Courtesy The Beacon
The City of Crooked Creek?
As a City of Milton resident and supporter, I have questions and comments. I don’t know you Mr. Longoria. Granted, you don’t have a proven record politically for citizens to scrutinize. You were quick to sling mud and label D’Aversa unethical. Yet, the “buzz” is that the recent Crooked Creek HOA sponsored celebration for the new amenities, quickly turned into a meet and greet for you; complete with rhetoric that “Crooked Creek will have their gate or die.” Are “dues” being used to elect certain candidates? Could this endanger their non-profit status?
Another major concern of mine is your and Crooked Creek’s agenda regarding Cogburn Woods Elementary School. It seems clear that Crooked Creek residents are very unhappy with the recent re-districting. What is your opinion on this? Do you have all the TRUE facts? People are “blogging” that CWE is significantly overcrowded which is not true. Principal Anderson says they are 50 students over from last year and everything is under control. Next year will most likely bring issues. If you are elected, what have you promised the residents of Crooked Creek about “their” school?
I am obviously a fan of D’Aversa because I have seen how efficiently and effectively she has worked for ALL the citizens of Milton, including Crooked Creek.
Below was copied from the Accessmilton blog. No it isn’t mine but I think it sums it all up nicely. “Let’s imagine how this will go down...Longoria is elected...Crooked Creek gets gated (against the better advice of the city attorney)...has its own elementary school built...and becomes its own city...Longoria resigns because his work is done and his HOA board is happy...Hail Longoria! Milton appreciates your service. Seems like a viable candidate.”
Kay Harrison
Milton
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19 comments:
Kay, your letter is very far fetched.
As an observer, I have not seen anywhere the Tina's opponent slung mud at all, much less quickly. It will be a good forum question, but from press reports, the media got the emails and wrote about them.
Longoria probably is cringing about the issue, because most candidates don't go negative.
Can you provide any substance to the claim of mudslinging? If that is an assumption, please comment so folks understand the rationale.
Kay clearly does not read the papers. She gets all her news from Tina, which is surely a reliable source!
Also, Kay, the schools are a function of Fulton County not the City of Milton.
Crappy letter Kay. When Joe is elected, he will only have one vote and that's not going to get the gate at Crooked Creek.
To write that letter, Kay you should know, like the previous poster knows, that the City Council has nothing to do with the decisions of the Fulton County Board of Education.
If you would spend more time attending the Council Meetings and Work Sessions, you would understand what knowledgeable citizens in Milton know, and that is that Tina doesn't have a basis of opinion and cannot make a decision.
To the last blogger, your comments were crappy. It seems that Crooked Creek isn't happy about the redistricting because their children now have to attend school with God forbid, other children who don't live in homes like theirs. That is why they think the redistricting was bad, not for overcrowding, which is seperate issue that the BOE has addressed. How about Milton gives the entire hottie tottie neighborhood back to Alpharetta, you can have them all and their stuck up attitude.
To the last blogger who didn't like my previous blog, what does having upset Crooked Creek residents about redistricting have to do with Joe Longoria and the City Council election? If you have something to say about the council election, then say it, but the council and BOE are two different governing bodies.
I don't live in Crooked Creek and I don't really care whether they are happy with their redistricting. What I care about in this election is that we elect talented and decisive citizens to the City Council who are capable of governing. I've seen Tina in action and she just doesn't fill the bill.
If Joe does get elected, he will have to excuse himself from voting on gating Crooked Creek!!!!! CONFLICT OF INTEREST!!!!!!!!!!
Well DUH! That is why I am cracking up at the assertion that Longoria is running to "gate Crooked Creek"! Do you think one man, who has to excuse himself from voting, can make that happen?
Milton, do not get your panties in a wad over issues that don't make sense. Choose wisely for reputable candidates that can get the job done.
He'll have to recuse himself as well.
Kay - I'll give you credit for at least including your name. If that is your name, it may be the only thing you had correct in your comments.
Others have already pointed out most of your mistakes but they missed a few;
#1 Tina is the biggest supporter Crooked Creek has for gating so why would Joe Longoria run against her to help the cause for gating? Replacing one supporter with another supporter who cannot vote on the issue because he lives there doesn’t make sense does it?
