Candidate Profile: Daniel McAlonan For Alpharetta City Council

ALPHARETTA, GA — Eight city council candidates are running for three seats in Alpharetta's Nov. 2 municipal election.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Daniel McAlonan is running for Alpharetta City Council, Post 3.

Age (as of Election Day)

31

Position Sought

Post 3 of Alpharetta City Council

Party Affiliation

Non-partisan

Family

Wife, Supriya McAlonan, 31
Dog, Zoey McAlonan, 6, Yellow Lab, Cutest and Very Best of Pups

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.), Computer Information Systems (CIS), Georgia State University

Occupation

IT Manager at LivePerson, a leading Conversational Commerce Company.
Overall, 15 years of Corporate and Managerial experience in the IT Sector

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Previously, appointed to Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) in Alpharetta in December 2018 until resigning in August 2021 to run for City Council. Served as Vice-Chair of the Board from Sept. 2020 until resignation as voted by my peers on BZA.

Campaign website

https://danielforalpharetta.co...

Why are you seeking elective office?

As a native born, raised, and life-long resident of Alpharetta, I've seen the City change and grow tremendously over the years. While I have loved much of the growth and and change, there are some things that come with the growth, that I think could have been handled better. I am running for Alpharetta because this is my hometown, this is where I grew up, this is where I intend to raise a family, and it's my intention to help serve the citizens of Alpharetta and help protect this place we all call home for generations to come.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

While we have many opportunities, I believe the deterioration of North Point Mall tops the list. Once the shining star of Alpharetta, North Point Mall and the corridor in which it sits is no longer what it used to be. It is imperative that this next City Council work with the private sector to ensure that the North Point area is revitalized and can become a desirable destination once again. Failure to do this will result in decreasing property values, increasing crime, and the further setback of what was one of our City's best areas for decades.

What are your short- and long-term goals if you are elected?

My top three priorities are as listed:
- Fully fund vacant Public Safety positions, and add new tools to the Police Department including implement a Crisis Intervention Team to handle mental health crisis with compassion required in such circumstances.
- Improve the City's infrastructure for cars, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
- Balance the growth throughout the City of Alpharetta. High and low density developments have their places and should be approved thoughtfully.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I am honored to have two opponents in the race for Post 3 of Alpharetta City Council. It's great to see people who love their community so much that they put the blood, sweat, and tears needed to run for public office.

What I believe makes me different from my opponents is my dedication to our community and my personal belief in integrity and ethics. While one of my opponents previously served on the City Council, he left it 10 years ago shrouded in ethics complaints, and my second opponent has only recently moved to Alpharetta, and is already proclaiming himself the future Mayor on social media.

My goal in running for City Council is not to advance myself or any personal agenda, it is to serve the community we all call home. I do not believe this statement is true of either of my opponents.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

I am not challenging an incumbent candidate.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

We all faced an uncertain time that no one expected and no one knew how to deal with adequately. Early on in the Coronavirus pandemic, Alpharetta declared a State of Emergency, closing parks and implementing restrictions on businesses alongside with the County and Governor. In hindsight, these may have been heavy handed moves, but I do believe that with what we knew at the time, these were reasonable actions. The restrictions in Alpharetta, and in Georgia, did not last very long, especially when compared to other parts of the country. If anything could have been done better, I do wish there was a better public outreach and education program in the early days to raise awareness of Coronavirus and the steps to stay safe from it.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I could talk for hours about the issues I'm focused on, but at a few bullet points, I am primarily focused on the following:
- Infrastructure Improvements, as I have written several Op-Eds and appeared in front of the current Council to promote numerous times
- Promote Responsible Growth; expanding is inevitable for the City, but we must do it in the correct and balanced ways
- Deliver Leading Parks, where Alpharetta Parks are the envy of towns near and far, and on both sides of 400
- Fully fund and expand the Public Safety Department. Create a new downtown Alpharetta patrol zone and deliver a North Fulton Crisis Intervention Team for mental health and substance abuse cases.
- Keep property taxes, for residents and businesses, as low as possible without having to compromise on the services Alpharetta delivers.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Serving for the last several years on the Board of Zoning Appeals has trained me for the skills it takes to handle the public issues that come before the City Council. Combined that with my 15 years of Corporate and Managerial experiences, along with serving on my HOA Board, I firmly believe I possess the tools needed to serve the City and residents of Alpharetta.

What do you like best about living in your city (or county)?

Most Alpharettans would recognize we are a "Live, Work, Play" community and that is what really makes our town so special. Whether it's the latest new restaurant to pop up, or the music festival happening this weekend, or the Food Truck Ally, or the relocation of yet another Corporate HQ - there is always something happening in Alpharetta to be doing, and to be proud of. This is what makes Alpharetta Awesome, and what makes me happy to call Alpharetta my home.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

"It's not personal, it's just business" - a former manager of mine told me this early in my professional career when I was finding my way. Too often at the time, I took things personally and to heart, only to later find, that indeed, so many things that happen in life, whether personal, professional, or now political, it's just business.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

If there has been anything in this post that was unclear, or made any resident think of a follow up question, please reach out to me personally at https://danielforalpharetta.co... and I will respond as soon as possible. It's hard to cover everything about the campaign all at once, but I am always happy to meet with the residents of Alpharetta to answer questions and hear feedback. And don't forget to vote by Nov. 2nd!

Other candidates for Alpharetta City Council, Post 3:

• Candidate Profile: Douglas DeRito For Alpharetta City Council