Branding Change; Chick-fil-A; School Board Race

Notice anything different about the City of Dunwoody's new brand?  Less than a week after the brand was unveiled, it has undergone a change (apparently for most residents - at least according to my informal poll - it hasn't changed enough).  The tag line "Smart people - Smart place" has been replaced by "Smart people - Smart city."  The reason for the change?  The City of Plano, Texas already had the rights to the "Smart people - Smart place" line, so Dunwoody was either had to make an adjustment or face a potential legal battle (wonder why Sky Design, the company hired by the city to come up with the brand, wasn't aware of this?  Will Sky be refunding part of its reported $50,000 plus fee).
For more on why Sky and city officials chose this as the brand, read the news release by clicking here (and when you do, you'll be greeted by the city's new website design).

Chick-fil-A Meeting

I was unable to attend the Chick-fil-A pre-submittal meeting last night at Dunwoody Community Church.  Folks that did attend tell me it was more of an informal gathering than a meeting.  Ever-present Councilman John Heneghan did make the meeting, and has much more on his blogsite including a site plan.

School Board Race

Jim Redovian

Someone who has worked very closely with the DeKalb County School Board in the past says Dunwoody should be very concerned if Jim Redovian is not re-elected to the board.  This person tells me that while Redovian should have been more proactive in oversight of superintendent Crawford Lewis, having a Dunwoody resident on the board has been a major plus for schools in our city.  He says don't underestimate what Jim did in getting Dunwoody Elementary School built, as well as for his role in the renovation of Dunwoody High School.  He says the Dunwoody schools got a lot more attention because of Jim's commitment to his home base.

Nancy Jester

Meantime, challenger Nancy Jester, who is in a neck-and-neck battle with Redovian for the seat, read my recap of Tuesday night's DHA candidate forum, and had this to say in response.

"Given the limited time we had to publicly address the various issues, I would like to give you some additional insight into my thoughts about redistricting. The process in the past was flawed and was not based on well-designed demographic studies or proper forecasting methods. Redistricting is never easy but given the flawed process that the community was faced with, I understand the reaction. I think the more important point is to ask why the system was "not in a position to redistrict right", as Mr. Redovian stated. The bureaucrats and BOE failed the communities in this regard. We need new, competent and motivated Board leadership to bring about reform."

To read the Nancy's full response, click here.