Most other Council members also support Crooked Creek Gating as it benefits everyone inside and outside of Crooked Creek.
A question comes to mind - Since apparently you are against gating CC do think Tina will try to stop it? Is she telling you she is against gating? Because she is telling everyone in Crooked Creek she is for it.
Tina wouldn't tell one person one thing and someone else another would she?
#2 The amenity party at Crooked Creek, held the week the facility received its occupancy permit, was not a meet and greet for Joe - it was to celebrate a community successfully completing a major investment in its long term future.
A commitment, by the way, that benefits every citizen of Milton without a nickel of cost to anyone outside the neighborhood. Any talk of Joe running for office at the event was purely by individual supporters and coincidental to the timing of the opening of the facility. He and all CC board members gave a brief speech and I don’t think he even mentioned he was running for office.
#3 While as others have mentioned the schools are completely managed outside of the city which is true and there is nothing Longoria could do to help that, your facts are wrong there as well and need to be addressed. CWE is nearly 200 students over capacity and is the only ES in Milton over capacity. Katie Reeves has apologized profusely over the issue and the FC Superintendant has taken extraordinary measures to help correct the problem because parents are so involved. Parents are upset because they knew this problem was coming and their concerns were ignored by Fulton County Schools during the planning process. When they were proven correct, unfortunately after the damage was already done, the County apologized and is working to help reduce the issue. They may be only 50 students over last year (I think it more like 100) but the county just added a new school to handle approx 900 more kids and CWE's enrollment still ballooned whatever the number and is the ONLY ES school still over capacity. You think that is good management of our schools? You think Crooked Creek residents should be happy about that? Would you? Please don’t comment on issues you obviously do not understand and have nothing to do with this election.
Longoria is running, at least as I understand it, because he wants to help Milton. He just happens to live in Crooked Creek.
One more fact – the average home value in Crooked Creek is less than the overall average in Milton, considerably less. So where people get off thinking Crooked Creek people are elitists is laughable. The real money in Milton is over in horse country (which is simply everything immediately west of CC and Hwy 9) There is nothing wrong with that. That is good for everyone.
High property values in Milton ANYWHERE, means more revenue for EVERYONE. Running down CC for wanting to improve itself is simply foolish and hurts the whole community and helps no one.
Bottom Line;
We need more people who can get things done.
Tina is a great person with great kids and volunteers for everything and everything and everything. We just need more focused leadership, plain and simple.
If she does win, maybe at least this election will cause her to focus more on actual results and less on simply serving on every committee or group there is.
Thanks for your well written words and thoughts previous blogger. You are dead on with your points and you did a much better job than I did on blogs# 3 & 5.
I have been to council meetings and work sessions and I have watch Tina in action and unfortunately, as I have said many times on various blogs, she just doesn't have the intellectual capacity to keep up. Many of her supporters haven't been to the meetings and don't know what many other residents are talking about, but Tina's video on this site from 10/11/09 has brought her lack of talent into clear view. Her inability articulate and her flip flop on her support in this election, just underscores for all Milton citizens her lack of conviction, lack of decisiveness and overall lack to talent for this level.
Kay you need to do more research. Alan Tart is President of Avensongs HOA. Does he pull in favors for his subdivision. Also Tina is/was in 2006-2008 according to the www.championsview.com website the secretary/directory person for their HOA. Whats the difference. They were on their subdivision boards while being on city council. I guess you are including them in the same league as Joe Longoria??? How do you get out of this one????
The message that starts "Kay - I'll give you credit for at least including your name" sums up my thoughts perfectly but I must add one thing, perhaps two...
Why does Kay have such an issue with gating Crooked Creek anyway? There are gated neighborhoods throughout Milton. If there is another one, so what? Are residents of those communities any less citizens of this city? Is there a movement in The Manor to secede and join Forsyth County? Of course not. We in Crooked Creek are simply advocating to get a vote to gate our neighborhood. Gating will solve a persistent and increasingly problematic cut-through traffic and safety issue. We have been unable to get this problem resolved for years, using many means, either before or after incorporating as Milton. Gating will improve property values in Crooked Creek and probably in the surrounding area. It will probably help the tax base since Crooked Creek is the location of about 640 of the 10-12,000 homes in Milton (as I recall). A few days ago my wife heard someone say "those people in Crooked Creek just want to increase their property values." I say great. Why wouldn't we? Do you not want to do the same?
