To My Fellow Friends and Neighbors,

I wanted to pass on some of the key initiatives I would undertake as your next Mayor, in an effort to keep Alpharettans focused on the importance of this Mayoral race. 

I am asking for your consideration in voting for me to lead our City for the next 4 years and I do not take this request lightly.

First, I believe Alpharetta needs and requires a leader who is enthusiastic and presents a positive image for our future and one who has a plan to improve our quality of life.  Our future is bright and I wanted to bring to your attention several key elements of my platform that are essential in meeting the expectations of our great City:

Keep More of Alpharetta’s Local Sales Tax Dollars in Our City

Currently, Alpharetta receives approximately $11M a year from the one penny local option sales tax collected by our retail establishments.  It is currently prorated by Fulton County on a population basis.  If we were to truly apportion these funds by the level of commercial activity our City has worked hard to develop, we would see our local sales tax share rise to the level of approximately $26M a year.  This means we are currently seeing a portion of the one penny we collect within our own City borders be redistributed to other Fulton County cities. We can use an increase in the local optioin sales tax fund critical infrastructure projects, while providing additional tax relief to our Alpharetta citizens.

Appoint a Business Advisory Council to the Mayor’s Office

As your Mayor, I will work with the Downtown Area Trade Association, the Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau, the North Fulton Chamber and other organizations to create a Business Advisory Council that will be solely focused on reducing red tape, cutting fees that stymie business investment in our City and helps retain and create jobs in Alpharetta.

Launch an “Alpharetta Cares” Program

Alpharetta Cares will be my way of tying into some of the great talent pool Alpharetta has attracted.  This group will help build a job clearinghouse and a City services organization that partners with our churches and our business community to post jobs, tie into job training opportunities and help Alpharetta get back to work.  This would become a privately run 501(C)3 organization that provides a conduit for our businesses to help families struggling who are out of work or under-employed and who can use a little help from their community.  This will not become a government program or be funded by any tax dollars from Alpharetta taxpayers, rather a community helping each other to mitigate foreclosures that hurt all of our home values.  As you Mayor, I am committed to getting government out of the way and strengthening our community.

Dedicate Funds Annually in Our City Budget to Focus on Downtown

Every candidate says they are committed to bringing back the vibrancy and vitality in our downtown area our City deserves, however, NONE have proposed a viable solution.  As Mayor, I will include a dedicated line item in our annual budget to invest in and fund ongoing improvements to the downtown area, help continue to grow the economic vitality of our downtown area, make our downtown a real community meeting place led by our City’s Events Planning Team, including addressing much-needed improvements to traffic flow to enhance mobility.

Complete Westside Parkway and Launch the Downtown Plan

Alpharetta can not wait any longer to address these critical needs in our City.  My plan calls for increased funding WITHOUT increasing taxes.  I am committed to seeing these projects through. 

Your next Mayor will have the responsibility of leading our City over the course of the next 4 years, which sees our City at a crossroads.  We will be going from developing a City to building a economically stable City for years to come, during the worst economic times of my lifetime.

These times call for good financial stewardship, which I have demonstrated in the last 10 years as your City Councilman.   Good financial stewardship leads to excellence in Public Safety, providing the ability to improve City infrastructure for improved mobility and maintain one of the finest Parks and Recreational offerings around our Country.

I thank you for allowing me to serve you the past 10 years and I would be honored to lead you as your next Mayor the next 4 years.

Thank you and I ask for your vote on November 8th.

Douglas J. DeRito