Former Doraville council member Maria Alexander honored; residents raise safety and historic concerns during public comment

At the start of the March 18 meeting, Doraville’s mayor presented a legacy‑of‑service award to former council member Maria Alexander, citing her three terms, her role as acting mayor after Mayor Jenkins’s death and her leadership advancing a city‑manager form of government and a form‑based code. Alexander accepted the award and thanked the council and the community for the recognition.

During the public comment period several residents praised Alexander. Susan Crawford (Oakliff) offered congratulations and remarked on neighborhood concerns including noise and redistricting. Other residents applauded the recognition.

Tom Hart of Gordon Heights used his public comment time to make several serious allegations about practices during Alexander’s earlier council service, including claims of hundreds of liens on properties, exhausted city reserves and a recall process tied to alleged misuse of city funds; Hart said he plans to publish his account on his blog. Council members did not introduce documentary evidence in response; one council member suggested Hart’s comments reflected a personal grievance. The council did not take administrative action on the allegations during the meeting.

Next steps: the award stands as a ceremonial recognition. The allegations raised in public comment, if to be pursued formally, would require records requests or referral to appropriate investigators; no such referral was made at the meeting.