|
Compares county commission to corporate
board make-up
By
Annette Gelbrich
Special to GwinnettForum.com
NORCROSS, Ga., April 13, 2007 -- I beg to differ with the opinion
of Elliott Brack in GwinnettForum on April
10 on the proposal by Rep. Hugh Floyd to increase the number
of Gwinnett County Commissioners, based on the following:
Gelbrich |
The number of constituents represented by each of the four Commission
Districts is extremely high, at 189,276 persons per district, as
compared to other districts in Georgia, as shown in Tuesday's GwinnettForum.
You dismiss this fact as unimportant, although it is relatively
akin to the ratio of students to teachers in our classrooms. Up
to a point, whether there are 24 or 32 students to a high school
classroom teacher, it does not make a great deal of difference.
When you increase the number of students from 24 to 50 or 60 for
a single teacher, there are definitely disadvantages. I believe
we have exceeded the threshold for good management. The current
Commissioners, and I am sure they would agree, have a difficult
time keeping up with communication to constituents.
Gwinnett is growing fast, in real numbers. With this growth, there
are additional planning and approvals, rezonings, special use permits,
etc. While the County Commissioners are aided greatly by the County's
Planning Department and additional Planning Commissioners, many
rezonings and special use permits are given only cursory attention
simply due to time constraints and case loads. If there were two
more districts as recommended in Representative Hugh Floyd's second
proposal, House Bill 740 (as opposed to the overlaying "super
districts"), it would reduce the load, giving the Commissioners
more time to properly evaluate each situation.
While it is true that "too many cooks spoil the broth,"
going from four to six districts in Gwinnett County does not bring
us to the point of not being able to build consensus. If you look
at the Boards of Directors of most major companies and organizations,
there are generally more than four or five. Of course, there are
not generally more than a dozen, either. At that point, getting
an agreement on anything does become more difficult.
For 2004, the average number of directors on corporate boards was
8.5, with larger companies having more directors than smaller ones.
Companies with revenues between $1 billion and $10 billion had an
average of 10.1 directors, and companies with revenues between $500
million and $1 billion had an average of 8.9 directors. (Source:
What Directors Think: The Corporate Board Member, PriceWaterhouseCoopers
Study, 2004 Special Supplement, page 4. More.)
Gwinnett County's Operating Budget is approximately $800 million,
with an additional Capital Budget of over $875 million, bringing
the total fiscal responsibility for 2007 to over $1.67 billion.
Increasing the Board of Commissioners from five (includes the County
Commission Chair) to seven, by redistributing and adding two districts,
is reasonable, manageable and follows good management principles
and guidelines.
With better representation, the average citizen might just get
more timely response and better government from our commissioners.
Could Atlanta NPU government plan work in
Gwinnett?
By
Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com
APRIL 13, 2007 -- The question before Gwinnett is whether the current
county commission set-up is the best way to govern our county. Some
feel that the current four district commissioners represent too
many people to effect good government.
Brack |
Expanding the county commission is not the only way to address
this problem of representation. Back in 1974, the City of Atlanta
came up with another answer to getting people involved at the lowest
possible level by adopting a mandatory Neighborhood Planning Unit
concept.
Today we'll look at that structure, and give it the light of day
for Gwinnett people to consider.
The City of Atlanta divided the city into 24 Neighborhood Planning
districts. These districts do not necessarily follow council member
district lines, but are grouped by natural neighborhood boundaries.
Leonard Eplan devised the program, when he headed the planning
efforts in the city, which the city adopted by ordinance. He still
resides in the area, and is considered the authority on the NPU
concept. Eplan says: "We chose to adopt neighborhood lines,
since the city had been carved up by railroads, highways and industry.
We found that there were 177 clusters of people in Atlanta. This
was too many, so we grouped them together, and came up with 24."
 Each
of these 24 units governs itself. They are purely citizen advisory
councils, but are formalized. Eplan notes: "We didn't want
to have a meeting on a certain topic, get people who were interested
in this, and then at another meeting on another topic, have different
people there and have to start over. We wanted structure instead
of an ad hoc involvement. So each NPU elects people to be the voice
in that area."
The plan was not based on census, but on natural neighborhoods.
They are not similarly sized, and have different by-laws. The 2000
census showed Atlanta with 416,474 residents, so each NPU, on average,
represents 17,353 people. That's being mighty close to the people
in a built-up area.
Any issue that affects that neighborhood comes before the NPU.
That could be a public project, road program, where to put schools,
parks, or any action that would affect that area. Applicants seeking
changes are required to be present at the NPU meetings. After deliberations,
the NPU makes advisory recommendations to the City Zoning Review
Board for its regular meetings.
