Round Table Democracy in Decatur, Georgia

by Matt Leighninger

December 1, 1999 | | Decatur, GA

Though it sits on the outskirts of Atlanta, the city of Decatur is no suburb. A community of 18,000 people and many historic homes, Decatur is actually older than Atlanta. And because of the "Decatur Round Tables" project, it can also boast of a more vigorous civic life.

Over 450 citizens have been involved in the Decatur Round Tables project, which was the brainchild of Jon Abercrombie, a longtime Decatur resident who runs a local nonprofit called Common Focus. The long-range goal was to "ensure that citizens from across the community become actively involved in the process of making decisions."

The effort received the support of local government from the very beginning. The City Council, City Manager's Office, Downtown Development Authority, and a number of other organizations were heavily involved. The organizers were reacting to a number of controversies, including contentious school board elections and a zoning battle over a parking deck built by Agnes Scott College in the middle of a residential neighborhood. In addition, tensions were rising between longtime residents of color and newer residents, many of whom are young and white.

To help residents address these challenges, the organizers worked with SCRC to create a new study circle guide, which included sessions on growth and development, race relations, and education. Some of the material in the Decatur guide was later published as part of SCRC's Building Strong Neighborhoods, a guide for organizing study circles on neighborhood issues.

Decatur added a key innovation to the organizing process: a "leadership map" of formal and informal associations in the community (109 in all). Each group listed on the map, from gardening clubs to neighborhood associations, was asked to recruit Round Table participants from its membership. "We took the map to every meeting and presentation we did, as a way of showing people the scope of the Decatur Round Tables."

The Round Tables have already borne fruit. City Hall has created a new position for a Neighborhoods Liaison who will work directly with neighborhood associations. An action team that emerged from the Round Tables has been working with the city to create a broad-based strategic plan for the city, to be carried out by the end of 2000. The neighborhood action team has created the Decatur Neighborhood Alliance, bringing the leadership of all of the city's neighborhood associations together for support, training, and planning. And the Decatur Recreation Authority reports that the Round Tables have helped them 'reorient' the way they work. Finally, some Round Table participants have formed a new group, the Decatur Greens, to advocate and to create new parks and green spaces.

One of the concerns voiced by many participants is the plight of older African-American residents in Decatur, who are finding it harder to stay in their homes as property values - and taxes - continue to rise. An action team has worked to identify and to assist senior citizens who qualify for tax abatement plans and reverse mortgages.

In fact, "the genie is out of the bottle" for citizen involvement in Decatur, says Abercrombie. They've found ways to use round tables in many different facets of community life.

One example is the zoning process, which has often led to angry debates and misinformation. After the first round of circles concluded, a new challenge arose: a developer wanted to build a 200-unit condominium complex in a neighborhood zoned for residential use. Working with the city government and the neighborhood association leadership, the Round Table Team designed and conducted a "mini study circle" format that brought the developer, the architect, and the residents together in an even-handed, low-key meeting that allowed for honest discussion and an expression of opinions. Subsequently, the condominium proposal was dropped, but the team is working to create a better system for dealing with controversial issues.

That question defines the overall challenge now facing Decatur: how to incorporate the Round Tables more fully into the way the community conducts its business. "We need to have elected decision makers, but we also need enough of a democratic setup that all people have access to power," says City Councilman Jim Baskett. The City won't be dictating any answers to this question; instead, in true democratic fashion, they'll be using Round Tables to find out what citizens think. "We should be asking citizens what they want when it comes to the future of democracy in Decatur," Baskett says, "and we should be open to whatever they suggest."