Editor’s note: Decaturish and the Tucker Observer have published an Elections Guide, a 76-page e-edition featuring Q&As with nearly every candidate running in our communities. To see it, click here. This special e-edition features candidates running for public office in Decatur, Avondale Estates, Atlanta City Council District 5, Clarkston Tucker and Stone Mountain.  There is a PDF version of this, which you can see by clicking here, but due to the format of this e-edition, we strongly encourage you to use the e-reader version.

The Tucker Observer provided each candidate in our local races with a series of questions about local issues. Here are the answers of candidate Anthony Hernandez Wallen, who is running for Stone Mountain City Council Post 6. The answers have not been edited. 

1) Why are you running for this office? 

I am running for the following

a)    To build a large “Museum for the Humanities” to be located between Stone Mountain Park and The City Of Stone Mountain. The Museum would consist of three main pavilions: Pavillion i : Cheddar Man & the prehistoric idegenous people. Pavilion ii AlHambra Palace & contributions of The Moors to the building of Europe.

Pavilion iii The “F.W. DeClerk & Nelson Mandela pavilion ” What America can and should be.

b)    Saving old trees that fall/and or cut down to be upcycled into floor boards or housing timbers.

c)     Partnering with an entity such as the Savannah School of Art and Design to design a downtown theme with art objects placed on Main street,around the city and in our lovely parks. That design effort would attract visitors and new businesses to the city and enhance the quality of our city life

2) What makes you a better candidate than your opponents?

The City of Stone Mountain is endowed with a great historic legacy : a key to the corridors of power and finance way beyond Government grants. That legacy goes untapped now.  I believe I can  tap that legacy to pay for things like the new cityscape design.

3) If elected, what are your top two or three priorities? 

The Museum , The new cityscape design and the downtown “Main Street” eastward extension

4) In your opinion, what are the most important issues facing Stone Mountain?

That our image is lumped with Stone Mountain Park as one and the same entity

5) What is your current opinion of the current Stone Mountain city manager? 

NO ANSWER GIVEN

6) What is your opinion of Stone Mountain’s current mayor and who will you be voting for  in the Stone Mountain mayoral election?

No comment at the moment

7) What can the city of Stone Mountain do to better distinguish itself from Stone  Mountain Park?  

A vibrant downtown will attract visitors to stay and shop as our offerings in a an  eclectic cuisine is not adequate enough and not enough

8) Do you think the city should use paid parking to capitalize on park attendance?

At the moment we have limited parking and we need it for ourselves. We should be thinking of ways to use those parking lots for attractions we create in the City .

9) Racial justice and diversity have been points of conversation over the last year. What  will you do to promote racial justice and diversity in the city of Stone Mountain? 

I believe that if people have a clear understanding of who they are it would be the precursor to getting to racial justice in this nation. That is one aspect of archiving racial justice that is not highlighted and building a museum to highlight those ideals can help.

10) What do you think of the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and what steps do  you think the city should take to help reduce the spread of the virus?

Vaccine & Face Mask

11) What is your opinion of Stone Mountain’s current Downtown Development Authority  and what changes would you make, if any?

The expansion of Main St.eastward with a modern themed cityscape design that preserves and respects the histrionics of what exists but infuses modern design elements.I believe there is help ; both financial and technical available at  little or no cost to assist with the development of a cityscape design

12) If elected, what would you do to support the business community and how would you  sell Stone Mountain to businesses considering setting up shop in the city?

Cyclists ride in and around our city on $5,000 bikes : this is a formidable statement as to the tremendous business potential of our city. We need to design and build our cityscape like “yesterday” to attract shoppers and visitors to the city and especially the “off main street” businesses.

13) What should the city do to diversify its revenue streams?

A .5% sales tax start is a first step and ideas along those lines that take the burden of the revenue generation from the “Homeowners”.

14) Do you think the city of Stone Mountain should implement a “blight tax” to penalize  home and property owners who do not take care of their properties? 