One more element: The city of Atlanta has a five, ten and 15 year
Comprehensive Plan, and changes cannot be in conflict with the plan.
This plan is amended only four times a year, and is a vital part
of the overall planning process.
Ask many in Gwinnett government about a NPU concept, and they bow
up at the idea of introducing citizen government. Some officials
see it as a training ground for potential opponents. Others say
that it adds another level of government. Developers cringe at the
thought of having to go before neighborhood councils such as NPUs
present.
Yet it's citizen involvement at another level, which should be
good for the overall government. In effect, it would put matters
such as re-zonings, which take an inordinate amount of time for
county commissioners, on the level where it would do the most good.
Getting it past the NPU would be the difficult process.
NPUs for Gwinnett? Enlarging the county commission isn't the only
answer. An NPU plan, or alternate possibility, should be in the
discussion phase now.
 The
public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com
to you at no cost to readers. Today's sponsor is the Gwinnett
County Public Library, named Library of the Year 2000. GCPL
currently operates 14 branches throughout the county. Library hours
are: Monday through Thursday 9a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. GCPL offers traditional
books, magazines, CD books, downloadable audio, music and video,
plus online databases such as Morningstar, Science Resource Center,
LitFinder and Heritage Quest. GCPL also offers Live Homework Help
for students in 4th through 12th grade. It is available online from
2 p.m. until midnight daily, with homework help available for math,
science, language arts and social studies. There is no charge for
the service and it is available remotely. Many online resources
are available. All branches except Centerville offer wireless Internet,
serving as a remote office via your computer. The Gwinnett County
Public Library also sponsors a number of yearly programs, including
the Vacation Reading Program, Gwinnett Reads and, beginning in October
of 2007, the Gwinnett Reading Festival. For more information, visit
any branch, www.gwinnettpl.org,
or call 770-978-5154.
Another
person most skeptical of Wikipedia material
Editor, the Forum:
True about Wikipedia. A person can add just about anything to that
site. You gave a good warning. It is good to be skeptical about
nearly anything, right again.
Maybe you can add Don Imus as a sports commentator. I still hate
the tattooed look; it's hideous.
Many who send in comments would be better off simply to check what
they typed for mistakes before sending it, also. I learn a lot from
your site; shows how little I knew to begin with! I'm spreading
the word about GwinnettForum. I used to read your newspaper columns,
also. Yes, I remember the Gwinnett Daily News, too. I know too little
about local government and you always help fill in a lot of blanks
there.
-- Marshall Miller, Lilburn
Dear Marshall: Thanks for kind words. You bring
up another hot button of mine: why in the world people penalize
their bodies with tattoos, I'll never know. This remind me of
kids and candy, who of course, will eat themselves into sickness.
One tattoo, perhaps; but loads and loads? They're to me, un-beautifying
the body. Don't get me started on tattoos. On Imus, best I can
figure is that he is a boorish idiot. That strong enough? --eeb
Tax stamp
Another great cartoon from Bill McLemore:
New
London Theatre plays Wilder's Our Town as next offering
The New London Theatre will present Our Town by Thornton
Wilder on April 13-15 at South Gwinnett High and on April 27-28
at the Centerville Community Theatre at 7:30 p.m. at 3025 Bethany
Church Road.
This classic play is set in the small town of Grovers Corner, N.H.
in the early 1900's. Its theme is more applicable in our current
day than ever before - the importance of relationship.
Two concerts in Suwanee
by band and choir set this weekend
Two days of concert will be presented in Suwanee this weekend.
The 60-member Sugar Hill Stake Choir of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints will be joined by the 50-member Gwinnett Community
Band for free community concerts themed "From Sea to Shining
Sea." The multi-media performance will be held at 7 p.m. on
Saturday, April 14 and Sunday, April 15 at the Latter-day Saints
Center at 4833 Suwanee Dam Road in Suwanee. The evening will include
a section that pays tribute to the many men and women of the armed
forces, with those in the military forces invited to wear their
uniforms.
Established in 1984, the Gwinnett Community Band is a non-profit,
volunteer, metro-Atlanta adult amateur group of musicians who have
performed at venues that include the World Congress Center, The
Atlanta Botanical Garden, Stone Mountain Park and Lake Lanier Islands.
The Sugar Hill Stake Choir draws its volunteer members from Dawson,
Hall, Gwinnett and Forsyth Counties. The choir has performed at
venues that include downtown Atlanta's Festival of the Trees, Sugar
Hill Tree Lighting, Gainesville Multi-Cultural Festival and Gainesville
Holiday Lighting Tour. For additional information, visit The Gwinnett
Community Band's website at www.gwinnettband.org
or contact the Sugar Hill Stake Choir at 678.714.0340.
