ATLANTA -- Was it civic pride or a political stunt? Brookhaven resident Pete Cabrelli's decision to fill several potholes in his neighborhood was cheered by neighbors but derided by DeKalb County officials.

Cabrelli says he'd grown tired of the potholes near the entrance to his neighborhood and decided to patch them with some supplies he bought at the hardware store.

"I'm not concerned about making it worse," Cabrelli said. "Because doing nothing would continue to make it deteriorate."

Cabrelli conceded he did not have the permits or the county's permission to make the repairs.

Shortly after Cabrelli completed his work, a county road crew arrived and re-did the repairs.

A spokesman for DeKalb County says there's no record the potholes were reported and dismissed Cabrelli's work as a political stunt.

In a prepared statement, county spokesman Burke Brennan wrote, "Safety is always a paramount issue throughout the county... As we have no records of any complaint of a pothole at this location, it leads us to believe that today's press conference is a political stunt."