Candidate Rubric

Because gauging a candidate's sincerity is subjective the best The Other Dunwoody can offer is a rubric so each of us can make our personal assessments. There is a danger in this: candidates can (and will) say nearly anything to get elected and a rubric has the effect of telling them what you want to hear. That is why it is important to modify the proposed point system to your priorities.

It works like this. Each candidate starts with 50 points. Based on answers to following questions, points are awarded, or taken away. Total scores have no artificial bound either upper or lower.

You should also ask yourself several questions to expose your own priorities and begin to question whether you believe what these candidates say and why.

What Have They Done?

• Were or are you a member of Citizens for Dunwoody? [yes -10; no +5; no answer -5]
• Did you provide financial or in-kind support for Citizens for Dunwoody? [yes -10; no +5; no answer -5]
• Were or are you a member of Citizens for Dunwoody? [yes -10; no +5; no answer -5]
• Did you provide financial or in-kind support for Citizens for Dunwoody? [yes -10; no +5; no answer -5]
• Do you believe the Carl Vinson report provides a viable framework for early operation of the City of Dunwoody? [yes -10; no +5; no answer -5]
• Do you believe Dunwoody suffers a form of taxation without representation from the county? [yes -10; no +5; no answer -5]
• Do you believe Dunwoody can provide the same or better services as the county without extracting more money from us? [yes -10; no +5; no answer -5]
• Do you believe cityhood was promoted on the basis that Dunwoody suffers a form of taxation without representation from the county? [yes +5; no -10; no answer -5]
• Have you read all the task force reports? [yes +5; no -10; no answer -5]
• Have you demonstrated a commitment to open government by promptly publishing information? [yes +10; no -10; no answer -5]

What Will They Do?

• Do you have a stated commitment to "no new taxes"? [yes +5; no -10; no answer -5]
• Do you support franchise fees as a source of city income? [yes -10; no +5; no answer -5]
• Do you support income sources paid by visitors and business rather than citizens themselves? [yes -10; no +5; no answer -5]
• Do you support impact fees on new development? [yes +5; no -10; no answer -5]
• Do you support integrating new schools into high density development plans? [yes +5; no -10; no answer -5]
• Do you support a moratorium on new apartment construction? [yes +5; no -10; no answer -5]
• Do you support a housing moratorium until school capacity meets or exceeds current demand? [yes +5; no -10; no answer -5]
• Do you support a property tax increase if the money is needed to provide services as described in the Carl Vinson study or by the proponents of cityhood? [yes +5; no -10; no answer -5]
• Do you support measures to stop infill construction of McMansions? [yes -10; no +5; no answer -5]
• Are you committed to open government and an informed citizenry? [yes +5; no -10; no answer -5]
• Will you work to ensure that all city documents (agenda, minutes, source material, RFPs, bids, contracts, etc.) are published on the internet in a timely fashion? [yes +5; no -10; no answer -5]
• Do you support the installation of red-light cameras in the Overlay District? [yes +5; no -10; no answer -5]
• Do you support the installation of radar speed signs to slow traffic and collect data on high-risk speed zones? [yes +5; no -10; no answer -5]
• Do you believe quality of life and adequate services are more important than capping taxes? [yes +5; no -10; no answer -5]
• Do you support outsourcing city IT functions? [yes -10; no +5; no answer -5]
• Do you have a proposal for monitoring quality of services, especially outsourced services? [yes +5; no -10; no answer -5]
• Have you or any of you relatives been employed by any company under consideration for outsourcing city services? [yes -10; no +5; no answer -5]

What Do YOU Think?

• Do you believe drawing our Mayor and Council members from DHA and derivative organizations will create an entrenched good ole boy network?
• Do you believe that a high ranking official of an organization that operated "under the radar" can truly be committed to "open government"?
• Do you believe that Dunwoody can create a fiscally sound budget without adding new taxes and increasing existing ones?
• Do you believe that people who ran organizations that deceived us are the kind of people we want running our city?
• Do you believe the candidate under consideration has adequately disclosed enough information to ensure there are no conflicts of interest?
• Do you believe the candidate under consideration has been honest and forthright in their answers or politically evasive?

TOD