This brings me back to why I support Joe Longoria. It is not about gating Crooked Creek (which would be a good thing for Milton for the reasons above) or school redistricting (which the superintendent admits was botched royally).
I support Joe Longoria because I have been working with Joe on the Crooked Creek HOA Board since April 2008. Joe is the kind of person that steps into a group, without ego or attitude, and asks the questions necessary to help move the team forward. He challenges dogma and assumptions. He dives into the details. For example, his analysis of our financial options on the $4M amenities project was superb and stood up to all the challenges the board and some external advisors in banking threw at it. His ongoing management of the money helped us live within our means - and that required Joe to really push on the rest of the board sometimes - including me. Joe was instrumental in getting this big project done and I applaud him for it. I am confident he will help our City accomplish many similar great things.
So, I am voting for Joe and encourage you all to do the same.
You CC people give the rest of Milton a bad name.
The number one rule when purchasing a property is to take into consideration all that affects it and what is around it. You and others who live in Crooked Creek chose to purchase there - deal with it. Lord knows there were other options.
Better yet, why not sell and move into the Manor. Oh! That is right, I have seen alot of forecloser signs in CC yards lately. You probably couldn't afford to move since you no longer can afford your ten credit cards and your Lexus Lease is up.
The other subdivisions that were gated had zero tax monies spent to maintain and build those roads. Club Creek Drive was paid for, built by, and has been maintained by Fulton / Milton taxpayers since it's construction.
You aren't advocating the gating of your subdivision. You are asking the state of GA to abandon Club Creek Drive, a PUBLIC ROAD, and just give it to you even though thousands of tax payers have paid for it time and time again. On top of which, you people had the guts to ask that Milton pay for repairs to the tune of $600,000 and then close it off to those who covered the bill. Amazing!
You want to talk about cut through traffic? What about all the people who have lived here for generations on Cogburn, HWY 9, and Francis Roads. Before CC was built; you and I both know the traffic was far less. Your arrival has generated quite a bit of metal on the roads. Therefore, with your arguement, shouldn't those folks on those surrounding roads be able to gate their city street as well and keep people like yourself out, neighbor?
You are a hypocrite. You are more worried about your safety and your property values and could care less about others who surround you who would be affected negatively by the gating of a PUBLIC ROAD.
As long as you and the other wannabees in that eyesore get what you want, to Hell with the rest of 'em, right? Whatever happened to your objectivity? Oh, that is right, if you live in a dilapidated poorly built home with no furniture but you are still better that the rest of Milton; from White Columns to Freemanville Road.
Longoria seems to be a decent guy. However, birds of a feather flock together and if you and your leaning stance are supporting him, I will be sure to turn the other way. Better yet, why don't you and the rest of your superior entourage defect to Alpharetta. You would fit in much better there.
My comment is directed to the last blogger concerning Crooked Creek. It is a shame that such venom is spewing forth from a fellow City of Milton resident. The goal of our election is to keep the city of Milton alive- your anger toward a community does nothing but show your ignorance- spend your time on items that make a difference- calling names and belittling a neighborhood is childish-
And.....keep in mind all six candidates at the forum said they were in favor of gating Crooked Creek if the state law was reformed.
So what is your point? Which council candidate do you endorse?
I hate to say it, but I have to agree with the "venom spewing" guy above. While I am not going to promote stereo types, this citizen has good measure.
My husband and me looked into buying a home in the Crooked Creek Subdivision. After our agent relayed that the main road through it was not a private route, we opted for the gated portion of White Columns.
Also, Crooked Creek neighbor, the taxpayers have paid for that road. To think that those whose hard earned tax dollars don't gain them access to something they paid for is foolish at best.
We will vote for Longoria, but we will never support the privatization of any city owned streets. If anything, our city needs more ways to get from here to there, not less.
Loving Milton,
Mary.
Lets just be clear for the venom spewing person above.
1) You talk big but you can't even sign your name to your comments.
