court, but Swift Wheels has failed to pay the amount owed.
The debt involved a commitment to contribute to the funding of a skateboarding facility that was not fulfilled, according to city officials.
The city’s legal department recommended that the city not proceed in collection action against Swift Wheels because of the cost of collecting the money owed, which the officials estimated to be $5,975 to $7,350.
“I just want to be clear that we all realize that these are taxpayer dollars we‘re talking about,” said Councilman James Eaton. “My question to the audience is, would you spend $7,000 to possibly collect $18,000 when your odds of getting that $18,000 are probably not very good. That’s the basis for which I’ve made my decision and on which I will vote right now.”
The council voted 3-1 not to proceed with collection actions against Swift, with Councilwoman Yvette Daniels cast the dissenting vote.

see info on Daniels at http://catcherfreeman.blogspot.com

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Swift Wheels was founded by June Ellen Wick as Swift Wheels Skateboard Shop and Snack Bar it was a community Skateboard Shop located at 3081 Old 41 Hwy Nw, Kennesaw, GA 30144, just across the street from the Swift-Cantrell Park in Kennesaw, GA.

Mrs Wick pledged 25K to the City, was unable to complete payments and the City sued her for the pledge towards the park. The MDJ story ran 1/19/10 "Kennesaw sues skate shop over $25,000 pledge". Mrs Wick and Miles Stanton ran the internet site 'Kennesaw Watch' for some years, it was down for some months, reopened under the Editorship of failed Kennesaw Mayoral candidate Debbie Williams and it was then closed down again. The new Kennesaw Watch 30152 has no connection to the old Kennesaw Watch. 

See:https://www.facebook.com/TheKennesawWatch30152/...

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Kennesaw sues skate shop over $25,000 pledge

By Kim Isaza, MDJ
kisaza@mdjonline.com Jan 19, 2010 

KENNESAW - The city of Kennesaw has filed suit against the owner of Swift Wheels Skate Shop, demanding $25,000 that was pledged for a temporary skateboard ramp.

June Wick, the owner of Swift Wheels, responded in Cobb Superior Court on Jan. 11 that she needs more time to hire an attorney.

The city argues in the civil suit that Wick signed an unsecured pledge agreement on Oct. 29, 2008, stating that she would give the city $25,000, in two payments, "for the costs associated with the installation of a temporary skate ramp facility located at Swift Cantrell Park in Kennesaw."

The first payment, of $10,000, was to be made by March 31, 2009, and the second payment, of $15,000, was to be made on Sept. 30, 2009, according to the agreement. The agreement also states that in the event of default or breach, "Maker promises to pay fees and court costs, whether judgment is rendered or not."

Randall Bentley, the city's attorney who practices in his family's firm - Bentley, Bentley and Bentley - said the city built the temporary ramp that now stands at Swift Cantrell Park based on Wick's pledge. The park is on Old Highway 41 near Jiles Road.

The temporary ramp opened for public use on Nov. 1, 2008.

Wick said that she alerted the city's finance director, Gina Auld, and other city officials as soon as she realized she would not be able to make the payments.

"I was under the impression that as long as I worked with them, it would be all right," she said. "I had every intention of paying when the economy gets better."

She also said she had been helping the city in other ways, such as by donating prizes for various city-sponsored events. She estimated she had spent $8,000 on such materials, and questioned why the city is pursuing litigation against her small business.

"If they get what they are asking for, it will put me out of business and may force me in to bankruptcy," Wick said.

Bentley said the city is willing to negotiate with Wick.  "I'm always willing to talk any kind of resolution," he said.

A skate park committee has raised more than $30,000 for a permanent skateboarding park inside Swift Cantrell. Initial plans were for a $1.5 million park, and there have been talks for the city and the county to assist with financing, though with the economic downturn, that has been put on hold.

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Swift Wheels, Incorporated is a Georgia Domestic Profit Corporation filed on February 1, 2008. The company's filing status is listed as Admin. Dissolved and its File Number is 08009422. 

The Registered Agent on file for this company is Wick, June E. and is located at 2381 Deerfield Drive Nw, Kennesaw, GA 30144. The company's principal address is 3081 Old 41 Highway, Kennesaw, GA 30144.

The company has 1 principal on record. The principal is Wick E. June from Kennesaw GA.

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7/17/16

Castle Lake MHP - Bridge to Nowhere:

The Castle Lake trailer park remains, although about 2/3rds of it was sold and is being developed at the Kenesaw Marketplace mall, by Fuqua Development, LLC.

