Questions with no answers

March 3, 2026 — Coming off last week's bombshell announcement about the DeKalb County School District and its latest disgraced leader, Devon Q. Horton, it's clear that this story isn't going away anytime soon.

The ramifications of his alleged actions are having a ripple effect in both Chicago and DeKalb County, as frustrated parents are saying, "enough" in a way I hadn't heard in the last decade.

🗳 With that in mind, we have two stories in this edition about the above-said ripple effect. We also have a Q&A with the City Council District 3 candidates, and a roundup of meetings that will affect Tucker residents.

🍂 Have a great weekend,
Cathy

DeKalb parents (who've just about had it) unite

🏫 A lack of accountability, transparency, and competency has marred DeKalb County School District’s reputation well before the appointment of former superintendent Devon Q. Horton, according to a group of Smoke Rise Elementary parents.

Parents at the Tucker-area elementary school, which is the zoned school for Horton’s children, have created an online community, Connecting the Dots, to shed light on what the parents consider continued missteps by the school system’s board, with the recent federal indictment and resignation of Horton only being a symptom.

Jeannette Fusia, whose daughter attends Smoke Rise Elementary, is one of the organizers of Connecting the Dots, created just days after Horton was indicted on fraud, embezzlement, and tax evasion charges. The community has garnered more than 600 followers in less than two weeks.

The takeaway from several parents Rough Draft polled is that the school board accidentally picked a winner by appointing Dr. Norman Sauce as the acting superintendent –  a damning statement.

BTW, Horton and his co-defendants recorded not-guilty pleas to the charges in court yesterday. 

😡 Read Stephanie Toone's story about their frustrations with the system on so many levels. 

District 3 candidates answer the questions

➡️ Voters will decide on Nov. 4 whether to re-elect District 3 Council Member Alexis Weaver or elect newcomer Sam Ulrich. Rough Draft sent both District 3 candidates a list of three questions about their backgrounds and the topics they feel Tucker residents are most concerned about as they travel the campaign trail. 

IMO, this is the most interesting council race of the three, with Weaver often cast as the outlier on several issues, many of which have played out on the public stage. Also, Ulrich supported the idea of pickleball at TRC – just saying. 

⚔️ Read Stephanie's story about their thoughts on the campaign.

Final meeting on connections

 🧺 Residents reviewed a laundry list of improvements to lighting, bike lanes, sidewalks, and more planned for some of Tucker’s major thoroughfares during an Oct. 21 meeting at Tucker City Hall.

More than 30 residents and city officials gathered for the final public information meeting on the Tucker Connects Transportation and Trails Master Plan, which offers proposals and a prioritized list of projects for the major intersections of Hugh Howell Road, Lavista Road, and several neighborhoods throughout the city. 

The meeting also included a review of findings from the Revive L29 Lawrenceville Highway Access Management and Beautification Study. The beautification plan includes 20 projected enhancements along Lawrenceville Highway, like landscaping and improvements to driveway aprons near the intersection of Brockett and Hugh Howell roads and multiple sidewalk, ramp, and leveling improvements near Idlewood and Brockett roads.

 🚴‍♂️ Read a roundup of the meeting here.

Getting the jitters?

☕️ Tucker residents had the opportunity on Oct. 23 to discuss plans for a special land use permit for a new coffee shop.

Rocket Brew, Inc. seeks to redevelop the property at 4268 and 4270 Lawrenceville Hwy. for 7 Brew Coffee, a drive-thru coffee shop. Residents who live within 500 feet of that property were invited to discuss the proposal at Main Street Church.

The meeting is required before Rocket Brew, Inc. can submit the application for a Special Land Use Permit (SLUP), concurrent variance, and modification to the city, according to a City of Tucker memo. 

With Perc, Corner Cup, Paramount, and Mint Coffeehouse already in the mix, some people say that another coffee shop in Tucker might be overkill, but when you compare it to the number of auto repair shops in the city, being over-caffeinated doesn't seem so terrible.

🫘 Here's more info about 7 Brews.

Time to weigh in on best new restaurants

🥙 And on the food topic, help us with your vote for the best new restaurants that came online this year.  New restaurants to be considered opened between Oct. 1, 2024, and Oct. 1, 2025. New restaurants must reside within Rough Draft's major coverage areas, including the cities of Atlanta, Brookhaven, Tucker, Sandy Springs, and Dunwoody. We also offer space to write in restaurants residing within adjacent communities within greater metro Atlanta. Tucker's La Glorieta, pictured above, was chosen as one of last year's honorees.

Please provide only one answer per category. Feel free to tell us why you chose that restaurant in a brief statement. You may answer as many categories as you wish. We will collect responses through Nov. 21 and announce the winners during the first week of December.
 
🦞 Here's the link to vote.