![]() |
|
|
Issue 10.24 | Tuesday, June 22, 2010 |
Forward to your friends! |
|
|
|
SEARCH GWINNETT FORUM
--> NOW ON TWITTER! |
|
EDITOR'S NOTE With today's lengthy endorsements, there will be no other major contributing author in today's GwinnettForum. EEB PERSPECTIVE NORCROSS, Ga., June 22, 2010 -- The big crop of candidates that Gwinnett has produced this year often bring high-sounding ideas, all aimed at getting the attention of the voter. All too often, however, what the candidates say doesn't bear any relation to what they can really get accomplished as a legislator at the Gold Dome of Georgia.
For instance, some are against President Obama's health care plan, and act as if they could change that direction. We doubt it. Others come out strongly for the so-called Fair Tax, at best a national issue, though some hold out hope of using something like it to replace Georgia's current property tax system. We're pleased to see the many candidates running for elected office. It gives the voters more choice, and speaks of more of a participatory democracy. Candidates without primary opposition are not listed in the endorsements, for obvious reason.
So we say to voters: examine what the candidates say, such as in answers to the questions we put to them, asking 100 word answers, which are to be posted on the right column of GwinnettForum. See if you think they can live up to what they promise on the campaign trail. * * * * * Now after listening to these candidates, and analyzing their responses, we offer these endorsements in the July 20 primaries.
State Senate District 9: In the two contested Senate races affecting Gwinnett, there are only Republican candidates, so the winner of the primary will take office. Don Balfour, 53, is in our opinion the best candidate in District 9. He has served for 18 years in the Senate, and now chairs the powerful Rules Committee. The Waffle House executive has worked relentlessly for major improvements in Gwinnett, particularly for higher education and hospitals, and has created a better atmosphere for business development.
State Senate District 40: Former Rep. Fran Millar, 60, of DeKalb County is our choice to represent this district, which includes Peachtree Corners. His experience of 12 years in the House, plus his understanding of the area, makes this insurance executive a worthy candidate. He has also said he will work diligently to ensure the Hope Scholarship remains sound and workable to Georgia's best students.
House District 51: This race pits two Republicans, both saying that they are in sympathy with the Tea Party. Our choice to retain this seat is Rep. Tom Rice, 69, who has served in the House for 14 years. He has worked closely with the United Peachtree Corners Civic Association in seeking to craft a solution to possible city-status for the area, and promises the voters will decide the issue. No Democrat seeks this post.
House District 88: This is another district with a small portion in Gwinnett, and most in DeKalb County. Two Democrats seek the post, and our choice is the incumbent, Rep. Billy Mitchell, 47. His record includes getting bills passed in each of his eight House years. He continues to focus on foreclosure reform in the state, something badly needed. The cable television executive is also a former Stone Mountain city councilman.
House District 95: The current Democratic representative, Tony Collins, seems out of touch with voters. As an example, he would not meet with GwinnettForum, nor respond to repeated overtures and questionnaire. He has two opponents, and our choice to succeed him is Pam Dickerson, 57, of Conyers. She proposes to be fully committed to the district and to stay in better touch with voters through constant town hall meetings. She is concerned about public safety and home invasions. This New Orleans native has lived in the area for 27 years, and will be a vocal delegate to the House. This district is composed of portions of Rockdale and Newton counties, and a portion of Gwinnett south of Snellville.
House District 96: We support a fresh face in this Democratic race, Brian Mock, 41, in his effort to unseat Rep. Pedro Marin. We feel Mock, a hotel manager, will bring a broader representation to the district, and is more of a bridge-builder and consensus maker than the current officeholder. He also campaigns on the need to bring constant pressure on businesses which are illegally operating out of homes in this district. The district centers around Norcross.
House District 98: The area of North Gwinnett will be well served with the election of Wayne Hill, 68, as its representative. The former chair of the Gwinnett Commission has a wealth of knowledge and friendships through the area and Georgia, and will be able to start impressive work on the first day in office. Known to speak his mind, this small businessman, a former cabinet maker, will put his experience to great benefit for the county and the state
House District 101: A former GOP party chairman in Gwinnett, Buzz Brockway, 43, is our choice to represent this district located in the center of the county. The Georgia Tech graduate wants to work to make Georgia as business friendly as can be. He also recognizes Gwinnett's superlative school system, wanting to ensure its continued success. He's also an advocate for transparency in government, a commendable trait for any candidate.
