David's blog

The elections of 2006 demonstrated the American people are becoming more aware of the potential of stem cell research. Georgians are no exception to this trend. Later this Session, I will introduce legislation similar to the Search of the Cure Act of 2006. I am hopeful this year we will get a hearing and make real progress on the legislation. Georgia has the potential to be a leader in the life sciences and biomedical research industry. But, if we wait much longer, we will lose that opportunity.

Tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. the Senate Urban Affairs Committee will meet to consider SR 130 and SB 89 which would provide for the creation of Townships in Georgia. Local government experts from the Carl Vinson Institute at the University of Georgia will kick off the discussion.

The first week of the 2007 Session has been filled with many organizational and introductory activities. The Governor introduced his proposed budget and presented the annual State of the State Address. We are in recess this week to give us an opportunity to review the proposed budget.

The newly elected Lt. Governor struck a decidely bi-partisan tone on the organizational and introductory matters. I am particularly heartend that he has often invoked the name of former Lt. Governor Pierre Howard when describing his aspirations for the Georgia Senate. Lt. Governor Howard was a thoughtful and fair President of the State Senate. As a member of the state Senate, Lt. Governor Howard represented our district before being elected Lt. Governor.

I received my committee appointments last Tuesday. I've been reappointed to Rules, Judiciary, Health and Human Services and Special Judiciary. Importantly, I've been appointed Chairman of the Urban Affairs Committee. I'm one of three Democrats in the entire General Assembly who was asked to serve as a Committee Chair. As a Committee Chairman I am in an especially good position to be effective for our district.

I look forward to your feedback as the Session unfolds. Please feel free to email me at the Capitol at david.adelman@senate.ga.gov or vote@davidadelman.com. You may reach my office by telephone at 404-463-1376.

My Legislative Aide Dina Franch has returned to her position as an attorney with Atlatna Legal Aid. Dina is an outstanding public servant. The residents of Senate District 42 and the people of Georgia owe her a great debt of gratitude. Thank you Dina and best of luck as you return to the practice of law.

I'm pleased to welcome Bob Herndon to my staff as my Legislative Aide. A resident of Decatur, Bob is a former elemantary school teacher in the City of Decatur School System. He earned his Masters and Bachelors degrees from Emory University and is no stranger to the Capitol having worked in the General Assembly each of the last three Sessions. Bob is also fluent in Spanish.

Finally, I have relocated my Senate office. My suite will be in Room 121 on the first floor of the Capitol beginning on January 8, 2007. Telephone and fax numbers as well as email addresses will not change.

Happy Holidays and I look forward to serving you in 2007.
Best. David

A slightly shorter version of the editorial below appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on December 1, 2006.

Georgia Towns: A Third Way

By Sen. David Adelman (D-DeKalb)

Local control is the touchstone of the effort to preserve and improve Georgia's communities. I trust regular Georgians to choose the type of local government they want. Unfortunately Georgia law severely limits their options.

Most Georgians live in unincorporated parts of one of Georgia's 159 counties. Citizens in these unincorporated areas benefit from the economies of a large county tax base. At the same time, county government can seem distant and unresponsive. Right now, the only alternative is the creation of a new city. In the past two years, Sandy Springs, Milton and Johns Creek have made high profile additions to the ranks of the more than 500 Georgia cities. The lure of cityhood is strong. Cities control important land use decisions and discharge other basic services. Decatur and Smyrna are great examples of how small cities thrive by encouraging mixed use development to revitalize their downtowns and promote quality of life initiatives.

But there are tradeoffs. The creation of a city brings another layer of government bureaucracy and a loss of some of the benefits of scale resulting from being part of a larger local government. While the power and obligations of a particular municipality can be limited by charter, governments have a tendency to grow and become less efficient without the strongest structural limitations.

In our state, many unincorporated areas such as Tucker, St. Simons and Vinings already feel like small towns. They have important common interests and aspirations as well as unique characteristics and desires. Even though these communities do not have distinct governmental boundaries or structure, residents and local businesses share an identity and sense of place. Whenever the question of local government comes up, people have told me they want more self determination over their community's future. But, they are not eager to accept the potential higher taxes and increased bureaucracy that often accompanies incorporation. There should be a third way that allows Georgians to choose a smaller and more strictly limited local government. That's why in the 2007 Session, I will introduce the Georgia Town Act which would provide for the formal creation of towns in Georgia.

The Georgia Town Act will give residents in an unincorporated area an attractive alternative to creating a new city. They could instead vote to form a town that would make critical decisions about land use and local zoning. At the same time, they would continue to benefit from the larger tax base of their county. Basic services such as fire, public safety, water and sanitation would continue to be provided by the county.

Georgia towns would have distinct boundaries with identifying markers. They would have locally elected Mayors and Boards of Supervisors who would come from small districts and thus be close to the people they represent. Because the obligations of a town would be so limited, the cost of running the new town would be minimal. Every Georgia town would have a Constitutionally mandated cap on the level of property taxes they could levy and could only be annexed or converted to a city with the consent of its residents. The Georgia Town Act would give our communities an alternative to cities that offers smaller government which is closer to the people. For some communities in unincorporated areas, the status quo or cityhood may be best. Other communities may be better off as a town. The Georgia Town Act of 2007 will give Georgia communities that choice.

At this time of Thanksgiving, we count our blessing of family and friends. Thank you for your support and the opportunity to serve you in the Georgia Senate in the 2007-2008 term. I was re-elected Senator for District 42 on November 7, 2006 by more than 79 percent of the vote. One week later, on November 14, 2006, I was re-elected by my colleagues in the Senate Democratic Caucus to again serve as the Democratic Whip. The 2007 Session begins on January 8, 2007. Please feel free to contact me at vote@davidadelman.com or 404-463-1376 with any questions or suggestions. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. /David