The 1/2 bridge will eventually lead from the developed shopping center to whoever or whatever ends up developing this last 22 acres of property, it is likely to be a retail development.

Still winding its way through the Cobb County Superior Court is a suit by 12 former residents of the Castle Lake Mobile Home Park, who are asking for their civil action to be considered as a 'Class Action'.

The CLMHP Defendants threatened eviction, either expressly or implicitly, to all tenants who did not promptly pay the illegal fines, thereby extorting payment from each tenant. Illegal fines sometimes exceeding the amount of the tenant's monthly rent payment.

Note:  The next Court date has been set for July 22, 2016.  Plaintiffs are represented by the Carroll Law Firm.

See details at:  http://castlelakemhp.blogspot.com/

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KENNESAW MARKETPLACE WORK CONTINUES

Fall opening for many stores is expected.

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7/17/16

NEW KENNESAW MOSQUE

3.62 acres already donated. Fund raising started for:

Masjid Suffah, 6045 Pine Mountain Road, to replace the strip mall mosque at 2750 Jiles Rd, Kennesaw.  The property with a FMV of $134,400 was donated to the Mosque by Kashif Rashid Rana, Kennesaw, and on 4/6/16 a demolition permit was issued for the existing abandoned shell of a house.  The property belonged to Mary Estelle Holcombe and was sold by her estate to Mr. Rana (Parcil ID:  20016601430).

See:  http://suffadawa.blogspot.com
and  http://suffadawatsuit.blogspot.com

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The Below article appeared one year ago:

Neighbors react to plans on moving mosque in their neighborhood

Monday, July 20th 2015, 4:15 pm EDTMonday, August 17th 2015, 4:15 pm EDT

By Mike Dunston

CONNECT

 

KENNESAW, GA (CBS46) -

A battle might be brewing in Cobb County.

In December 2014, there was controversy over a mosque in Kennesaw moving to a temporary location in a strip mall on Jiles Road. Now there are plans to move it about a half-mile down the road to Pine Mountain Road, and it's not sitting well with some neighbors.

The mosque would go in a wooded area surrounded by houses and an office park. None of the neighbors knew about the plans and they seem to have varying views.

"They've been very friendly," said Teresa Barnes, who manages Candy Man Inc. She says that so far, her eight-month neighbors, Masjid Suffah, have been as sweet as a piece of chocolate she was packing up during our interview. 

"Yes, you have your radical Muslims, but these people seem very nice [and] don't cause any problems," Barnes said.

But some in the community haven't always been cordial. Last winter, the mosque was at the center of controversy when it wanted to move into a strip mall. After the city council's original vote of no, Muslim residents threatened to sue the city for violating their first amendment right to freedom of religion. Later, council members reconsidered their vote and decided to approve the temporary location.

Now, there are plans to build a permanent mosque at a new location on Pine Mountain Road and there's a fund raising page setup to raise thousands of dollars to build the mosque near a residential community.

"I just don't want any kind of hate crime coming in," said neighbor Rickey Cole. "I think property value could go down because of that, and traffic could be a big issue because we already have horrible traffic on 41."

Jacqueline Waldon's property would also be in the shadow of the planned mosque. She's lived in Kennesaw for six decades and says, like husband's tomato and watermelon garden, the mosque would be a part of good growth for the neighborhood.

"Our church is outgrowing itself and we need a new place and I wouldn't want my neighbors to be offended by us building a church there, so I have no problem with them building the mosque there," Waldon said.

After a request for comment, the president of the mosque said he's talking with the board of directors and would get back to CBS46, but has yet to call us back.

They mayor of Kennesaw told CBS46 that so far, the city hasn't gotten any applications or zoning requests.

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7/15/16

REVIVAL ON MAIN - KENNESAW

None of the Revival retail spaces have been rented out. These units were put in to make the proposed development a more attractive project for the City to consider.

Now that the project is finished the Developer has little interest in following through with rentals for small businesses. They claim that they have some interest on part of the rental of 2 units for food outlets.


It is well past time for the rentals to be filled. Although the City can not make the developer rent the spaces they could and should make it clear to the Developer that the units are important to downtown development and need to be rented a.s.a.p.

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Friday, July 15, 2016

KENNESAW: SUFFA DAWAT MOSQUE OVERFLOW PARKING

Another Friday (7/15/16) and another overflow of parking at the Kennesaw Commons strip mall at 2750 Jiles Road.
 The lot has a few open slots reserved for shoppers at other retail stores but otherwise not only is the parking lot completely full, spill over parking goes to the Publix lot.

