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TODAY'S ISSUE
Dacula mayor reflects on visit to third grade class
By Jim Wilbanks
Mayor, Dacula
Special to GwinnettForum.com

NOV. 12, 2002 -- Recently I had a great time with Ms. Nancy Stowe's third grade class at Dacula Elementary. The class was studying government, and Ms. Stowe wanted a real live person in government to talk to her class. The kids had good questions and an enthusiastic attitude. I think the students and I both learned something.

In reflecting on what makes a great community, I thought how important our public and private schools are to quality of life and community pride. We are blessed in Dacula and greater Gwinnett with good schools and great educators.

Relief from over-crowding for the Dacula area schools is at least another year away. School officials are seeking parental input on how best to handle the crowding situation as reliever schools come on line.

I also ask for patience as the road improvements at Dacula Road and Fence Road are completed. I think the signalization and turn lanes will improve traffic flow in this area.

As an aside, please be careful, slow down, yield and be patient during the school rush hours.

Before I went to the school I reviewed some canceled checks from the Bank of Dacula. You did remember that we used to have a bank in Historic Downtown Dacula? It closed during the depression, and some of these checks reflected what we paid teachers and janitorial staff during 1926.

I can tell you that the average pay was $75 per month for teachers, and the poor janitor was paid about $2 per month. But the point is that the teachers of today continue a long, historical line of dedicated people who have shaped the children of Dacula and Gwinnett. We should respect those who have gone before, support today's teachers, and look forward to the future with pride.

The hard part of a mayor's job is saying no to requests. A young student gave me a note as I left that said, "Thank you for being our Mayor of Dacula". That made me glad that I said "yes" to Ms. Stowe's invitation.
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ELLIOTT BRACK
People will analyze 2002 election for years,
but we feel reapportionment was the key
By Elliott Brack
editor and publisher
GwinnettForum.com

NOV. 12, 2002 - - People will be analyzing the 2002 Georgia election eons from now. After all, this was a sea change, a 180 degree turn for Georgia, finally landing the state as one who has recently elected a Republican governor.

The election of a Republican senator was news, by helping give control of the U.S. Senate back to the Republicans. It had Georgians recalling another Republican elected as Senator, the late Paul Coverdell

Yet no Republican had been governor since 1872. That's what makes election year 2002 so remarkable.

Gwinnett gave Gov.-elect Sonny Perdue a comfortable margin of 32,583 votes. Gwinnett's 85,313 Perdue votes were significant, second only to Cobb's totals.

There were several factors. One guy brought it down to a single word, "Arrogance" on the part of Barnes. But several significant factors were part of the reason Roy Barnes lost, including the new Georgia flag, the teacher vote, the Northern Arc controversy, and the formation of the GRETA board. Yet we see these as contributors, not the main reason for the Republican victory.

Many people maintain that Roy Barnes's engineering of the change of flag was the key reason. We seriously doubt that.

These old-flag vehements are a small minority. A majority of people, both Republican and Democrat, want no return to the previous Georgia flag. They see such a possibility one fraught with problems, dividing us, instead of bringing together our people

An over-riding reason to vote for Sonny Perdue for many, many middle-of-the-roaders and previous Barnes advocates, was the sinister gerrymandering of the state by the Democratic machine, orchestrated by Roy Barnes

People from many ilk were upset with the way the state was re-apportioned. This was far more a serious subject than the emotion of the flag-wavers, or the wrath of the teachers or Arc foes.

The gerrymandering and resulting carved-up state cut people to the quick. It split neighborhoods, creating awkward and unreasonable districts, and lumped together people with few similarities.

But mainly, the reapportionment affected virtually everyone in Georgia. Even many Barnes supporters realized that what the governor and the Democrats in the Legislature had done was over-reaching, vicious, and desperate. It was an affront to good government.

Many of these Democrats held their nose and supported the governor. But even they knew that the Democrats had "done wrong" in their effort to protect themselves from what they saw as the coming wave of Republicans.

Now the Democrats will have to take a back seat for at least four years, and maybe much longer. They deserve to sit and stew for a while.

Meanwhile, while the Republicans are rejoicing in victory, they must nevertheless now take the mantle that the Democrats have dropped, and seek to lead. With revenues falling, with the economy in disarray, and with people's confidence low, it will not be an easy task to govern.

Yet the Republicans said they wanted this hot potato called control of government. Now they must determine how to handle it, or else face a similar possibility of making a tactical decision, and lose control.

It was the reapportionment issue that caused the most to desert the Democrats.
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FEEDBACK:
11/12: Remember that Mike Berg played role in Civic Center

Editor, the Forum:

Saw where they named the ballroom for Tommy Hughes. a nice gesture. However, do you remember when the civic center idea was originally brought up by Mike Berg who was then a county commissioner? Or is my memory of that distorted?

Everyone thought he was absolutely crazy. Why would we need a civic center and why build it out in the sticks? The original plan was to have some place to hold high school graduations since some school facilities were inadequate!

I don't know where Mike is now but maybe we should think about naming something out there for him. We called it the 'Mike Berg Memorial' when the idea first surfaced! I would personally like to thank him for the vision he had back when it wasn't popular.

-- Katherine Sherrington, Snellville

(Editor's Note: Mike and his family live in Dawsonville now.-eeb)

11/12: Making it easier to vote would increase turnout

Editor, the Forum:

I agree with the comments by Elaine Fuerst100 percent on the voting issue. Make it easy and turnout would triple. And, as she said, the younger generation is going to force the issue of ease of voting, I believe.

And on your issue of understanding amendments and referendums - the day after the elections in the Gwinnett section of the AJC it listed all of them in clear, concise language and if they won or lost. Why didn't they do that in the first place?

And to Mr. Heighton.....Yes, I do agree that as adults we need to be responsible, but why do the bars feel a need to give free drinks to ladies in the first place. There should be no free drinks or "two for one."

-- Kathy Gestar, Snellville

11/12: Meaningless amendments bother him

Editor, the Forum:

I agree with you on eliminating Constitutional amendments!

What ticks me off is the State lets us pretend we have a say by letting us vote on meaningless amendments they should handle themselves. Want proof? Where is our ability to have citizen initiatives on the ballot?

Don't wait up for that to happen. This is Georgia.

-- Bob Pociask, Snellville

(Dear Bob: Pray we are delivered from citizen initiatives! Amateur politicians are even e worse! -eeb)

11/12: Thinks some people would be hiding under the bed

Editor, the Forum:

I guess you are still hiding under the bed along with the rest of you socialist pinheads. Free at last, Free at last, Thank God Almighty, we're finally free of the control of you socialist idiots!

-- Fredric Johnson, Suwanee

(Well, Frederic, finally someone publishes you. We note that your last line is paraphrased and lifted from a national hero.-eeb)

11/12: Gives three reasons why Georgia is getting a new governor

Editor, the Forum:

Reflecting on your thoughts regarding the election, it strikes me odd that there was such a considerable surprise element among Georgians regarding the shift in power. Perhaps not with you, but with a number of Roy Barnes supporters. I would like to humbly share with you my three reasons why we have a new Governor today.