Recently it was stated that the City Council of Johns Creek was “wandering in desert”. Since the City Council is supposed to be representative of its residents, the implication is imperfect but clear.
The residents however, are not wandering. They have been clear and steadfast for years. Traffic. Traffic . Traffic. That is our # 1 issue.
Neither are the majority of the Council Members that are suggested to be the problem here. At last, we have some principles of leadership and governance that are finally seeing the light of day. They are only seeing that light of day because those Council Members realize they are not there to reach a consensus, but to actually have a dialogue on what principles we are going to follow as a City.
Unfortunately, we still have a few Council Members that are unsure of what their actual principles are, and so we must wait and see how they cast a vote to see where they stand on an issue.
Let’s face it, we cannot wander around Johns Creek. We cannot get out of town in a reasonable manner. We cannot get home either. Our main travel routes take 3-4 times longer during our rush hours than our non-rush hours. It’s been that way for more than 10 years.
Believe me, we know exactly where we are.
Johns Creek was created so that we could take care of our needs which were being ignored by Fulton County.
Over the last ten years our wants have taken precedence over our needs.
Our wants are exciting. They are new. Wants are wonderful to sit back and fantasize about.
Our needs are not so exciting.
Paving. Traffic. Radio towers. Park Maintenance. Dead animal removal. And now, apparently, storm water issues.
No one flies around the nation to see these issues. They do fly around to see the other wants we have been pursuing recently.
We need leadership that is more excited and more determined to satisfy the needs rather than the wants.
Believe it or not, there are leaders that are excited about resolving traffic issues. Getting you home in time for dinner. Making sure that your LAST mile home is the best part of your commute and not the worst.
You want your child to go to college. But you need to change his diapers, clothe and feed your child every day.
Or they will never go to college.
Take care of the needs. When it is time, we will address the wants. If the wants have to be forced, then it just isn’t time.
I want leadership that just does not talk about resolving traffic issues, but is in the traffic center, at the worst locations in person and seeing for themselves the issues, and willing to talk to residents about their ideas.
Not just once in a while.
Daily.
I want leadership that makes it clear to its staff that if residents are the ones reporting issues with parks, greenway issues, streets not being swept before our own City Staff sees it and says does something, then there is a problem.
Johns Creek is changing. People are waking up. We’ve been a city for ten years. The first 8 we didn’t know what to expect.
We really did not hear what was going in our community other than brief puff pieces in one weekly paper.
We are talking now. We are developing a sense of community. We are getting involved. And we are not going away any time soon.
From Next Door web site to this site to others, what is being done in our city is being talked about and discussed. New faces are showing up and speaking at every council meeting.
The apathy that for so long was used to describe the residents of Johns Creek is slowly disappearing.
Get involved. Read. Ask questions. Question Everything. And when you do not get answers, get your friends and neighbors to start asking questions as well.
Johns Creek is OUR city. It always has been.
It’s time we acted like it. We need you to show up at City Hall. Write emails. Engage in dialogue.
Watch. Listen. Question. That is the ONLY way we can get the City we have been paying for over the last ten years to be the City we need it to be.