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KENNESAW: WHAT WILL THE NEW SUFFA DAWAT MOSQUE LOOK LIKE?

The ‘new’ Suffa Dawat Mosque to be built at 6045 Pine Mountain Road. The 3.62 acres (161,000 sq ft) has set aside 200 spaces for parking.

The Mosque land was donated to them by Mr. Kashif Rashid Rana of Kennesaw.

Due to an almost total shortfall in donations for this new center it will be years before any construction could start.

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ANYONE MISSING MAYOR MC CHEESE YET?

Yeah, didn’t think so.

But if the current elected crop of politicos in Kennesaw continues to do no more than cash their pay checks and get their noses out of joint over being criticized we might look back of the prior administration as ‘the good old days’.

So you folks up their on the dais - try to do something positive for a change.

We don't need any more screwy ideas like making the Kennesaw City Cemetery into the Kennesaw City Dog Park. 

Hey Doc, stop listening to your daughter, there is a reason she isn't on the Council anymore!

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7/14/16

SUFFA DAWAT MOSQUE OVER CROWDING

Initially information was given by the mosque backers that they would have at most 80 worshipers for their main service on Friday afternoon in the 2 rental spaces at the Kennesaw Commons Strip Mall, 2750 Jiles Rd location.

Since then they have expanded their rental to another next door unit which is suppose to be used for the women, bringing the total rented space to 3,300 sq ft.

Photos taken in July 2016 on the “28th Night of Ramadan” at 11 p.m. show only the men’s side, which is the original 2 units (2200 sq ft) and show at least 106 people, considering the remaining area not shown, probably there are 130 (+/-) plus an unknown number of women in the remaining unit.

While the County Fire Dept had initially established the maximum number allowed under their regulations at an unrealistic 315 for the original 2 units, you can see that the facility is well above the actual physical capacity of the rooms and the parking lot during both Ramadan and their normal main service on Friday afternoons.

The original City variance for use of the property as a Mosque for 24 months still has a few months to run but there is no indication that any other facility is being prepared for the expiration of the approved 24 month usage.

A careful look at the photos will show that there are conceptual drawings of the proposed Mosque to be built at 6045 Pine Mountain Road, the design shows 3 minarets and a dome.  The 3.62 acres (161,000 sq ft) has set aside 200 spaces for parking.

Whether this new million dollar Mosque is ever built, in the proposed configuration or otherwise, it clearly would be impossible for it to be ready for several years.  The donations are very minimal, hardly enough to pay the rent on the current location.  

Mosque leadership has been critical of worshipers for their lack of contributions.

This despite their own leadership being composed of several multi millionaires, one of which is Abdul Kareem Amer, who is also in the news recently for being the spokesman for the East Cobb Islamic Centers building of a cemetery for 6-7,000 plots in Powder Springs on MacLand Road. 

The immediate Kennesaw concern is that their Friday service exceeds the available strip mall parking.  

Near term concerns are for what happens when both their lease and agreement with the City of Kennesaw for the 24 month variance runs out.

Long term concerns are for construction of the new Suffa Dawat Mosque on the land donated to them by Mr.  Kashif Rashid Rana of Kennesaw.

Previous dealings with this Mosque have not been satisfactory and have cost the City $18,000, a Federal lawsuit and an international black eye.

With 5 of the 6 elected City posts now held by newly elected representatives perhaps some clearer thinking will emerge on how to deal with the referenced issues.  

If not then it will be another round fought out in the press and probably the courts.

7/8/16  The Kennesaw Watch 

HOW MANY RESTAURANTS ARE TO MANY?

   Kennesaw will probably find out shortly with a large influx of new restaurants in the Kennesaw Marketplace shopping center.

   As you may recall, Fuqua Development is putting in a large regional shopping center on 52 acres of the old Castle Lake Mobile Home Park. 23 acres of CLMHP still exists but in coming years this will probably also go retail and of course a part of the Fuqua project is suppose to be for townhomes (don’t hold your breath for this).

   So we have 8 existing restaurants at the corner of Cobb Pky and Barrett Pky soon to be joined by at least 11 more on the Fuqua development.

Can 19 restaurants (probably more to come) find enough hungry people to stay in business?

   I guess we will find out before long.

Already there are 8 on the East side of Cobb Pky:

IHOP
Taco Bell
Burger King
Tom and Cheese
Whistle Stop
Wendy’s
KFC
Arby’s

and soon going into the new Kennesaw Marketplace shopping center, located just across Cobb Parkway, will be at least 11 more:

Burger 21
Freddy's Steakburgers
Menchies
Newks Cafe
Panda Express
PIE 5
Smoothie King
Starbucks
Volcano Steak and Sushi
Which Wich
Zoe's Kitchen

   This will provide a lot of new, but low paying jobs, for the area. By the end of 2016 there will be at least 19 places to eat, mostly fast food, but both the Whistle Stop and IHOP are sit down and order restaurants.

