By John Fredericks / Staff

Windward Homeowners, Inc. President Tom Miller doesn’t think the City of Alpharetta should be borrowing $24 million to build a new Alpharetta City Center next year.

Alpharetta Councilman John Monson, up for re-election in November, is a proponent of the plan.

They may very well square off this fall in what is sure to be an election referendum on the proposal. And their names will in all probability be just above the very same bond referendum that will be placed before Alpharetta voters for approval.

For both the potential council race and bond referendum, Miller wants to make it a winner-take-all proposition.

Why Not Run For An Open Seat?

With Councilman Jim Paine stepping down due to Alpharetta’s term limits and Councilman David Belle Isle giving up his seat for a state senate campaign, why would Miller bother to run against a sitting incumbent like Monson when there are two open seats up for grabs? “I believe the voters of Alpharetta deserve a choice,” Miller said.

Running for an open seat would certainly be a higher percentage bet, but Miller apparently wants to make a point. If he opposes Monson he is sure to make his opposition to the city center bond referendum the centerpiece of his effort to unseat the incumbent.

Miller Time

A Miller challenge to Monson is not to be taken lightly. An executive with the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Miller starts out with a powerful coalition. As head of the influential Windward Homeowners Association he has access to an enormous support base, and his passionate opposition to the city center bond referendum is sure to resonate with many Alpharetta voters as they focus on the issue of borrowing millions while in a faltering ecnomy. Opponents of the project are beginning to mobilize, claiming it is economically suspect and deriding its timing.

Windward resident Jeff Berry, who is leading a cyber charge against the proposal, has recently launched a website, ChateauAlpharetta.com, a satirical parody that mocks the core benefits of the plan. Berry said he has “talked to hundreds of people who are now questioning the sense of this plan and the agendas of those who are pushing for it.”

Initial Take

Monson may be the most vulnerable incumbent member of city council standing for re-election this November in North Fulton County. Like former Alpharetta Councilwoman Debbie Gibson two years ago, he has been criticized for being overly cozy with local developers. That tag stuck to Gibson in the 2007 campaign and fueled her upset loss to Cheryl Oakes. Alpharetta voters have shown they are not shy about ousting incumbents.

Monson’s biggest campaign challenge may rest in defining his legacy to voters.

No doubt he will raise enough money for a tough campaign, but so will Miller.

If resident opposition to the bond referendum takes root and Monson continues to support it, he may go down with it come November – at the hands of Tom Miller.