Meet the Candidates: Rick Callihan, Post 4, District 1 at Large Challenger

Dunwoody’s general election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011, and four seats on the city council will be open this fall. In their words, candidates will be introducing themselves here at Patch. Today, we profile Post 4 (District 1 At Large) candidate Rick Callihan, who is one of two challengers seeking to unseat incumbent Robert Wittenstein:

Age: 43

Neighborhood: Weldstone Manor

Position Sought: District 1, Post 4 (at-large)

Current Job/Company:  Director of Operations, AmeriGlo

Education: BA in Business Administration, Thiel College.  GA teacher certification, Kennesaw State

How long have you lived in Dunwoody: 13 years

Community organizations: Dunwoody Homeowners Association, Dunwoody Community Garden

Your platform:

Other than the people, what is the best part of Dunwoody:

Dunwoody has an excellent location, here at the heart of the Perimeter business district.  In just minutes you can transition from quiet residential neighborhoods to the Perimeter CID, home to over 4000 businesses and 29 million square feet of office space.  The key to the success and livelihood of Dunwoody is a working relationship between our city and the PCID that promotes job growth.

What are the two biggest issues facing Dunwoody:

The city’s biggest expense going forward will not be paving and sidewalks, but stormwater repair.  This used to be under control of DeKalb County, but now is Dunwoody’s responsibility.  I question the city’s motive for taking on this enormous liability from DeKalb County as it was not required.  At the last council work session we were made aware of over $100,000 in repairs needed in just two (of thousands) city locations.

Another issue we constantly need to monitor in Dunwoody is public schools.  Of course the city itself does not control the schools, as the DeKalb County school system provides that service.  Schools are an important factor in business relocation and for home buyers.   We need to develop and maintain a working relationship with the school board and the central office staff.  I’ve worked with members of our school board in previous years and can bring that experience to city council.

What is something people may not know about you?

I was a 6th grade teacher for a few years in Cobb County