Chronological

Comments

The Kennesaw Watch 

This is what is left of the much larger Castle Lake MHP. The land is now to valuable to remain as a trailer park and in coming years it will probably be rezoned, taken into Kennesaw and end up with retail or residential usage.

Wednesday, July 06, 2016

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Rebuttal: “Welcome to the most backwards town in America”

Alex O'Brien and Kat Shambaugh

Kat Shambaugh, Features editor

August 24, 2015

Filed under Opinions

On July 31st, 2015, media-based news company NowThis posted a video to their Facebook page entitled “Welcome to the most backwards town in America.” The minute-long snippet showcases our own Kennesaw, GA, in obvious malcontent, mentioning the Fed-Ex shooting, infamous gun law, and racism that supposedly runs rampant in our municipality to prove that the city is the worst in the country.

First, the video calls out the Kennesaw law that they quote “says every household must own a gun (with a few exceptions).” Unsurprisingly, NowThis fails to look into the exceptions.

In 1982, as a response to an Illinois town’s law prohibiting gun ownership, the City of Kennesaw passed an ordinance that states, “(a) In order to provide for the emergency management of the city, and further in order to provide for and protect the safety, security and general welfare of the city and its inhabitants, every head of household residing in the city limits is required to maintain a firearm, together with ammunition therefore.

(b) Exempt from the effect of this section are those heads of households who suffer a physical or mental disability which would prohibit them from using such a firearm. Further exempt from the effect of this section are those heads of households who are paupers or who conscientiously oppose maintaining firearms as a result of beliefs or religious doctrine, or persons convicted of a felony.”

Therefore, citizens of Kennesaw, to protect the city, must own a gun and ammunition unless they are disabled, cannot afford it, boast a criminal record, or simply do not want to. If one opposes owning a gun, the law does not require it.

The ordinance passed as way to protest the way that Morton Grove, Illinois deprived its citizens of their Second Amendment right by prohibiting the ownership of handguns. The fact that it keeps Kennesaw’s crime low remains a happy side effect. So low, in fact, that from 1982 to 2009, Kennesaw saw only one murder, which occurred in 2007, according to Gary Demar, citizen and journalist for politicaloutcast.com. Drawn from data on the city’s website, Kennesaw’s crime index, a way of comparing crime rates used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, proves lower than that of Acworth, Marietta, Woodstock, Powder Springs, Smyrna, Emerson, and Hiram, to name a few.

Local citizen Chuck Baldwin perfectly sums up the utility of Kennesaw’s gun ordinance: “What is even more interesting about Kennesaw is that the city’s crime rate decreased with the simple knowledge that the entire community was armed. The bad guys didn’t force the residents to prove it. Just knowing that residents were armed prompted them to move on to easier targets. Most criminals don’t have a death wish.”

As for the mosque debacle, which the video portrayed as another of the city’s flaws, Kennesaw refused the building initially because of concern over traffic problems it would create in the strip mall, and suggested the mosque move to a better location. True, protestors did show up at City Hall as the story got out of hand, but how can NowThis judge an entire city on the actions of a few?

If the company believes such actions are acceptable, can I say that everyone in Columbine, Colorado supports school shootings? Of course not. Just because a citizen decides to protest does not mean that represents the feelings of all.

Furthermore, NowThis’s vague video interview use—the unnamed man’s statement, without the context of the video, tells us basically nothing—does not help to support their claim at all.

When it comes to not judging an entire city on the actions of one, the KSU snafu falls under the same category. While we do not know anything about what happened before or after the video was taken, we all can understand that the scenario shown in the video proves unfair Just because one person takes one stance does not mean it represents the entire town’s viewpoint, and even more, it does not mean one can discredit the city’s college.

Kennesaw State University still investigates the video today and the university put the academic advisor involved on probation until they further solve the problem. We do not know everyone’s side of the story, so therefore reporting will inevitably be biased, but obviously, NowThis does not appear worried about biased reporting.

Next the video comes to my personal favorite part, where it declares in bold yellow letters that the Kennesaw’s “main street is home to 2 Civil War museums” while showing a video of a Confederate Flag pulled from a Newsweek article. Apparently a town cannot teach about the Civil War, especially when the event remains an important part of its history.