Yoga expert to give
talk, workshop at Bogan Park
A recognized authority on yoga, Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda,
also known as Swamiji, will come to Bogan Community Center for two
days of teachings, Gwinnett Parks and Recreation announces.
On Monday, April 30, there will be a public lecture, Indian dance,
and music performance at 8p.m. This will be followed by a Yoga workshop
with Swamiji on May 2, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The cost of the Yoga
workshop is $25 per person.
Swamiji is the founder of the International Sri Deep Madhavananda
Ashram Fellowship, and is creator of a comprehensive master system
called Yoga in Daily Life. The system is based on original yoga
tradition, but also focuses on the demands of modern civilization.
The main points of Swamiji's teachings are physical, mental, social
and spiritual health; respect for life; tolerance for all religions,
cultures and nationalities; global peace; protection of human rights
and values; protection of environment; and preservation of nature.
Event registration is available online at www.gwinnettparks.com
or by calling Bogan Community Center at (770) 614-2060. Bogan Community
Center is located at 2723 North Bogan Road in Buford.
Suwanee
plans special election to fill council position
The City of Suwanee will hold a special election to fill the unexpired
term of former Councilmember Alan Landers on Tuesday, June 19. Landers,
who served on City Council for five years, resigned March 1, as
he will move to another county in metro Atlanta. The term for this
City Council post expires December 2009.
Registered voters who live within the city limits of Suwanee may
cast their ballots from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. June 19 at the Suwanee
Crossroads Center, 323 Buford Highway. In order to participate in
this election, new electors must register to vote by 4:30 p.m. Monday,
May 21. Potential electors may register at Suwanee City Hall or
through Gwinnett County. Voter registration information and an application
are available under the elections department on the Gwinnett County
website, http://www.co.gwinnett.ga.us.
Candidates may qualify for this election during regular business
hours from 8:30 a.m. Monday, April 23, to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April
25, at Suwanee City Hall, 373 Buford Highway. The qualification
period closes at 4:30 p.m. April 25. The qualification fee is $108.
Poll workers are needed and will be compensated. The salary ranges
from $90 for poll workers to $185 for the poll manager. To be considered
or for more information, contact Elvira Rogers at erogers@suwanee.com
or 770/945-8996.
- An invitation: What
Web sites, books or restaurants have you enjoyed? Send us your
best recent visit to a restaurant or most recent book you have
read along with a short paragraph as to why you liked it, plus
what book you plan to read next. --eeb
Garden
Club of Georgia formed in 1928, has 15,000 members
Founders Memorial Garden |
The Garden Club of Georgia was officially established on June 7
and 8, 1928, at the Biltmore Hotel in Atlanta. For this inaugural
meeting, Mrs. Robert L. Cooney of Atlanta (later to become the editor
of the Garden History of Georgia) served as honorary president.
Mrs. Phinizy Calhoun of Atlanta was elected as the organization's
first president.
A year later the Garden Club of Georgia held its first annual convention
in Augusta. Its primary aims were announced: "To promote a
love of gardening for the amateur and the professional; to protect
our native trees, wild flowers and birds; and to encourage a regard
for civic beauty in our various communities."
One of the earliest projects undertaken by the Garden Club was
initiated in 1936. The project's purpose was to develop a living
memorial to the 12 members of the Ladies Garden Club of Athens,
America's first garden club, founded in 1891. The Garden Club of
Georgia in collaboration with the University of Georgia's Division
of Landscape Architecture (later the School of Environmental Design)
developed what came to be known as the Founders Memorial Garden.
Located on the historic north campus of the University of Georgia,
the project was begun in 1939 and completed in 1946.
The Founders Memorial Garden is a testament to the important contribution
made by the Ladies Garden Club of Athens; after their inaugural
meeting in 1891, the garden club movement grew. Today there are
13 garden clubs in Athens with more than 500 members.
The Garden Club of Georgia has 550 member clubs with approximately
15,000 members. Throughout its history, the Garden Club of Georgia
has been involved in many useful and noteworthy activities, including
educational publications and the presentation and coordination of
symposiums, conferences, lectures, and educational sessions. Additional
efforts have been directed at the development of arboretums and
botanical gardens, roadside beautification, sign and billboard control,
house and garden pilgrimages, and numerous scholarships for students
in horticulture and landscape architecture.
Humorlessness threatening
to become USA national religion
"Humorlessness is threatening to become our national religion.
A country that considers Robin Williams funny is already in deep
trouble."
-- Columnist Joseph Sobran, via Marshall Miller, Lilburn
Send your thoughts, 55-word short stories, pet peeves
or comments on any issue to Gwinnett
Forum for future publication.
===========================================
MORE: Contact Gwinnett Forum at: elliott@gwinnettforum.com
© 2007, 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.
|
