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The Tucker Observer invited all candidates running in the Nov. 2 municipal election to submit up to three letters on their behalf. One of the letters could be written by the candidate. Here are the letters in support of Tucker City Council District 3, Post 1 candidate Neal Stubblefield. 

Dear Tucker Observer,

I am thrilled that my longtime friend Neal Stubblefield is running for Tucker City Council, District 3.

Neal is no newcomer to Tucker– he’s lived here for 31 years and has been deeply invested in our community all that time.  Long before Tucker became a city, Neal worked to secure that designation, including testifying before and working with state legislators. Since the first day of cityhood, he has performed yeoman’s service on Tucker’s Zoning Board of Appeals, work that has benefited both residents and businesses. Neal knows the ins and outs of the challenges facing our young city. As a retired engineer, he has a great grasp of the infrastructure issues the city government faces. He represents Tucker’s interests as its appointee to the county’s 2070 water/wastewater master plan – he’s already thinking about what our community will need water-wise a half-century from now!

Neal is a born leader. I’ve had the honor of serving with him on church committees and have witnessed his instinctive knack for gently guiding diverse groups toward good decisions. On a personal note, Neal is a man of genuine compassion and has a special place in his heart for the disadvantaged. He volunteers regularly at NETWorks Cooperative Ministries and has been a longtime board member for non-profits like Georgia AGAPE and EIRO. Elected officials are supposed to be “public servants”– but sadly, far too few of them live up to that title. Neal, on the other hand, has acted as a “servant” to our community his whole adult life!  He is exactly the kind of humble leader the diverse citizenry of Tucker should want.

– Brent Wiseman, 38-year Tucker resident

 

Dear Tucker Observer, 

It has been an honor to serve, along with Anne Lerner, as one of your District 3 Tucker City Council Members since our City’s inception more than five years ago. Due to term limits, my time on the Council is coming to an end, but I will continue to volunteer in the community as I did before we were a city.

Anne and I are grateful for the support you have given us and the trust you have placed in us to ensure the City of Tucker was set up on a solid foundation and continues to be a place you are proud to call home. While we have faced challenges along the way and have not always agreed, we have always worked together for the good of the entire community. That is reconfirmed by your kind emails, calls and the positive comments you share when we see you around town. Something Anne and I completely agree on is that Neal Stubblefield is the right candidate to fill my council seat.

Those of you who know our dedication to serving Tucker, our long-standing volunteer history, and our fierce commitment to keeping Tucker together while outside cityhood movements tried to tear us apart, will understand why we take this upcoming election so seriously.

With four new members of council and a mayoral election, it is imperative we elect a candidate with proven career and city government experience who can hit the ground running Day One, to not only best represent District 3, but all of Tucker, both locally and across the State. Again, that candidate is clearly Neal Stubblefield.

Neal and his wife, Jo Anne, have lived in Tucker more than 31 years, raised their children here, and have demonstrated their commitment to the betterment of Tucker and the larger community in a variety of volunteer and leadership roles over that time, from PTA to Boy Scouts to leadership roles in their church.  Above all, Neal is a man of integrity and compassion.

Neal has earned our vote and yours with his service to Tucker through his volunteer and appointed efforts. He has been with us from the beginning of our journey to cityhood and expressed an interest at possibly one day running for City Council when he had the time to fully devote to this important role. We are thankful that time is now.

He tirelessly worked alongside us at the State Capitol and in neighborhoods across Tucker for incorporation. Neal then immediately volunteered to serve in any helpful capacity the City needed, offering his many years of engineering experience working at the local, state and Federal level.

Neal was appointed by Mayor and Council to our Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), a quasi-judicial board that requires thoughtful and thorough consideration on all matters. He has served the city well in this capacity since the beginning, making tough decisions and proving he has what it takes to serve on City Council.

In fact, Neal has continuously participated in council meetings, various planning charettes, budget hearings and work sessions since the City’s inception. He finds it all interesting, well beyond topics that just might impact him directly.

Through the years, Anne and I have sought counsel and input from Neal on a variety of matters, always trusting and appreciating his measured approach and thoughtful advice. We often share how lucky we are to have such an asset and friend in Tucker. We need this type of thoughtful leadership in place as I complete my service and Anne serves out her last two years on Council.

Help us ensure we are entrusting the community we love so dearly to someone who understands the commitment needed, will listen to all voices, put aside all differences, and do what is best for the good of the whole by not driving a personal agenda or a party platform. Let’s keep Tucker moving forward on a positive trajectory.

Please joins us by casting your ballot for Neal Stubblefield for Tucker City Council.

Yours in service,

Michelle Penkava and Anne Lerner, Tucker City Council Members with 35-plus years of combined volunteer leadership in Tucker

More information about voting in the Nov. 2 election: 

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.

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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