Then we get to the most expected part: the mention of the Kennesaw Wildman, local Dent Myers, who owns a shop in Downtown Kennesaw. What a perfect example of words’ capacity to skew media. NowThis writes that Myers’ establishment is a “popular KKK supporter’s store.” Dent Myers and his store are certainly famous, almost infamous, but saying  that they are “popular” implies a loving connotation. Popular establishments are ones that everyone knows and loves. Most people in Kennesaw may know the Wildman’s store, but certainly not everyone loves it. In fact, most people have never entered the store before, myself included. I even felt surprised when the Newsweek video went in, as I had never seen the inside of the store before. Using Myers as a representative for every citizen in Kennesaw is ridiculous and invalid, and one would know this if they visited the town and talked to the people. Myers is a blemish on the city’s reputation that the citizens of Kennesaw must live with, but certainly not one that any of us likes.

Now this closes the video by advising everyone to visit Kennesaw unless they are “Black, Muslim, a student, or think not everyone needs a gun,” and then proceeds to show videos of African Americans, Muslims, students, and others in our lovely city. They did not even need me to invalidate their claim there.

As a journalist, striving to exist as an accurate and credible news source remains my highest goal. When a company like NowThis reports venomously on events and laws they do not understand, they put to shame news sources everywhere. Congratulations, NowThis, on adding validity to every terrible stereotype about the media while losing all of your own credibility. You win the title of “The Most Backward Journalism in America.”

Davey Crockett  7-6-2016

1 min · 

MORE KENNESAW MOSQUE BULLSHIT

KENNESAW MOSQUE THRIVING AFTER BUMPY BEGINNING

Emily Selby MDJ 7/5/16

It’s been about a year and a half since the Kennesaw City Council balked at allowing a mosque to open in a strip mall, and since that time, mosque leaders say everything is “going great.

“It is so convenient,” said Dr. Nayyer Islam, president of the mosque, the Masjid Suffah of Kennesaw.

“It’s a great place for everyone to come together and meet each other. There are some people I didn’t even know were in the area that are coming here now.”

In December of 2014, the Kennesaw City Council voted 4-1 to deny a permit that would have allowed worshippers to open a Muslim prayer center in a strip mall on Jiles Road behind a Publix grocery store.

Protestors attended numerous council meetings about the mosque, carrying signs saying “Ban Islam” and “No Mosque,” and voiced concerns about the mosque spreading Shariah law.

After Doug Dillard, the attorney representing mosque members, threatened to sue the council for violating the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, council members reversed their decision and granted a 24-month permit.

Former Councilwoman Cris Eaton-Welsh was the only council member to approve the permit in the initial vote. She said she voted to approve the mosque because it was their “constitutional right to be there.

“The (mosque members) who came to that City Council meeting, they have been members of this community for 20, 30 years,” Eaton-Welsh said “They are your radiologists, your doctors, your dentists … I’m glad they have a safe space to worship. I don’t think it’s any different than a synagogue or chapel.”

Former Councilwoman Debra Williams, who initially voted against the mosque, said her opposition was based on the location.

“It was going in a retail space that had active businesses, and a worship center takes away from that. We need to put in businesses that complement each other,” she said.

However, Islam said the shopping mall is now thriving.

“The (shopping) complex where the mosque is located had one or two businesses back then, and as I was promising the city at the time, now the whole complex is flourishing,” Islam said.

Dream Body Inc, a personal training studio, moved into the strip-mall in May, and owner Seth Carver said that while parking had been an initial concern, business is good and the studio has about 150 sessions per week.  (See:  http://www.dreambodyinc.com/#about-marquee)

“They are very courteous, they come over and put cones in front of our space so that nobody parks in front of our business so that way there’s parking for our clients,” Carver said.

CONVENIENT LOCATION

Before the mosque opened, many Muslims in the area had to travel to other communities to worship.

Mosque board member Naser Omer, of Kennesaw, said “we were going and coming 10 miles each way, so that’s 20 miles, and some of the prayers are only ten minutes.” He called the mosque a great facility.

Nayyer Islam’s daughter, 18-year old Maha Islam, said before the mosque opened, her family traveled to Canton to a different Muslim community.

“It’s so nice having the mosque here. I didn’t know all the Muslims in this area and now I do,” she said.

Another mosque on Barrett Parkway in west Cobb is scheduled to open in about four to six months.

The Masjid Suffah, which sees about 80 to 100 members on its busiest day, is collecting funds to move to a permanent location behind the Walgreen’s pharmacy and Bank of America on Pine Mountain Road near Cobb Parkway.

