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January 2007
Agree with State of the County?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gwinnett Commission Chairman Charles Bannister on Thursday, issued his third State of the County and said the county is “getting better year-by-year, and the best is yet to come.”
“This is truly an exciting time to be living in Gwinnett County,” Bannister said. His 37-minute speech, which included a short video presentation, was loaded with optimism about the future, but mostly focused on his administration’s accomplishments during the past year.
Bannister found evidence of Gwinnett’s prosperity in new parks, libraries, the hiring of 133 new police officers and 113 sheriff’s deputies last year and the launching of $110 million in road projects. Bannister also hailed the landing of a new $240 million Hewlett Packard data center in Suwanee.
What do you think of his comments? What are the best things going on in the county? What do you think are the biggest problems? Rate your own quality of life.
What are Gwinnett’s biggest problems?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gwinnett County Commission Chairman Charles Bannister delivers his State of the County address Thursday. The issues he’ll cover include traffic, economic growth, revitalization, water availability and public safety.
What do you think are the biggest problems in Gwinnett? How would you rate our schools? And what about the quality of life here? Has it changed over the years?
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Bannister picks up a few brownie points
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gwinnett Commission Chairman Charles Bannister may have scored big political points by voting against pay raises for county commissioners last Tuesday.
He just may never get a raise of his own.
Prior to last week’s 3-1 vote, Bannister was a strong advocate of pay raises for himself and other members of the board. In 2005, he lobbied state lawmakers hard but failed to convince them to come across with raises for the commissioners. Bannister changed his mind after Commissioners Mike Beaudreau, Lorraine Green, Kevin Kenerly and Bert Nasuti cut $6 million from Bannister’s 2007 budget.
Commission raises don’t come around often. The last time board members were voted a salary increase was in 1989 — and then it was by the Georgia Legislature.
The commissioners now have the authority to increase their own salaries, so Bannister could revisit the issue when he feels the time is right.
But after getting popped by the chairman on the pay raise vote, would his colleagues go along with that?
“That’s a good question,” Kenerly said. “He said pretty much he didn’t want a raise. If he says he didn’t want one, then I guess he won’t get one.”
Now for a little perspective.
The raises don’t go into effect until Jan. 1, 2009. Bannister faces re-election in 2008. So whether he had voted for the pay raises or not, he wouldn’t be getting one before his term ends. His salary remains $56,000.
Neither will Green or Beaudreau, whose seats are also up for re-election in 2008, collect these raises during their current terms.
Only Nasuti and Kenerly are assured of seeing their salaries double — from $14,500 to $29,000.
Their terms end in 2010.
I’m sorry, she got a what from who?
We didn’t know there was an award for such a thing.
But Gwinnett finance director Lisa Johnsa (pronounced John-Say) last week won a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association.
OK, so we’ve never heard about GFOA’s annual DBPA before.
The organization certainly knows Johnsa. She’s won this award 14 years in a row.
“Our budget is larger than the budgets of some entire states,” Johnsa said in a prepared statement, “so it takes a lot of teamwork to present it in a way that is proficient in all categories. We have an excellent team and I’m very proud to accept this award on their behalf.”
We’d like to add our congratulations, also.
Berlon in running for Democrat chairman
Michael Berlon, current chairman of the Gwinnett Democratic Party, is in the running to succeed Bobby Kahn as state party chairman.
Kahn is stepping down. The election for a new state Democratic chair takes place on Jan. 27.
This one’s worth watching, not just because there’s a local guy in it, but because it could prove to be a pivotal moment for the Dems.
This time, there are no big names in the running. There are no high ranking ex-state officials; no well-heeled, nationally connected Atlanta lawyers; nobody who’s hung out with Bill Clinton. Such is the state of the
That said, Berlon makes an interesting choice. He comes from one of the few areas in Georgia where Democrats are gaining ground.
It’s a widely held belief that if the party hopes to make a comeback, it must win the Atlanta suburbs.
And Berlon is quite familiar with that turf.
It’s time for the state of the county speech
It’s that time of year again when local pols, bureaucrats, business and civic leaders flock to a hotel ballroom to hear Gwinnett’s top elected official talk about how the county’s doing.
That’s right. Commission Chairman Charles Bannister is scheduled to deliver the annual State of the County address on Thursday at the Atlanta Marriott — Gwinnett Place hotel.
The event is scheduled to take place from place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission for Chamber members is $35. Everybody else pays $55.
For info and to RSVP, contact Laurie McKenzie at laurie@gwinnettchamber.org.
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Your answer book to living in Gwinnett
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The AJC Gwinnett News is publishing the annual Gwinnett Answer Book in March.
