Brookhaven native John Ernst has ended his eight-year term as the mayor of his hometown of 55,000 people. After constituents elected his fraternity brother and longtime friend, former council member John Park as the new mayor in a runoff election, Ernst reflected on how he changed the city – and how it changed him.
Eleven years ago, Brookhaven started its transformation from a jumble of unincorporated neighborhoods, including Historic Brookhaven and Buford Highway, to a brand-new city in north DeKalb County.
Ernst said one of his main goals was to create a strong identity.
“When people think of Brookhaven, they talk about Historic Brookhaven and the upper-class folks, the lily-whiteness of the city, but Brookhaven is a diverse community,” Ernst said.
“When I first came into office, the northern section of Brookhaven looked towards Dunwoody. Historic Brookhaven looked towards Buckhead. Ashford Park looked toward Decatur. Buford Highway was its own thing, running from Doraville to Atlanta,” said Ernst. “It wasn’t a cohesive city.”
That’s all changed, he said. From Cross Keys High School students to residents of the 2022 annexation in Lavista Park, people identify with being from the city of Brookhaven.
Ernst created community through events like the Brookhaven Cherry Blossom Festival, Light Up Brookhaven, and the new International Festival.
The city has invested money in all areas, Ernst said. Buford Highway had been a neighborhood of lower income people who were overlooked by DeKalb County, and now it’s home to the city’s most elaborate project to date – the Peachtree Creek Greenway.
“It’s green space, it’s economic development, it’s community space, dropped right in the middle of the poorest area,” said Ernst, excited to see a soccer field soon open on the greenway. “That was a massive need. There was no park in District 4 when we created the greenway.”
Ernst said in eight years, Brookhaven City Council went from a slow crawl to a steady jog. He’s overseen:
- Passing an ordinance to increase housing options with Accessory Dwelling Units. “Atlanta talked about it and it was an uproar. We did it and no one blinked,” Ernst said.
- Requiring 10% of newly-built housing to include affordable units.
- Using technology within the Brookhaven Police Department: hybrid and all-electric police fleet, license plate readers, text to 911, and drones as first responders.
It hasn’t all been easy. Governing during a pandemic was tough, and he lost good friends because he made decisions that people didn’t like. The uncertainty of COVID-19 put Ernst in “an inevitable position.”
Left to make tough calls on when to reopen restaurants and allow youth sports, he said, “for every decision I made, five different people had eight different views,” adding that he hopes to mend fences.
The most difficult time as mayor stemmed from the national turmoil over George Floyd’s murder that played out in Atlanta’s streets.
“When that happened, there was nothing I could say. There was nothing I could do to make it better,” he said.
Whether it was zoning, antisemitic flyers, or COVID, Ernst said he took the brunt of negative feedback.
People were angry and scared, marching in the streets, writing demanding emails and making loud phone calls. There was no nuance, no way to problem solve. He felt “a lot less effective as a mayor overall” because while he could make policy, he couldn’t force communication and connection among a divided community.
“You have to remind yourself it’s not personal. If they can blow up at me, it’s better than them blowing up in the street,” he said.
Will Ernst be politically involved in the future? He can’t say, but he’s open to it.
“I have no immediate plans, but I did love my time in office. It was an honor to serve as the mayor of Brookhaven,” he said.