Nayyer Islam said an architect, who is a member of the mosque, has already drawn up the plans for an 8,500-square-foot space with a larger worship area and multi-purpose space for kids to play. The property, which was donated to the mosque by a member, is about 3.5 acres and the new development will include about 200 parking spaces.

Kennesaw resident Eileen Alberstadt, who opposed the mosque’s opening in 2014 citing traffic congestion, said she is still concerned about traffic when the Pine Mountain Road location opens.

“I live on Pine Mountain and it’s a nightmare to get out of the subdivision,” Alberstadt said. “The traffic will be hell; it’s already hell now.”

Alberstadt and Williams also said mosque members tried to demolish a house on the Pine Mountain Road property, but did not have the permit and were forced to stop.

Because the project is privately-funded, it is difficult to pinpoint when it will be finished, Nayyer Islam said.

“If you wrote me a check today, I could start working tomorrow,” he said, laughing.

According to Nayyer Islam, the property already has the needed zoning and the final architectural designs will be submitted to the city for approval. The estimated cost for the Pine Mountain Road mosque is $1.4 million.

The mosque has a 24-month leasing period for the strip mall location which ends in about nine months.

“We told them at the time that this is a temporary thing and our permission is for two years, so we are going to obey our promise,” he said. “We are going to keep striving towards building the other mosque so it becomes a permanent thing where people can go.”

RAMADAN

Nayyer Islam is hopeful to have more funds for the permanent mosque after Ramadan, a religious month for Muslims.

During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk and practice self-restraint and self-reflection. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is celebrated as the month Muhammad received the revelations that became the Quran.

Each night during the holy month, the Masjid Suffah serves about 150 people with a four-course meal at sunset that is followed by prayer.

“Ramadan is about restricting ourselves from what is normally available. We restrict in everything, including lying and cussing,” Nayyer Islam said. “Those things happen from impulse and the purpose of Ramadan is to calm those impulsivities … the training for this month allows us to remember these things in the next 11 months. It trains us on how to be a good citizen.”

Food served varies night to night but often includes dates, meats, rice, bread and desserts.

“It’s a cool thing here because we have different Muslims from a lot of different countries. Everyone signs up to bring in food for Ramadan so we have a lot of different flavors,” said Maha Islam.

The end of Ramadan is called Eid and is a time for celebration. People dress up in colorful outfits and donate to the community.

Humaira Qhan, a member of the mosque who has lived in Kennesaw for 12 years, said. “We give alms to the poor and to the underserved so they can celebrate Eid with us.”

This year, funds donated to the mosque will be given to the community of Clarkesville, according to Nayyer Islam.

Also new this year for Eid, the Masjid Suffah gathered with other mosques in the area at Pine Mountain Middle School to pray and celebrate the end of Ramadan.

Additional Information at:

Suffa Dawat Center Issue

Kennesaw Georgia is located about 20 miles NW of Atlanta, in Cobb County. In November 2014 a small group of Muslims wanted a Mosque to be added to a retail strip center. The City said 'No' as the zoning was for general business. A Federal…

SUFFADAWA.BLOGSPOT.COM

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Davey Crockett Additional Information at: http://suffadawa.blogspot.com/

Suffa Dawat Center Issue

Kennesaw Georgia is located about 20 miles NW of Atlanta, in Cobb County. In November 2014 a small…

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Davey Crockett Mosque v. City of Kennesaw at:http://suffadawatsuit.blogspot.com/

SUFFA DAWAT SUIT

On Dec 30th Mosque attorneys Dillard and Sellers filed a 29 page complaint "Suffa Dawat Center, Inc v. City of…

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=======================================================

Davey Crockett I suggested this to one of the City Council members last week. Don’t hold your breath.

“While “Cobb County International Airport - McCollum Field” is really a Cobb County item, what is the chance of getting some recognition for Kennesaw in the title of this airport. Particularly as it is now has an ‘International’ designation with Customs clearance for incoming overseas flights.

It would be a good boost for the City if it were flagged the Kennesaw/Cobb International Airport or even “Cobb/Kennesaw”.

Presently its designation as Cobb County/McCullum Field really has little meaning as it doesn’t identify where it is. Also if Hartsfield can amend its title to Hartsfield/Jackson, why not Kennesaw/Cobb?

Worth running it up the flagpole and perhaps the County will bite.”

