By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JAN. 14, 2022 | TO: Potential candidates for public office in Gwinnett County and those running for statewide offices:
If you’re interested in being a candidate for public office in 2022, GwinnettForum wants to meet with you.
Ever since 2008, GwinnettForum has interviewed candidates for all Gwinnett public office seats, plus candidates running statewide. GwinnettForum wants to get to know more about the candidates, such as the way they act so as to understand their insight into government. It does that so that it can evaluate the candidates in every race. It uses this information to determine which candidate GwinnettForum will endorse in all these races.
The meetings with candidates are simple: it is scheduled to last only 30 minutes, recognizing that once a candidate declares for office, he or she is mighty busy. Most of the questions for the candidates are demographic in nature, though the candidates are asked to give their views on certain current political topics.
GwinnettForum will endorse in every race in Gwinnett, and in all statewide races. The endorsements will come three weeks prior to the primaries and the General Election.
We ask candidates to contact GwinnettForum early on in the primary to arrange for what we prefer to be a face-to-face meeting. The candidates may contact GwinnettForum by email (ebrack2@gmail.com), or via telephone, 770 840 1003.
Why does GwinnettForum endorse candidates? Simply to sort out which candidate it thinks is the best candidate in each of these races. We find that most Georgians early on know who they will vote for in the major offices, such as governor, or president. However, in many down-ballot races, they have no idea who to support, and often may not know anything about these candidates.
So, GwinnettForum takes the time, and it takes lots of time, to meet with the many candidates. It is the eyes and ears for the readers, so that they can know something about the many candidates for offices.
Does GwinnettForum always make the best choices in the races? Well, it tries. But sometimes we find out later on that an endorsement of certain people may not have been the best choice. For instance, in 2018 GwinnettForum endorsed Jim Beck for Insurance Commissioner for Georgia. Later on, he was convicted of stealing from his former employer and sent to prison. You can’t win them all.
However, it’s gratifying when you see a candidate GwinnettForum supports who wins an election for the first time and becomes a solid public servant. We rejoice that we have seen this happen many times.
In the last election cycle, in 2000, GwinnettForum interviewed 147 candidates altogether, an all-time record. We have no doubt, with reapportionment, and Gwinnett getting more legislative seats in 2022, that we will meet with even more candidates this year.
And the sooner we can meet with them, the better, for it will be a busy season.
Therefore, if you are going to make a run for elective office this year, get in touch with us soon, for your benefit, and for ours.
We look forward to hearing from all local and statewide candidates for election in 2022.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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