About
Dan Merkel
Dan has been an Alpharetta resident for 25 years. He and his wife, Colleen, live in the Hampton Hall community where they raised their two daughters, Hannah and Maddie. In addition to his service on council, Merkel formerly served as chairman for the Alpharetta Public Safety Foundation and Alpharetta Chamber of Commerce. He is also active in the Alpharetta Rotary Club and served as president from 2013-14. In the past, Dan has served in leadership roles with the Ed Isakson YMCA board and the Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau.
On the Issues
Lowering Property Taxes
Dan believes government should never tax more than it needs. Earlier this year, Dan voted to reduce property taxes for Alpharetta residents by increasing the city’s homestead exemption by $5,000. Additionally, seniors will see an increase of $10,000.
Development
In his first term on council, Dan has proven he supports single-family development over high-density, multi-family zonings. Dan believes it’s imperative that the city’s land-use plan – which is drafted by residents – is followed through and upheld.
Dan is a strong proponent of redeveloping North Point Mall. Dan supported the first phase of North Point Mall redevelopment earlier this year. When complete, blighted property and barren parking lots will be developed into a green-space oriented development.
Traffic
Dan knows the biggest challenge Alpharetta faces is keeping the city’s infrastructure up-to-date so it can absorb existing and future growth. With recently approved measures, such as TSPLOST, Alpharetta is now at a place where the majority of congested corridors can see improvement. Dan’s top priority is to ensure the city moves forward on all projects with a sense of urgency so residents can see reductions in commute times.
Vote
Tuesday, November 5th
Help Dan
