By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
AUG. 19, 2019 | Some bits and pieces: Cities around Gwinnett are stirring with political intrigue this week, as it’s time to qualify if you want to seek municipal office in Gwinnett. Most cities close their qualifying Wednesday, though Berkeley Lake closes on Thursday and Auburn and Norcross on Friday.
With that in mind, just how much do the mayors and city councilman of the county get paid for their work for the cities? We asked the city clerks of the county cities, and got back this information, which we present in table form.
Note that two Gwinnett cities, Buford and Grayson, do not pay their city officials anything, but get them volunteering as part of their service to the city.
U.S. Attorney for the North District of Georgia, BJay Pak of Lilburn, spoke to the Gwinnett Chairman’s Club last week. We learned that there are 97 different U.S. Attorneys spread among the 50 states. Georgia has three U.S. Attorneys, in the North, South and Middle Districts. BJay has a staff of about 250 people in his office, including 104 Assistant U.S. Attorneys, who investigate, prosecute and administer his office.
We learned that BJay is confirmed in his office by the U.S. Senate, and that he cannot be fired…..but he says he “pays attention to Tweets” from our president…..as he goes about his duties in office.
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper announced that he will not continue his run for the Democratic presidential nomination. It’s good to see that large field of candidates at least a little less crowded. Now we hope Governor Hickenlooper can enjoy a run for the U.S. Senate.
We learned that Marsha Bomar is now with MARTA, but we did not understand what she will be doing in that new slot. She is assistant general manager for Capital Program Delivery for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). She oversees Infrastructure Engineering, System Engineering, Capital Programming, Programs and Construction Management as well as Architecture. MARTA capital budget this year is approximately $500 million.
Once booming Gwinnett Place Mall is much of an embarrassment these days, with it appearing to be only about 20 percent of retail space occupied. And what few cars can be found in the mall’s vast parking lot, most are unsold automobiles overflowing from nearby local dealers.
The mall is owned by Moonbeam Capital Investments of Las Vegas, who bought it in 2013. Its founder and CEO is Steve Maksins. The firm seems almost disinterested in rehabbing the former popular mall. Some of the income for Moonbeam now comes from movies being shot in the mostly-empty Gwinnett Place space.
Gwinnett is not Moonbeam’s only downtrodden mall. In Onondaga County, N.Y., the Moonbeam’s Shopping Town Mall owes more than $10 million in property taxes, and is filing for bankruptcy. Moonbean has owned it since 2013.
In Pittsburgh, Pa., ownership of Century III Mall, another Moonbeam property, filed reorganization for full demolition and redevelopment into a new mixed use project. Sears Holdings objected in filing in court, saying the plan is “devoid of any substance.” That mall is now posted as “uninhabitable.” Read more about Moonbeam here.
Among the reasons for having Community Improvement Districts is to redevelop the area, renovate dilapidated buildings, and reduce the crime rate. Gwinnett85 CID Director Emory Morsberger released a graphic showing the reduced crime rate in the CID continues to fall. That’s great for his district, and for our county. The district has recently installed more security cameras throughout the area, and security patrol lights.
Attaboy, Gateway85!
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