TOLLESON KICKS OFF MAYORAL CAMPAIGN TODAY

Three-term councilman and East Roswell resident David Tolleson is set to officially announce his mayoral candidacy today at a fundraising event at the home of L.W. “Tuck” and Pat Tucker. Tucker, a retired Naval Air Commander, led the East Roswell assault against the Charlie Brown mega towers debacle in 2007. Tucker’s opposition was widely regarded as the community-based lynchpin that doomed the project, sending it to the ashbin of history.

Tucker, an icon of Roswell community activism, said the cornerstone of his support of Tolleson is based on leadership. “I like David’s style of leadership,” Tucker explained. “He is a great listener, a consensus builder and he works well with people, especially the Roswell city staff.” Tucker added that his support of Tolleson was not a negative reflection on the other candidates. “I have worked very successfully over the years on various projects with both Mayor Jere Wood and Councilwoman Lori Henry,” Tucker said. “I have great relationships with both of them. This was a tough decision for me but I believe David is the right person at the right time to lead Roswell.”

Also backing Tolleson is East Roswell Forum newsletter editor Sarah Winner, a powerful force in the area. Winner is also considering a bid for city council and is expected to run for Tolleson’s open seat.

If Tolleson can secure a big vote count on the east side, which historically votes in a bloc for its chosen municipal candidates, Tolleson may be assured of sliding ahead of Henry in what is certain to be a run-off election with Wood. Losing Roswell council candidates often refer to this electoral phenomenon as the “East Roswell Mafia.” But Wood is courting them with his “East Roswell Beautification” project (see related story on page 6) and Henry has deep support there as well. So it’s too early to predict the extent of Tolleson’s strength on the East side, but it is certainly his political base.

HENRY CAMPAIGN SMOLDERS

Meanwhile, the fledgling Henry for Mayor campaign mopes along at what appears to be a snail’s pace. Henry, who may have based her original campaign strategy on riding the anti-negative reverse coattails of Wood, now finds herself in a dogfight she may not have been prepared to wage. Henry is having trouble raising money, and she has been slow to articulate a solid message that resonates with undecided voters. To date the Henry team is running what amounts to a council re-election campaign – only they scratched out “Council” and wrote in “Mayor.” This approach just won’t cut it in the face of Wood’s “Public Relations Machine” and Tolleson’s “East Roswell Mafia.” Look for Henry to bring in a big gun soon, like noted political activist Powell Harrison, who ran Rich Dippolito’s come from behind victory in 2007, and for Henry to come forward with some bold policy initiatives to regain lost momentum. Sources close to Henry say the campaign fired media consultant Michele Grasso, a former Saxby Chambliss  For Senate operative, last week.

THE BEACON AND 920 WGKA TO CO-HOST FIRST MAYORAL DEBATE

Beacon Media and radio station 920am-WGKA will co-host the first Roswell Mayoral debate on Thursday,  August 13 at the Holiday Inn on Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell. All three mayoral candidates have confirmed their attendance. The debate will be co-moderated by WGKA radio personality Joel Foster and me. The format will be lively and allow for old fashioned exchanges designed to draw out clear policy distinctions between the candidates while flushing out their respective platforms. The 7 p.m. debate will be preceded by a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. The event is free and is open is to the general public. All candidates for other offices are encouraged to attend as well. For those who can’t make it, the debate will be broadcast live on Beaconcast.com and will be available for podcast later that night. This is sure to be a defining night in this historic election so mark your calendars now. 

ALPHARETTA COUNCIL

Here’s the skinny: Councilman Jim Paine’s seat is open, and while several candidates are expected to run, none have committed as of yet. This seems to be the best kept secret in the city. But the big story is Councilman John Monson. His campaign for re-election is floundering, his campaign is broke and he is undeniably the most vulnerable incumbent on the North Side. Monson’s bombastic diatribes on topics like the failed city center catastrophe and his rabid opposition to taking any Federal stimulus money for Alpharetta are wearing thin on his constituents. Often referred to as “sidewalk Santa Claus” by his detractors for his penchant of promising new sidewalks to Home Owner Associations, Monson has consistently come down on the wrong side of Alpharetta’s most critical issues of late. His likely opponent, Windward HOA president Tom Miller, presents a sharp contrast to Monson in terms of style, demeanor and politic. Miller, a strategic analyst for Cox Media, is reserved, soft spoken and measured. He starts with an enormous support base in Windward, and would enter the race as the odds-on favorite to knock Monson out of office.

STATE SENATE- D56

State Senate candidate David Belle Isle (R) is coming under mounting pressure to give up his Alpharetta council seat in August so his position can be contested in November. One council colleague is close to calling publicly for Belle Isle to do just that, claiming failure to do so is both a conflict of interest and a waste of taxpayer money. If Belle Isle refuses to relinquish his council seat and files for the state senate race on April 26, 2010, which is the first day of filing, he would be forced by Georgia law to resign his council position immediately. The state senate primary is July 13. Because the filing deadline is less than 90 days prior to the primary, the open council seat could not appear on the July primary ballot, as Belle Isle told me it could several weeks ago. Instead, the City of Alpharetta would be forced by its charter to hold a special election in September, costing the city’s taxpayers a staggering $80,000. Belle Isle has based his senate campaign on his fiscally conservative credentials, and his opponents are sure to make it a campaign issue.

Another candidate in the race, GNFCC CEO and GDOT board member Brandon Beach, who raised a whopping $67,000 in the first 60 days of his campaign, has reportedly hired Rusty Paul of “I-Squared, Inc.” as his chief campaign consultant. Paul, a current Sandy Springs councilman, is considered one of the top political consultants in North Fulton County. Paul engineered Cheryl Oake’s upset victory over incumbent Alpharetta councilwoman Debbie Gibson in 2007, but he also ran Roger Santi’s disastrous losing campaign against Julie Zahner-Bailey in Milton that same year. In fairness to Paul, it is doubtful anyone could have saved the Santi campaign, short of Divine Intervention.

BURKHALTER BACKS NATHAN DEAL, BREAKS WITH HANDEL

House Speaker Pro-Tem Mark Burkhalter (R-Johns Creek) has endorsed Nathan Deal for governor, and his political action committee donated $6,100 – the maximum allowable by law – to his campaign. Aides to the “Speaker In Waiting” say endorsements from Majority Whip Jan Jones (R-Milton) and Chuck Martin (R-Alpharetta) are soon to follow. This is a blow to the Handel camp, who needs a massive majority in North Fulton County – updwards of 72 percent – to have a shot at making what is a near certain run-off. Watch for a mass exodus of North Fulton political influencers defecting from Handel over the summer, as they perceive ­her campaign to be in real trouble. If Handel can’t pull at least 65 percent of the North Fulton GOP primary vote, stick a fork in her, she’s done. Right now, the oven is on and the turkey popper is rising fast on Handel.