2) You say the taxpayers paid to build the roads in Crooked Creek. That is clearly false. The developer Ken Horton paid to build them. Yes. Go do the property record searches. He built every inch of road in Crooked Creek. He graded every piece of dirt and installed every inch of sewer. He passed along the cost to various builders like DR Horton who built my house. DR Horton bought the lots and then sold the houses to people like my neighbors on both sides of me who moved in before Creek Club drive extended as far as the dam, much less connected through to Francis Road. When the roads of Crooked Creek were built the developer, Ken Horton, granted an easement for the roads to the county, which the new City of Milton then inhereted. The taxpayers of Fulton Co and Milton paid nothing for the development of Crooked Creek's roads. About a year ago the City determined in its road maintenance prioritization process to pave 1/5 mile of Creek Club Rd. Other than that, neither the County or the City has done anything to support the infrastructure of Crooked Creek. To this day, the City does not even own the roads. Fact. Check the records.
3) You threw a bunch of insults at me - saying that I cannot afford a house in the Manor, and that I am maxed out on my credit cards. You have no idea who I am. I assume you were trying to direct your comments to residents of our community generally, but unlike you I put my name to my comments, so I take it a little personally.
4) Creek Club drive is not designed for high volume traffic. The lots are mostly 1/3 acre. The houses sit 30-50 feet from the street and there are no fences in the front yards to keep kids out of the street. It curves and dips and has blind spots. We on the HOA board have tried numerous times to address the issue. We asked for speed bumps about 3 yrs ago and were denied. We asked for several stop signs and were given 3, which helped (give credit to the city where it is due, and they deserve credit for that). We painted crosswalks for the golf cart patch crossings but the City forced us to sandblast them up. They did not allow golf cart crossings (even though they exist, go figure). We even compromised with the city, at their request, and agreed to a 1-gate solution. But then they backed out.
5) The homeowners of Crooked Creek voted to take over the ongoing maintenance of the streets and storm sewers of Crooked Creek. This takes a large liability from the City. 6-7 miles of roads. That is a pretty good deal for the taxpayers of Milton, especially since the homeowners of Crooked Creek would continue to pay taxes.
I suppose this rains a few facts on your venom parade.
Thank you for setting the record straight Mr. Whittall. Now hopefully we can all play nice and move forward to try and make Milton a place that we are all proud to call home! My hope is that every citizen of Milton will educate themselves about the issues and candidates and vote accordingly. Once the election is over the real work will begin- we as citizens need to stay involved with our city and our representatives!
A few more facts about Crooked Creek.
CC pays roughly 10% of the cities roughly 10 million property tax collection. So CC residents pay roughly $1,000,000 a year toward all city services. Police, Fire, Roads, etc.
CC has 3% of the roads (based on 175 miles of roads and 6 miles in CC) No idea what percent of police and fire goes toward CC but certainly no where near 10%.
CC is clearly a net plus for city in terms of revenue vs expenses.
Crooked Creek is offering to remove 6 miles of road responsibilty from the city budget. A city that has virtually no money for road and infrastructure repairs now. I understand they (city) have a budget to currently repave every road once every 50 years when the roads require paving every 15 - 20. How is that going to work? If cc does go private that free's up much needed money for other areas of Milton.
Also MR. Whitall is correct - neighborhood roads are not paid for by the city or County - they are paid for by the developer and then the people who buy homes or lots there.
CC is 15 years old and has paid in ten million plus in city (SSD)taxes and has rec'd a teeny tiny amount of road repair work in return.
One additional item regarding the stop signs and crosswalks, etc. CC paid for the additional stop signs and crosswalks themselves with NO city money - because the City doesn't have any infrastructure money. CC is trying to solve it's own problems with it's own money, above and beyond city tax revenue because it knows the city is not currently capable of doing so.
I have also seen numerous complaints from the very few public opponents to gating CC that "All CC cares about are their property values"
That is only half true - we care about are property values and our kids safety.
If property values in CC fall it hurts ALL OF Milton in two ways. It lowers values all around the area and lowers the collected tax revenue for the entire city.
The dope above says that Mr. Whitall and everyone should move out.
Can you imagine what that would do to property values in and around the area? The city needs CC to be healthy because it helps everyone regardless of where you live in Milton.
Seems like common sense! But we all know common sense can be very uncommon.
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