Friday, June 15, 2012

Sample Ballots Posted; Telecommunications Tower Referendum Needs Your NO DeKalb!



The Sample Ballots are Now Posted! 

Above link is the non-partisan election.  You can also see the Republican and Democratic ballots by going to www.dekalbvotes.com.


Please read and get familiar with the candiates in your area today! 

Your local school and your local community need your NO vote on a very important issue: 

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Nonbinding Advisory Referendum
(Vote for One)


"Should the local or independent school system of DeKalb County or a charter school in DeKalb County place or operate a telecommunications tower on any elementary, middle, or high school property?"
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There are so many things wrong with this ballot question that we don't even know where to begin.  You can thank Rep. Karla Drenner (D - Avondale) and Rep. Chuck Sims (R - Ambrose), who does not even live in DeKalb County, for negotiating this little gem of a question without even discussing its merits with those of us whom they were supposedly trying to help.  (Yeah, right!)

First, this ballot question is actually asking all voting residents, many of whom have no idea what a telecommunications tower nor have they heard about any of the controversy surrounding the school board's vote to place cell phone towers at schools against the wishes and/or knowledge of the surrounding communities.  So, in light of all the budget talks, you have a potential for a lot of uninformed people to vote in favor of something that is actually against our own DeKalb County ordinances and against the warnings of all seven of our county commissioners.

Second, this question does not apply to the actual situation as we have been told exists today.  The school board voted on and approved cellular transmissions towers for 9 schools in DeKalb County, and have only delivered 8 signed contracts under the Open Records Request Act.  T-mobile is supposedly the company that will be doing the "placing" and the "operating" of the towers for a commercial purpose, not the school system itself.  Or, at least that's what we have been told.  But, they have misled us before and so we are prepared for almost anything at this point.

If the board is foolish enough to rely on the verbiage of a "non-binding" referendum as a way to justify placing towers anywhere in DeKalb County, then there is likely a cell tower company out there who is likely to go along with their plan. 

However, that does not mean that we cannot work together to protect our communities and be diligent at keeping a watch over our public property for any signs of constuction. 

At Get the Cell Out - Atlanta, we have remained involved with this issue in hopes of helping to keep these towers off any of our school properties because we do not believe the numerous dangers that come along with them are worth any amount of money.  We also do not believe that a cell tower is the only way for the telecomms or the school or the county's 911 services to improve their products or services.  It is just the cheapest for them, and the most costly to us. 

While we do not have the power, the influence or the money to sway a large number of voters, we do have this blog and the ability to tell a few.  If you share our concerns and think the BOE might look to your school next (or possibly in the very near future), spread the word in your community about this referendum and urge everyone you know to vote NO. 

You may also wish to take a good, hard look at your property tax assessment and appeal it if it is wrong, either way.  The only way to truly weed out corruption is to not get sucked into it.  If your property is estimated too low, you can likely afford to pay a tiny bit more and help us ensure the schools are well funded and can avoid tax hikes and cell towers.  If your estimate is too high, and you can afford it, consider letting it ride.  If a tower goes up and you have appealed for a lower value, you are locked in for three years. 

That means that after the tower, you will not have another county assessment to prove that the cell tower lowered your property value.  You will not be able to recoop any damages or sue to have the tower taken down.  And that will be the end of the story for the next 30 years. 

Help our county rise above the greed of those who seek to keep us all down. 

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