What is the Lakeside City Alliance?
The Lakeside City Alliance (LCA) is a non-profit organization comprised of neighbors in North DeKalb County who are studying whether the formation of a new city is both necessary and feasible to provide local control to our community.
Lakeside City Alliance Board:
Mary Kay Woodworth, chairperson of the Lakeside City Alliance, has been a resident of the Northlake area for 27 years and is “almost” a native, living in DeKalb County since 1968. Mary Kay and her husband Mark have four children who attended Henderson Mill Elementary and Henderson Middle School, with three sons who are Lakeside High School graduates, and the youngest (daughter) a 2012 St. Pius X graduate. While her children were enrolled in the DCSS, Mary Kay served several times as PTA president at each level, served as Henderson Middle School Council member for 4 years, and was involved at St. Pius X on the Home and School Association, band, golf and swim team booster clubs. Mary Kay is the Executive Director of the Georgia Urban Agriculture Council (UAC),a 700 member professional association for Georgia’s green (urban ag) industry. Woodworth is a “Lifetime” DeKalb County Master Gardener, and prior to joining UAC, Woodworth was the owner of Practically Gardening, a landscape consulting firm, and Coordinator of the DeKalb County Master Gardener Program for the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service. Always actively involved with and monitoring the community and DeKalb County government, she felt that this was the right time to explore opportunities to preserve and improve the community.
Susan L. Meyers, is an Oak Grove resident, and the owner of Oak Grove Communications, a strategic public relations and communications firm. A New Jersey transplant, Susan attended Peachtree High School in Dunwoody – where her parents still reside – and returned to DeKalb County after graduating from the University of Georgia. A recovering journalist who spent 17 years at the now closed (afternoon) Atlanta Journal as an opinion writer and reporter, Susan has been active in public policy issues on the federal, state and local level. A foodie, an animal lover and a fan of all things French and Italian, you can often see her walking miles throughout the Oak Grove/Lakeside community with “Lucy,” the 18 month old mixed breed dog she and her husband Garrett adore. Just for fun, the Meyers’ household also has two cats who really are masters of their domain.
Kevin Levitas, a lifelong DeKalb County resident and currently a resident of Oak Grove, is Vice President of Hill Manufacturing Company, Inc., representing his family’s third generation in the chemical specialty manufacturing business. Levitas earned his law degree from The University of Georgia after being graduated cum laude from Middlebury College with a degree in Political Science. In 2006, Levitas was elected to the Georgia General Assembly from House District 82. He served two terms in the House from 2007-2010. During his four years as a Representative, Levitas authored and helped pass a number of bills, including laws to establish a felony-level DUI offense for repeat drunk drivers, protect consumers from tainted food products, a taxpayer-friendly method of appealing property tax values determined by county tax assessors and a major overhaul of Georgia’s employment covenant laws. Levitas was selected as Legislator of the Year by both the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Association of Solicitors-General and twice selected as one of the most influential members of the Georgia House of Representatives by James magazine, Georgia’s leading political periodical. Levitas has served as an Assistant District Attorney in DeKalbCounty, as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia and as Legislative Assistant to the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. Levitas is married to Claudia Koeppel Levitas. They live with their two children in northeast DeKalb County and are members of The Temple.
Steve Schultz has lived in DeKalb County since 1990 and currently lives in the Nottaway subdivision near Evansdale Elementary. Over the years Steve has researched virtually every zoning issue that has been proposed in and around his neighborhood, working with developers when the project makes sense and fighting for preservation of his community when a project will bring a negative impact. Serving his community as the Neighborhood Watch Coordinator, Steve works with DeKalb County Police and his neighbors to reduce crime in his neighborhood. Steve sends out routine crime alerts and hosts neighborhood watch meetings at his home. More than once Steve has caught criminals in the act of committing their crime. Steve is married to Heather Schultz , national motivational youth speaker and they have a daughter named Liberty. Steve’s involvement with his daughter is paramount, and he has coached her travel softball team for the last 4 years as well as her middle school softball team. Steve has volunteered countless hours at his daughters school and believes that successful neighborhood schools are the lifeline of a community, and he has held numerous leadership positions with local and statewide civic organizations. Professionally, Steve works at Rosetta Stone Communications, which he co-founded in 1997.
Kelley Eveland McManaman has lived in and around Atlanta since 1976. She has lived in Embry Hills since 1992. Kelley is married to Mark McManaman, an aviation insurance underwriter. They have two children who have each attended DeKalb County schools as well as other schools in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties. Kelley was secretary of the Henderson Mill Elementary PTA for four years. The McManamans attend Intown Community Church and Passion City Church. Kelley is a Registered Nurse and most recently worked at Piedmont Hospital in the Emergency Department, until deciding to be a full-time homemaker in 1998. She is president of the Embry Hills Civic Association and a member of the Embry Hills Swim and Tennis Club board of directors. Kelley enjoys playing ALTA tennis and can frequently be found at Tucker Recreation Center in the pottery studio.
Bernard “Bernie” Knight has lived in the Oak Grove area since 1986, and has resided in DeKalb County since 1977, when he moved to Georgia to enroll in the Emory University School of Law. His wife, Chris, is a native of South Carolina and is employed by a Fortune 500 company. Their daughter works for a nonprofit educational fund which promotes international peace. After graduating from law school Bernie served as a judge’s staff attorney for a dozen years, initially with the Superior Court of DeKalb County and then for a decade at the Supreme Court of Georgia. He’s a former adjunct professor of law at Emory, as well as a former Assistant DeKalb County Attorney. His duties as Assistant County Attorney included representing Public Works (which during that period included Development) and Parks. Since 1998 Bernie has been in private practice, specializing in land use issues. His experience includes zoning, variances, land disturbance permits, building permits, subdivisions, roads, storm water drainage, land condemnations, boundaries and easements, public utilities, code enforcement, historic preservation, cellphone towers, stream buffers, and property tax appeals. He has represented homeowners, civic associations, builders, and developers.
Volunteer groups are being formed; the primary focus now is fundraising for the feasibility study. If you are interested in being involved in the effort, please contact LCA at info@lakesidecityalliance.org
