All Saints Pastor To Retire; Tax Increase

After 25 years as the pastor of All Saints Catholic Church in Dunwoody, Monsignor Donald Kiernan is retiring.  Kiernan, who celebrates his 86th birthday on December 28, has been a priest for 61 years.  The Monsignor will continue to reside at All Saints and will continue to celebrate Mass, but will no longer handle administrative chores or chart the future of the parish.  The Most Reverend Wilton Gregory, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, has not yet named a replacement.
Msgr. Kiernan has built a legacy of service to many community and statewide organizations. He founded the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, serving as its director and chaplain for over 20 years.
He also has served as the chaplain to the Georgia State Patrol, the DeKalb County Police Department, the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms’ local division and the Knights of Columbus.
He has been a colleague to Georgia governors and Atlanta mayors over the decades, as well as to chiefs of police and public servants. He was editor of The Georgia Bulletin for over a decade in the 1950s and 1960s and a vicar general of the archdiocese from 2000-2005.

In 1984, the Boy Scouts of America recognized Msgr. Kiernan’s contributions by awarding him its highest honor, the Silver Beaver Award. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Metropolitan Atlanta Boy Scouts of America and the board of the USO.
Msgr. Kiernan has received many honors and awards, including the Prothonotary Apostolic, which is the highest rank of monsignor, in 1979. He has received honorary doctorates from Biscayne College in Miami, from his Alma mater, Providence College in Rhode Island, and from Georgia State University.

DeKalb Property Tax Increase

In my last blog entry, I passed along information on DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis' proposed budget for 2011, which includes a 2.32 mill property tax increase.   Dunwoody Councilman Robert Wittenstein commented that under this proposal, the average Dunwoody homeowner would see a property tax increase of $371 per year.  Bob Lundsten, who is chief of staff for DeKalb County Commissioner Elaine Boyer, added, "residents in DeKalb should be shouting from the hilltops for DeKalb to reduce the number of County employees, cut non essential services and control spending before asking for what will be an increase of 300-500 bucks a year for homeowners."
Bob is right - why aren't we shouting from the hilltops?  Our tax bills are about to increase by the cost of a brand new 42" flat screen television (which would work nicely in my bedroom since my kids always commandeer the one in the great room), and no one is saying anything!   It's not like our services will be improved or enhanced.  We're already facing a 49 percent increase in our water and sewer bills over the next 4 years. 
To contact the CEO to let him know how you feel, email him by clicking on his name:  Burrell Ellis.