If you have a question about living in Gwinnett, please send it along and we’ll try to answer it.
Maybe you want to know where to get a car tag. Or whether you need a building permit to expand a deck on your home.
Send your questions to kjensen@ajc.com or post them here. We’ll work to find your answer. Questions: 770-263-3631.
Remember this is meant to be a chance to educate, not debate pros and cons of Gwinett.
Weather watch: Are you panicking?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Two dozen Georgia counties north and east of Atlanta, including Gwinnett, are under a winter weather advisory for Thursday morning as the threat of icy conditions moves into the state.
The National Weather Service said the bulk of the precipitation should fall east of a line from Gainesville southward to Macon and north of a line from LaGrange to Thomaston to Sparta.
The forecast for metro Atlanta calls for a 30 percent chance of sleet or freezing rain after midnight tonight, with lows in the low 30s.
What are you doing to prepare for possible bad weather? Have you made arrangements if you can’t get to school or work?
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Have a question about living in Gwinnett?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
OK, you’ve lived in Gwinnett County a decade. Maybe you’re a native, or maybe you just moved here.
And there’s one or two questions about life in Gwinnett that have always puzzled you.
Sounds like a job for the 2007 Gwinnett Answer Book.
The special section, which will be published in March, includes a resource guide, with lists and contact info, for living in fast-growing Gwinnett.
Maybe you want to know where to get a car tag. Or whether you need a building permit to expand a deck on your home.
Send your questions to kjensen@ajc.com or post them here. We’ll work to find your answer. Questions: 770-263-3631.
Award winner misses own party
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful was so good at keeping John D. Stephen’s Environmental Legacy Award a secret that he didn’t show up to accept it.
Instead, Connie Wiggins, who heads Clean and Beautiful, and Sheriff Butch Conway had to track down Stephens last Thursday afternoon to present the award to the contractor. The presentation took place at 4:30 p.m.in a QuikTrip parking lot on Sugarloaf Parkway.
That’s about an hour after a scheduled award presentation for Stephens at the Gwinnett Chamber.
In a press release that had been previously e-mailed to various news outlets, Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Stacey Bourbonnais requested secrecy from reporters.
“Please do not try and contact Mr. Stephens prior to Jan. 11, because he does not know he is receiving this award,” Bourbonnais wrote.
In hindsight, Wiggins wondered if they’d been a tad too emphatic with that request.
“To keep it a surprise from him was really a challenge,” Wiggins said. “We may have outdone ourselves.”
Mass transit may take back seat
Those dreaming of a Gwinnett mass transit champion on the state Transportation Board can put away their pipes.
Rudy Bowen isn’t likely to be their man.
State lawmakers from the 7th Congressional District last Thursday unanimously elected the Suwanee homebuilder to the DOT board. He was chosen in an open election held at the state Capitol.
State lawmakers did a little chest-thumping over opening up the historically secretive process of electing a DOT board member. Of course, it’s easy to cast a vote in full public view when there’s only one candidate on the ballot.
Bowen became the lone candidate when developer Emory Morsberger pulled out of the running a couple of weeks prior to the vote. Morsberger is one of the loudest cheerleaders for a new Atlanta-to-Athens commuter rail link known as the “Brain Train.” That should tell you something.
We called Bowen after his election to the 7th District seat and asked him what his priorities were. The words “public transit” weren’t among his first words.
“Right now, we’ve got a long list of road projects to finish first,” Bowen said.
Asked if he supported the Brain Train, he said, “I haven’t had a chance to study it.”
Lawmakers edge toward car-tax cut
Gwinnett officials are paying close attention to a new push by the state Legislature to slash and possibly wipe out the ad valorem taxes motorists pay on their cars.
A bill hadn’t been filed as of Friday morning, but House Speaker Pro Tem Mark Burkhalter (R-Alpharetta) has proposed legislation that would exempt motorists from paying taxes on up to $25,000 on the value of their cars.
Gwinnett County Administrator Jock Connell said it’s too early to comment on legislation still in the drafting stage, but “going off what we read in the paper, a $15,000 exemption would result right at $69 million in lost revenue [for Gwinnett governments].”
The county government’s bite would be roughtly $24 million. The county’s school system would take almost all of the remaining $45 million hit, said Connell.
“If it [a bill] get’s dropped, it’ll stir up some interest,” Connell said.
About your salary, Mr. Superintendent
State Rep. Clay Cox wants to give Gwinnett state lawmakers the power to limit what Gwinnett School Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks gets paid.
Cox, a GOP House member from Lilburn, has introduced a bill that would give legislative delegations across Georgia control over the salaries of their local state school superintendents.
