Commissioners appoint parks advisory panel

From the Marietta Daily Journal on Wednesday, November 29, 2006, by MDJ staff writer Amanda Casciaro

MARIETTA - Cobb commissioners on Tuesday announced appointments to a 15-member committee to advise the board on land buys using a $40 million parks bond voters approved in November.

The appointments, which include three at-large members from Chairman Sam Olens, reflect a diverse pool of residents that vary in race, gender, occupation and community involvement.

As promised when commissioners agreed to send the referendum to voters in April, Olens chose members of the Cobb Parks Coalition, which has been credited for the bond's success in garnering more than 70 percent of the vote.

Carol Brown, chairwoman of the Canton Road Neighbors Inc.; Gary Wolovick, a former vice president of west Cobb's People Looking After Neighborhoods and a classmate of Olens' from Emory School of Law; and John Pape, Jr., staff counsel for Allstate Insurance Company and a leader in the Kolb Farm Coalition, will serve as at-large committee members.

After receiving several e-mail requests from residents, Commissioner Tim Lee decided to appoint Deanne Bonner, president of the Cobb NAACP; Debbie D'Aurelio, an east Cobb homemaker who came recommended from "at least a dozen" other community activists; and Doug Reed, a retired accountant the Northeast Cobb Homeowners Association recommended.

Commissioner Annette Kesting, who represents south Cobb, chose Georgia Supreme Court attorney LaRonda Barnes, who also serves as her appointment to the Cobb County Board of Tax Assessors; Roberta Cook, a well-known community activist who helped the Cobb Parks Coalition drum up support for the bond early on; and Connie Taylor, a loan processing manager and real estate broker for the City of Atlanta.

Commissioner Joe Lee Thompson appointed Joni Cope, an east Cobb activist who has worked "for years" to preserve the Hyatt farm; Roger Buerki, a member of the Cobb Parks Coalition and the West Vinings Civic Association who has worked for the past 35 years to preserve greenspace including property along the Chattahoochee River; and Chris Dusack, a Bank of America employee and member of the Cobb Parks Coalition.

Commissioner Helen Goreham, who did not attend Tuesday's meeting because she was out of town, is expected to appoint Jim Dugan, a west Cobb activist employed with Heidelberg; Wendy Friberg, who worked with the Kolb Farm Coalition; and Jimmy Durham, an employee with Northwest Bank and Trust.

Although Olens announced Ms. Goreham's appointments Tuesday, the board will not approve members until its Dec. 12 commission meeting when she is present.

The 15-member committee will serve for about 18 months or until the bond expires and will not be paid for its service.

Paul Paulson, leader of the Cobb Parks Coalition and an integral part of the Five Families Farm battle in west Cobb, declined to participate on the committee, citing his busy schedule.

Although he won't serve as a permanent member, Paulson has said he will advise the board if members need help choosing tracts of land for park use.

The committee will follow Georgia's Sunshine Laws.

"We want to give it transparency so that people can see what's going on with it," Paulson said in a recent interview.

Members will begin meeting in January to discuss future purchases. Olens said the group would elect its own chairman soon after.

"This has been a great experiment, a successful experiment in grassroots organization," Olens said. "We look forward to the next step."

acasciaro@mdjonline.com