Fe b r u a r y 3 , 2 0 2 2 | A p p e n M e d i a . c o m | A n A p p e n M e d i a G r o u p P u b l i c a t i o n | 5 0 ¢ | Vo l u m e 2 5 , N o . 5
County alters redistricting plan, adopts new map By JAKE DRUKMAN jake@appenmedia.com
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — After heated debate at its Jan. 25 work session, the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners approved a new map that would alter commission district boundaries. The map must be approved by the local legislative delegation and the General Assembly before going into effect. Tuesday’s vote was 4-1, with District 4 Commissioner Cindy Jones Mills dissenting. If the new map is enacted, the western half of her district would be absorbed into District 1. Her District 4 would expand south of Browns Bridge Road. “I don’t want to send a message to the people I’ve represented in northwest Forsyth that I don’t care about them,” Jones Mills said. “Because I do.” Under the new map, District 2 would move east, claiming the southeastern border of the county and extending north to Lake Lanier, enveloping most of what is currently the southern half of District 5. District 5 would in turn shift west into what is currently District 2, sitting on the east side of Ga. 400 and extending north into Cumming. The new map would drastically shift the way Cumming is represented in the county. Under the current map, the city is almost entirely within the boundaries of District 1, with some small pockets falling in Districts 3 and 5. The new map would place at least part of the city in every district except District 3. The board had approved a different map on Oct. 21 last year, which would
See REDISTRICTING, Page 17
BUSINESS:
IN MEMORIAM
Dick Williams: Dunwoody’s giant of journalism By CATHY COBBS newsroom@appenmedia.com DUNWOODY, Ga. –– Dick Williams personified Dunwoody. The 77-year-old television talk show host, editorial writer and former owner and publisher of the Dunwoody Crier, died of congestive heart failure Jan. 20 at his daughter’s home in Arkansas. Williams wore many hats, including a 30-year stint as a high school basketball referee, a newspaper columnist for the Atlanta JournalConstitution, a Georgetown University recruiter and a behind-the-scenes advocate for the formation of the cities of Brookhaven and Dunwoody. However, his primary focus and passion revolved around building community through the Dunwoody Crier. In an April 10, 2019 column, when it appeared that the Crier would cease publication, Williams wrote of three dreams he’d had as a young man – “play basketball in Madison Square Garden, be a big-city newspaper columnist and publish a small-town newspaper that served the community.”
See WILLIAMS, Page 4 COURTESY/FORSYTH COUNTY
Forsyth County commissioners have given early approval to a new map that redraws district lines to accommodate population shifts reflected in the latest census.
Proposed Alpharetta office complex receives bond inducement,
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