House District 102: Three Republicans seek to represent this area near Mountain Park. From the field, Steve Allen, 58, a retired Georgia Power executive and lobbyist, appears to be the best candidate and most qualified. With his years of working the hallways to influence legislation, he should be able to know his way immediately around the Capitol, and be effective his first year. The UGA graduate and Lilburn resident has contacts throughout the state from living in several Georgia communities.
House District 103: For eight years, Republican David Casas, 38, has represented this diverse Gwinnett district near the DeKalb border. His experience and understanding of the area are two reasons he deserves another term at the Capitol. A Cuban refugee who came to this country while very young, he is a graduate of Georgia State University and Luther Rice Seminary. His focus is on education and parental freedom.
House District 104: Three Republicans seek this legislative post. The best candidate, in our view, is retired school principal Valerie Clark, 60, of Lawrenceville. She promises to work relentlessly for the district, with a focus on education, since "Graduating everyone matters." She also sees the need for additional job creation, realizing that Gwinnett, with its technical businesses and colleges, is a plum for development as a more advanced technology hub.
House District 106: The continuing bickering in Snellville has now spilled over into a House race, as two political enemies face one another. Former Snellville Mayor Brett Harrell and former two-term Councilman Warren Auld are opponents. While both could possibly serve with distinction, our choice is Warren Auld, 58. He wants our state to re-think how to do government in broad terms, a commendable, forward-thinking idea with the state facing severe budget restraints. He also seeks to restore public trust, and to make the Evermore CID a beehive of activity, even to extend its boundaries to Loganville. Auld, an attorney, is also a Tea Party sympathizer. * * * * * Additional endorsements on Friday will address both the two Congressional races affecting Gwinnett (4th and 7th Districts), and the Gwinnett County Commission races. Statewide
endorsements will begin on Tuesday, June 29. ABOUT OUR SPONSORS
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Asbury Automotive Group is one of the largest automobile retailers in the U.S. Asbury is publicly-traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol ABG. Built through a combination of organic growth and a series of strategic acquisitions, Asbury currently operates 80 retail auto stores, encompassing 107 franchises for the sale and servicing of 38 different brands of American, European and Asian automobiles. Asbury offers customers an extensive range of automotive products and services, including new and used vehicle sales and related financing and insurance, vehicle maintenance and repair services, replacement parts and service contracts. Headquartered in Duluth, Asbury's local dealership group is Nalley Automotive Group with 12 locations across metro Atlanta. Visit asburyauto.com or nalleycars.com for more information.
FEEDBACK Editor,
the Forum: Assuming that you have printed their questionnaire responses verbatim, I have decided that to cut down on my choices. I will not cast a vote for any candidate who used improper grammar and had words misspelled. I figure
that if they don't have the attention to detail to check their answers
for basic proper English and spelling, they likely won't have the attention
to detail we need in a representative. That will at least narrow my choices
down and I can focus on how they related to the questions and the issues
we face.
UPCOMING Gwinnett
Medical Center-Duluth has begun a medical student teaching program in
partnership with the Georgia campus of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic
Medicine (GA-PCOM) in Suwanee. The program is designed to provide hospitalists
for GMC-Duluth while giving the students ideal medical experience. A hospitalist
is a hospital-employed physician devoted exclusively to the care of inpatients. SPLOST improvements include 3 new road projects Five Forks
Trickum Road will get major improvements, Patterson Road will get a new
bridge and Head Elementary School will soon have a new sidewalk to nearby
neighborhoods from action by the Gwinnett Board of Commissioners recently.
Funding of projects comes from the Special Purpose Local Option Sales
Tax (SPLOST). NOTABLE
Following
the meeting, Bowen, who succeeds Bill Kuhlke of Augusta as chairman, said
he looked forward to working with Department staff. "We have much
work to accomplish. The budget remains constrained and we have to do more
with less. We've been doing that, but we have to be more innovative with
policies and planning." Lawrenceville recognizes 25 with Golden Hammer Awards More than
20 completed projects in downtown Lawrenceville have been recognized with
the fourth annual Golden Hammer Awards by the Lawrenceville Tourism and
Trade Association (LTTA) and Downtown Development Authority (DDA). These
awards recognize individuals or businesses for renovations, remodeling,
and new construction projects in the Lawrenceville area as well as significant
contributions to the promotion and revitalization of historic downtown
Lawrenceville. The 25 individuals or businesses that were recognized have
invested over $250 million in improvements within the last year. Rebekah
Cline, LTTA Marketing Director, says: "The Golden Hammer Awards represent
an opportunity to celebrate the local individuals and businesses that
have impacted the revitalization and evolution of Lawrenceville. During
the past four years, the Golden Hammer Awards has highlighted a total
of over $340.6 million invested in the Lawrenceville community."