This would let local legislators limit the amounts local school boards pay their superintendents.
Cox insists he doesn’t have a personal beef with Wilbanks. We’re not mind readers so we take him at his word. However, of the four pieces of legislation introduced by Cox, three of them are aimed at the superintendent’s office. Besides the pay bill, Cox has introduced two measures to allow voters to change the appointed job of superintendent to an elected post. We’ve already noted that during the 2006 elections, Wilbanks gave $2,000 to Cox’s opponent, Woody Woodruff.
That’s the most anyone can donate to a political candidate for a primary election campaign.
“We hope efforts would be on items that would improve education rather than taking us backwards,” said Wilbanks, who makes $241,000 in annual salary. “If you look at the more successful school districts across the country, they are the ones that have an elected board of education and appointed superintendent. This arrangement allows the superintendent to focus on public education, not politics.”
Waffle Man still rules rules committee
Don Balfour (R-Snellville) still chairs the most powerful committee in the Georgia Senate.
Why is that news? We weren’t entirely certain Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle would let the Snellville Republican and Waffle House executive keep his Rules Committee chairmanship.
Here’s why: Last summer, as Cagle battled Ralph Reed for the GOP Lite Guv nomination, Balfour distributed a company memo stating that only Reed signs could be posted outside any of the company’s restaurants.
Balfour insists he was only acting as a messenger and that he stayed neutral during the campaign. Balfour’s boss, Waffle House president Joe Rogers, openly supported Reed.
Since Cagle’s election, Gold Dome watchers had speculated that Balfour might lose his powerful post. How powerful is it? For any bill to reach the Senate floor for a vote, it must be approved by the Rules Committee. As committee chairman, Balfour can single-handedly kill a bill by refusing to let it get a hearing by the committee.
Can Balfour breathe easier now?
Balfour’s never had to answer to anybody before. When Republicans seized control of the Senate in 2002, they stripped then-Lt. Governor Mark Taylor, a Democrat, of many of his powers.
They’ve now restored many of those powers to Cagle.
Balfour now serves at the pleasure of the new Republican lieutenant governor.
Balfour could ignore Taylor. He can’t ignore Cagle.
But Balfour sees things differently.
“You’re missing the point,” Balfour said. “When I was the Rules Committee chairman, do you think I was doing what the majority leader and the pro tem didn’t want? The only thing this changes is who the boss is.”
And, finally, on a sad note
We can’t end this column without our expressing our condolences to Sen. Balfour and his family.
The Snellville Senator’s father, Don Balfour Sr., died on Jan. 7. The elder Balfour, who was 83, had been in a coma since suffering a major stroke on New Year’s Day.
In an interview last March, the younger Balfour credited his father with kindling his passion for politics. He recalled staying up well past midnight to watch the 1968 presidential election returns on TV with his father. The elder Balfour was a Baptist minister.
“He was never involved in the process but he loved it,” said Balfour.
Balfour’s mother, Marie, died in 2004.
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Do you support raise?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Gwinnett County Commission on Tuesday doubled the salaries of four of its members, but denied a raise for board’s chairman. Some board members say they are among the lowest-paid elected officials in metro Atlanta. The raises take effect on Jan. 1, 2009, after the 2008 elections. What do you think of the vote?
Homebuilder to join state DOT board
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gwinnett homebuilder Rudy Bowen on Thursday became the county’s new representative on the state Transportation Board.
State lawmakers from Gwinnett and four other counties elected Bowen in an open vote held at the Georgia Capitol. The vote was unusual because Department of Transportation board members are usually elected in secret.
But the result wasn’t a surprise because Bowen was the only one running for the job.
‘I feel excited,’ Bowen said. ‘I enjoy the challenge of serving the people of the seventh district. I’m ready.’
Bowen becomes one of 13 DOT board members. Each represents an area based on one of the state’s 13 congressional districts. The board, which oversees the spending of billions of dollars in federal and state construction money, is among the most powerful panels in Georgia. Its members serve five year terms.
Bowen’s election ends a three-year absence of Gwinnett representation on the board. The last board member from Gwinnett was Steve Reynolds, who opted in 2004 not to run for re-election.
Gwinnett lawmakers hailed Bowen’s election.
‘He knows the area and has been actively involved in the community,’ state Rep. Brooks Coleman (R-Duluth) said. ‘He is a great visionary. He’s going to do a wonderful job.’
Bowen, a native Georgian and longtime Gwinnett resident, founded a construction company in 1969.
Today, Bowen Family Homes builds houses across the southeast and has offices in Florida and Texas, as well as Georgia.