Yes

15) What is your opinion about Stone Mountain’s current tax rate and do you think it  should be higher, lower or remain the same?

The coming new administration’s slew of new ideas should greatly  increase revenue streams  thereby  reducing  taxes..

16) Stone Mountain has recently decided to move forward with overdue upgrades to city  parks. What park improvements would you like to see?

Well appointed modern  bathrooms patterned after the new cityscapes themes is what I would like to see

17) What do you think is Stone Mountain’s greatest strength?.

Stone Mountain at this moment and time holds in its hand the conscience of America  and what we do can have  a lasting influence on the USA.

18) What do you think is Stone Mountain’s biggest challenge?

Its image that is tied to the park

19) How would you address what you believe to be Stone Mountain’s biggest challenge? 

First a new city scape then later on The Museum of The Humanities

20) If you are elected, do you promise to conduct yourself in an ethical and transparent  manner? How would you work to promote ethics and transparency in government? 

I learned that instructions  building inspectors give  may seem like a pain at the time . In the long run I had to thank them for those instructions as those saved me a lot of time and money. I tell folks of my experiences with building inspectors : it seems to help people do the right thing .

More information about voting in the Nov. 2 election: 

All elections coverage can be found at Decaturishvotes.com and Tuckerobservervotes.com.  

Election Day is Nov. 2. Early voting will begin on Oct. 12 and will end on Oct. 29. The voter registration deadline is Oct. 4. To register to vote, click here.

To see a list of important dates in the 2021 election year, click here.

Voters in DeKalb County are eligible to apply for an absentee ballot as of Aug. 16. 

To apply for an absentee ballot:

— Visit the Georgia Secretary of State website.

—  Complete the absentee ballot application using the state’s official paper form. Use black or blue ink only.

Applications can be mailed to the county elections office at this address: DeKalb County Election office, 4380 Memorial Drive, Decatur, GA 30032-1239.

Applications can also be submitted by fax, 404-298-4038, or email, [email protected].

Voters may send an absentee ballot request for multiple people who live in the same household in the same envelope or email.

If an absentee ballot is not mailed to you, call DeKalb Elections office, 404-298-4020. You may still vote in person, either early or on Election Day.

An absentee ballot application must be received by Oct. 22.

In accordance with SB202, a new voting bill signed by Gov. Brian Kemp in March, a copy of a voter’s ID is required to apply for an absentee ballot. A Georgia driver’s license, Georgia state ID, Georgia voter card, U.S. Passport, U.S. military ID, employee ID issued by any branch of the federal or state government, tribal ID, or a document verifying a voter’s name and address – including a paycheck, utility bill, or bank statement – are accepted forms of ID.

Early voting begins Oct. 12 and ends Oct. 29. The hours for early voting are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. There will also be weekend early voting on Oct. 16, 17, 23 and 24. Call your elections office for hours.

Beginning Oct. 12, you can participate in early voting at the following locations: 

– Bessie Branham Recreation Center (2051 Delano Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30317)

– Lynwood Recreation Center (3360 Osborne Road NE, Brookhaven, GA 30319)

– Berean Christian Church – Family Life Center (2197 Young Road, Stone Mountain, GA 30088)

– DeKalb Voter Registration & Elections Office (4380 Memorial Drive, Suite 300, Decatur, GA 30032)

– Tucker-Reid H. Cofer Library (5234 LaVista Road, Tucker, GA 30084)

– Stonecrest Library (3123 Klondike Road, Stonecrest, GA 30038)

– County Line-Ellenwood Library (4331 River Road, Ellenwood, GA 30294)

– Dunwoody Library (5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road., Dunwoody, GA 30338)

For the most up-to-date and accurate information regarding early voting times and locations, visit Decaturishvotes.com and Tuckerobservervotes.com or call 404-298-4020.  

The Tucker Observer is a new community news website owned by Decaturish.com. We provide locally sourced news about Tucker, Clarkston and Stone Mountain.

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