7/4/16

BY THE END OF 2016, AT LEAST 17 RESTAURANTS WILL BE OPEN AT COBB PKY AND BARRETT PKY

In addition to at least 2 large retailers, a car wash, barber shop, dental office and 2 banks it seems that IHOP and The Whistle Stop restaurants will have some additional competition for food sales with the new Kennesaw Marketplace, which is located just across Cobb Pky from the referenced 2 sit down restaurants and 4 other smaller fast food outlets.

Of the 27 announced tenants at Fuqua Development's, Kennesaw Marketplace, the 11 new food outlets will be in competition with the 6 existing restaurants:

Burger 21
Freddy's Steakburgers
Menchies
Newks Cafe
Panda Express
PIE 5
Smoothie King
Starbucks
Volcano Steak and Sushi
Which Wich
Zoe's Kitchen

7/2/16

KENNESAW MARKETPLACE -


Estimated Completion: Fall 2016

From:  https://www.facebook.com/TheKennesawWatch30152/
Located in the City of Kennesaw at the crossroads of US Highway 41 and Barrett Parkway.

The mixed-use development will anchored by a Whole Foods Market, Academy Sports, restaurants, banks and other specialty retailers.

Kennesaw Marketplace Tenants:

Whole Foods
Academy Sports
AT&T
Aspen Dental
Burger 21
Cactus Carwash
Freddy's Steakburgers
Hobby Lobby
Luxury Nails
Mattress Firm
Medalyn Salon and Med Spa
Menchies
Newks Cafe
Panda Express
Petco
PIE 5
PNC Bank
Quick Trip
Relax the Back
Smoothie King
Sports Clips
Starbucks
SunTrust Bank
U-Break I-Fix
Volcano Steak and Sushi
Which Wich
Zoe's Kitchen

========================================

Davey Crockett

12 hrs · 

QUESTION ON CHURCH'S PENSION FROM KENNESAW

Jim Sebastian - Get the Story about Kennesaw

Davey Crockett asked Jim Sebastian:

Is former Mayor and Councilman Leonard Church drawing a Kennesaw pension? I believe he would be able to draw about $585-$650 a month for life. Has Church applied for a pension, if so how much and is he able to get it despite his conviction?

------------------------------------------

REPLY:   Get the Story about Kennesaw

Mr Church was (and still is) eligible for a City pension.

He began drawing his pension in June 2013 and is still receiving such.

I will have an exact amount for you as soon as provided by GMA, the program administrator.

Jim Sebastian | Wiselike

Ask Jim Sebastian anything! Get the Story about Kennesaw | Councilmember, City of Kennesaw Georgia. Sharing Knowledge with... | 21 Answers, 82 Subscribers

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Davey Crockett It has been clear all along that he would qualify for a pension of around $600 a month. The question of his being bared from collecting was of interest but that is apparantly not a problem for him. I was surprised that he has been collecting since June 2013

Marci Honeycutt The child victim deserves every penny of that to be put into a college fund. Leonard lost his rights when he decided to prey on children. If only everyone thought like that........ 😕

Davey Crockett 

LATEST INFO 

FYI:https://www.facebook.com/elect.sebastian Jim Sebastian 11:42pm Mar 24 

To address your question below . . . It is not a mistake.

Have you heard the term double-dippers? That is where one retires with a full pension and then gets hired back as either an employee or contractor with the same company. This has been scorned but still prevalent in government lacking many laws to stop it.

Further, the City pension is based on the rule of 75. This being you need to be 65 or the combination of your age and service equal 75 to begin collecting. For example, this means Mr Mathews, with 20 years of service, could start drawing his pension when he turns 55 as that would meet the rule of 75 (55 + 20).

Mr Church began drawing his pension when he turned 65. Technically, I could have started drawing a pension in August of 2014 as that was when I turned 65.

3/29/16 Update:   “Jim Sebastian - Get the Story about Kennesaw
Church started receiving City retirement in June 2013 in the amount of $408. When he became a Council member, additional time was calculated making his new amount $501.94.”

______________________________________________

3/10/16

The Kennesaw Watch

2 hrs ·  March 10 at 1:27pm

CONGRATULATIONS MR. PATEL

by Debra Williams

As of 12:30 today, qualifying closes for Kennesaw City Council Post 3. Nimesh Patel is the lone candidate and therefore will be sworn in and take office on April 4, 2016.

Best wishes to Mr. Patel in his endeavor on the City Council, and in the next 18 months I pray our City will be diligent in observing you, your word, your vote, and your actions, and find you worthy to elect the following four years.

