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TODAY'S ISSUE
Gwinnett Civic Center ballroom schedules opening tonight
while arena beginning to change atmosphere of area
By Preston Williams
General Manager
Gwinnett Civic and Cultural Center
Special to GwinnettForum.com

OCT. 25, 2002 -- It was not too long ago that 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, home of the Gwinnett Civic and Cultural Center, had a different look. If you arrived at the end of Sugarloaf you were either going to an event at the Civic Center or lost. In recent years new homes, stores and businesses have sprung up in the area turning it into a hub of activity. With all of this growth, the next logical step was an expansion project that would not only benefit Duluth, but Gwinnett County as a whole.

After a year of bulldozers, trucks and building our new 21,000 square foot Grand Ballroom will on Friday celebrate its official opening, with completion of the Arena following early next year.

The Arena has certainly started to take shape. If you have visited or driven past our facility in the last couple of months, I am sure it was hard to miss the ever-changing building. I cannot imagine all of the events that will soon take place here in Gwinnett County.

I look forward to the different entertainment that will be passing through the venue. Both hockey, with the Gwinnett Gladiators, and arena football, with the Georgia Force, will be a sporting option. Family fun will include figure skating, gymnastics and cheerleading events. I must not forget the rodeos, motor cross and monster trucks. We should have something that everyone can find to enjoy.

The Arena will have the flexibility to adapt its seating capacity to accommodate a range of groups. From a general session meeting for 3,300 to a concert for 13,100, the Arena can handle it with style. Our dual lighting system sets the tone for sports one night and an intimate theatrical performance the next. Other arena amenities include free parking and fully upholstered seats with extra wide aisles.

There is still work to be done to get the venue up and running. Construction is approximately 85% complete. One of the larger remaining projects is the installation of seats. Of course that is an important addition since one of the first questions asked is usually, "where will my seats be?"

The scoreboard and sound system will also be added in the coming months. Both of these things will enhance each event by letting our patrons hear and see all of the action.

Suite marketing is also on the top of our things to do list these days. We have been gathering information and speaking with a cross section of the community regarding the selling of the 36 luxury suites that will be housed in the Arena.

One thing is for sure, the people of Gwinnett are going to be excited and proud when they make their first visit to the new Arena.back to top

ELLIOTT BRACK
Viciousness of today's political advertising makes
a person rethink public funding of campaigns
By Elliott Brack
editor and publisher
GwinnettForum.com

OCT. 25, 2002 -- The rash of political advertisements this season has made me think in new directions.

Every April, when ready to sign your tax return, you get a chance to contribute $3 to fund presidential election campaigns. Up until now, we haven't made that contribution. But now, it's got me to thinking.

Would we have better government in Georgia and throughout the nation if big money couldn't buy elections? Of course, there is no guarantee that heavy spending on television commercials and in other ways will elect anyone.

Yet that premise may be put to a severe test in Georgia this year in our governor's race. Roy Barnes has found more political contributions than any gubernatorial candidate in the history of our state, approaching $20 million. Meanwhile, Sonny Perdue has limped along on what little public contributions remain. While Governor Barnes has served the state well and in many ways deserves to be re-elected, his wide-open spending in campaign advertisements and materials seem a little too much.

What also rankles many people this election season is the ferociousness of the political advertisements. This can best be seen in the senatorial campaign, where Sen. Max Cleland is being attacked by Saxby Chambliss, and at the same time, where Rep. Chambliss is being attacked by Senator Cleland. (The Gingrey-Kahn congressional race is no slouch in meanness, either. And remember Linder-Barr?)

On one TV station recently, at least we got Cleland-Chambliss TV spots back-to-back, so we could make comparisons of how low political advertising has sunk. What it does is make one wonder if we want to vote for either candidate.

If campaign reform and public financing of all campaigns were adopted, and if this meant the elimination of negative campaigning, lots of us would be pleased. What has evolved in our laissez-faire campaigning is virtually ruinous, with no limits on spending or good taste. It doesn't particularly give politics a good name.

We realize that Georgia is a big state geographically, with lots of voters, making campaigning difficult..

With campaign reform, politicians would have to find new tactics. It might mean fewer commercials and wiser use of available funds.

Eliminating private campaign financing, and allocating each candidate a limited amount of money, could also serve to show voters how intelligently the candidates utilized the funds.

In Gwinnett, we've already seen one state senate campaign where nearly $1 million was spent. That was distasteful enough.

Now campaigns in Georgia, and in many other states, are showing how politicians can push the limits of good taste and reasonableness. The bad part is that an election might be turned on mere trickiness and slickness of advertisements, rather than on which candidate is really best for the job.

Today's tactics give voters a bad taste in their mouths, and blackens those associated with government.

We never thought we would say that perhaps a publicly funded campaign may be a better alternative. Back to top

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NEWS ITEM :
10/25: Growth Council funds Social Worker's Fund

The Council for Quality Growth, through the "Council Cares" fund, will donate $5,000 to the Gwinnett County Social Worker's Emergency Fund. The presentation will take place at the November 1 General Membership meeting at the Atlanta Marriott Gwinnett Place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

This year will be the second grant disbursed to assist Gwinnett County's children in need. The Council for Quality Growth originally contributed to the Social Worker's Emergency Fund in 1999.

The Social Worker's Emergency Fund provides a wide array of urgent needs for students and their families. Families who receive help from the Fund are those in dire need. This Fund is reserved for use only when other community resources are unavailable or when the need to maintain confidentiality or the urgency of the problem dictate. Back to top

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
A different way of thinking of others

"People seem to enjoy things more when they know a lot of other people have been left out of the pleasure."

-- Columnist Russell Baker. Back to top

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