Braselton honors Mayfield Dairy Farms and two groups It was
a night of honors as the Mayor and Council of Braselton cited a business
and two community groups for outstanding service to its citizens. RECOMMENDED BOOK
"It certainly is one of the most compelling books of the year, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. If you have every wondered why two students in the same grade seem to develop at different speeds; or wondered why Asian children excel at math and science; or why most good hockey players are born before June 30; or why many players in the computer world were born about 1955...this is the book for you. Popular culture writer Gladwell, on the staff of The New Yorker, has also written two previous books, The Tipping Point and Blink. He's a good storyteller, who writes so that you can speed through his topics....learning something every step of the way. ("Outlier" is a scientific term to describe things or phenomena that lie outside normal experience.)"
GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA
The
Wanderer was the last ship to bring slaves from Africa to Georgia
and one of the last to smuggle bondsmen to American soil. On November
28, 1858, the Wanderer arrived at Jekyll Island, where its crew smuggled
ashore 409 slaves acquired in West Africa.
The incident is especially noteworthy because the Slave Importation Act, passed in 1807, had officially banned the foreign importation of slaves into the United States. News of the Wanderer and its cargo quickly spread across the country and contributed to the sectional tensions between the North and the South that would soon lead to secession and the Civil War (1861-65). Late in 1857 Colonel John D. Johnson, a New Orleans, La., sugar baron who was also a member of the prestigious New York [City] Yacht Club, commissioned a 238-ton luxury sailing vessel to be built on Long Island for his personal use. Upon its completion, the Wanderer was considered to be one of the world's most impressive privately owned pleasure crafts. Of particular note was the ship's ability to achieve high speeds; its streamlined design allowed it to sail at a maximum of 20 knots per hour. Despite
the ship's attributes, Johnson, for whatever reason, did not keep the
Wanderer for long. In 1858, while on a voyage back to New Orleans, Johnson
sold the vessel for $25,000 to William C. Corrie in Charleston, S.C. Corrie,
a prominent South Carolinian with strong ties to political circles in
Washington, D.C., and to the elite business community of New York City,
hoped that the purchase of the Wanderer would afford him admittance into
the New York Yacht Club and catapult him into some of the city's most
exclusive social groups. (To
be continued) CREDITS GwinnettForum is provided to you at no charge every Tuesday and Friday. If you would like to serve as an underwriter, click here to learn more. Send
your thoughts, 55-word short stories, pet peeves or comments on any issue
to Gwinnett Forum for future
publication.
UNSUBSCRIBE We hope you'll keep receiving the great news and information from GwinnettForum, but if you need to unsubscribe, click here. SISTER PUBLICATIONS We encourage you to check out our sister publications:
© 2010, Gwinnett Forum.com. Gwinnett Forum is an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA. |
Even eccentric
opinion finally "Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric."
CANDIDATE PROFILES For the 2010 primary season, GwinnettForum asked all candidates facing primary opposition in Gwinnett County to provide answers to a few questions. You can read their answers below by clicking on the links. Candidates with no primary opposition are noted. They'll be asked in the fall by us to fill out issues surveys, which we'll publish before the November election. PROFILE KEY
2010 FEDERAL CANDIDATES U.S. Congress, District 4
U.S. Congress, District 7
2010 STATEWIDE CANDIDATES Georgia Governor
Georgia Lieutenant Governor
Georgia Attorney General
Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture
Georgia Commissioner of Insurance
Georgia Labor Commissioner
Georgia Secretary of State
Georgia State School Superintendent
Georgia Public Service Commission
2010
LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATES Republicans
State Senate, District 40
State Representative, District 51
State Representative, District 88
State Representative, District 95
State Representative, District 96
State Representative, District 98
State Representative, District 101
State Representative, District 102
State Representative, District 103
State Representative, District 104
State Representative, District 106
2010 GWINNETT COUNTY CANDIDATES Gwinnett County Commissioner, District 2
Gwinnett County Commissioner, District 4
MORE RECENT COMMENTARY
ABOUT US GwinnettForum.com is a twice-weekly online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA. Contact us today. © 2001-2010, Gwinnett Forum.com is Gwinnett County's online community forum for commentary that explores pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA. PHONE: 770.840.1003 |
|