Mr. Patel has served on the KDA prior to stepping down to run for Council Post 3, and I admire his respect for our City to serve on a Board prior to running in order to learn, comprehend, and experience the processes and learn the operations. It's unlike any job or volunteer work anyone has served in before, and nothing prepares you more than preparing yourself in the proper manner, and I thank YOU, Mr. Patel, for doing that.

What Mr. Patel has learned by serving on the KDA will benefit him greatly in this position.

To clarify a rumor circulating, the "bankruptcy" in Cobb Superior Court was based on an error with the credit card company and Mr. Patel challenged it and was found to be in the right. It was dismissed and Mr. Patel should not be held in a negative light for an error out of his control. (I pulled the records myself and reviewed all of them). Not everything someone posts is the full story, so I implore you to do your own research and not get wrapped up in the gossip/rumor mill and have it affect your judgement of Mr. Patel.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2016

The Kennesaw Watch - Rumor has it, first of the Welsh minions to run for Post 3 seat, Nemish Patel.

Guess the 94% who stayed at home last election will do so again and allow Legacy Park to make all the decisions for the city of kennesaw. 

Let's look at the seating: 

Post 1 - Eaton (managed by Legacy Park)

Post 2 - Daniel (lives in Legacy Park)

Post 3 - Highly possible Legacy Park Resident and

close friend of Welsh, and Mayor - Easterling (following election, English Oaks was not good enough anymore and he's moving to . . . yep, Legacy Park! 

There you go. Kennesaw Citizens, you have completely lost your voice!

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Davey Crockett KENNESAW SOAP OPERA CONTINUES

Some mis-statements of facts have appeared in the pretty much defunct Kennesaw Watch, whose ‘Editor’ is Debbie Williams, our former 18 month City Council member who resigned to run for the office of Mayor.

Getting soundly beaten in that failed effort she is now sniping at the current Kennesaw city administration using the Watch.

Regular readers may be aware that there was an ongoing cat fight on council between Ms Welsh and Ms Williams. This now continues as the current 4 member council seems to be 3 to 1 in the hip pocket of the departed Ms Welsh, who it is widely believed continues to act as ‘puppet master’ for her 3 tame council members.

The current mayor Mr. Easterling, was aided in his run for office against Ms Williams by Ms Welsh, who was then ending her term on City Council, and it remains to be seen if he is counted among the Welsh cabal. Welsh of course thinks she got Mr. Easterling the job and is of the opinion she is now running Kennesaw.

Post 3 is now in the hands of candidate Mr Patel, Esq, as he was the only person to file. He takes office in April.

Initial posts by Debbie in the Watch were bemoaning his joining the council as she believed him to be a friend of Welsh and he was from the notorious ‘Legacy Park’, purportedly the home of wife swappers and other ner do wells.

With the information of Mr Patel’s credit problems we see an unusual shift in position from Debbie. In an almost ‘Day’s of Our Lives’ sort of reversal she now comes to his defense incorrectly citing facts and claiming that the matter was reported as a Bankruptcy (it wasn’t) and that the whole thing was an error on the part of the Bank and when this was pointed out that the case was ‘dismissed’.

So some kissing and making up seems to have gone on there. Makes you wonder if Mr. Patel, Esq didn’t join the Welsh gang after all and perhaps he pledged to support Debbie?

So just to correct the mistakes made by Debbie:
1) Cobb Superior Courts do not handle Bankruptcy, that is left to the Federal Bankruptcy Courts,
2) The Patel case was a failure to pay a credit card balance and was titled a “Complaint on Contract”.

Here is a summary of what happened:

1) On 7/30/07 Mr. Joe Mitchell, of the Bank of America Recovery Department, offered our new City Councilman, Mr. Patel, a settlement on the already charged off B of A bad debt of $29,576.70.

The amount BofA asked for in their 2007 Settlement letter was $9,010.00 and “Upon receipt of this sum you will no longer be responsible for any remaining balance.” Seems that did not go over all that well and the Civil action was filed 5/11/09.

2) BofA filed on 5/11/09 in Cobb County Superior Court, case 09-1-04336-05 asking for:
$25,512.52
$743.69 Interest at 7%
$2,687,41 Attorney Fees
All court costs

3) Once filed and after various exchanges between lawyers, the matter was sent to mediation with this result reported to the Court. “The ADR office has been notified by the Mediator that the above styled case has reached a full settlement. The parties will file a settlement agreement and/or voluntary dismissal of all claims with the Court.” Filed with the Court Clerk on 11/20/09

Somewhere butterflys are flying and birds are singing. Here in Kennesaw we are simply waiting for more bitching and moaning involving people elected to City posts and people not elected.

See also:  http://kennesawwatch.blogspot.com/

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