At 67, Bowen says he has a lot of time to devote to the DOT board because he no longer oversees the day-to-day management of the company.
‘It s going to take a lot of work,’ Bowen said of his new responsibilities. ‘I have tremendous concerns about the traffic congestion in our area and how to improve it.’
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Bowen close to state DOT seat
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gwinnett homebuilder David “Rudy” Bowen is poised to claim a seat on the state Transportation Board Thursday.
State lawmakers from the 7th congressional district are scheduled to elect a new board member after the Georgia Legislature adjourns Thursday. Barring a last minute entry by another candidate, lawmakers say the job will go to Bowen, a 65-year-old Duluth resident.
“Since there’s nobody else in the running, it’s kind of hard to say he [Bowen] isn’t going to win,” state Rep. Clay Cox (R-Lilburn) said.
County officials and legislators representing Gwinnett say it’s important for the state’s second largest county to have its own representative on the board. But the district also includes portions of Walton, Barrow, Forsyth and Newnan counties, so Gwinnett isn’t guaranteed its own representative.
Gwinnett developer Emory Morsberger had also sought the post. But in late December, Morsberger withdrew because of a potential conflict of interest between the DOT board and the so-called “Brain Train,” a proposed Athens-to-Atlanta commuter train Morsberger is helping to promote.
“I want to keep everything on the up and up,” Morsberger said. “And it would be difficult for me to do that [promote commuter rail] and be on the board at the same time.”
Morsberger threw his support behind Bowen, even though he’s not certain where Bowen stands on his favorite cause.
“He’s basically getting into it and figuring out what’s what before he makes any commitments,” Morsberger said.
Bowen couldn’t be contacted for comment Wednesday afternoon. Several calls to his office and his home were not returned.
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The Waffle Man still rules Senate Rules Committee
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Don Balfour still chairs the most powerful committee in the Georgia Senate.
Why is that news? We weren’t entirely certain Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle would let the Snellville Republican and Waffle House executive keep his Rules Committeee chairmanship.
Here’s why. Last summer as Cagle battled Ralph Reed for the GOP Lite Guv nomination, Balfour distributed a company memo stating that only Reed signs could be posted outside any of the company’s restaurants.
Balfour insists he was only acting as a messenger and that he stayed neutral during the campaign. But Balfour’s boss, Waffle House president Joe Rogers, openly supported Reed.
Since Cagle’s election, Gold Dome watchers had speculated that Balfour might lose his powerful post. How powerful is it? For any bill to reach the Senate floor for a vote, it must be approved by the Rules Committee. As committee chairman, Balfour can single-handedly kill a bill by refusing to let it get a hearing by the committee.
Today state Sen. David Shafer (R-Duluth), a member of Cagle’s assignments committee confirmed that Balfour had been reappointed. Balfour confirmed it, saying his reappointment went “as expected.”
Can Balfour breathe easier now?
Balfour’s never had to answer to anybody before. When Republicans seized control of the Senate in 2002, they stripped then-Lt. Governor Mark Taylor, a Democrat, of many of his powers.
They’ve now restored many of those powers to Cagle.
Balfour now serves at the pleasure of the new Republican lieutenant governor.
Balfour could ignore Taylor. He can’t do the same with Cagle.
But Balfour sees things differently.
“You’re missing the point,” Balfour said. ” When I was the Rules Committee chairman, do you think I was doing what the majority leader and the Pro Tem didn’t want? The only thing this changes is who the boss is.”
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Happy New Year Alvin! Now about your paycheck …
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
State Rep. Clay Cox wants to give Gwinnett state lawmakers the power to limit what Gwinnett School Superitendent J. Alvin Wilbanks gets paid.
Cox, a GOP House member from Lilburn, has introduced a bill that would give legislative delegations across Georgia control over the salaries of their local state school superintendents.
This would let local legislators limit the amounts local school board pay their superintendents.
Cox insists he doesn’t have a personal beef with Wilbanks. We’re not mind readers so we take him at his word. However, of the four pieces of legislation introduced by Cox, three of them are aimed at the superintendent’s office. Besides the pay bill, Cox has introduced two measures to allow voters to change the appointed job of superintendent to an elected post.
We’ve already noted that during the 2006 elections, Wilbanks gave $2,000 to Cox’s opponent, Woody Woodruff.
That’s the most anyone can donate to a political candidate for a primary election campaign.
“We hope efforts would be on items that would improve education rather than taking us backwards,” Wilbanks said. “If you look at the more successful school districts across the country, they are the ones that have an elected Board of Education and appointed superintendent. This arrangement allows the superintendent to focus on public education, not politics.”
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Do you agree with Gwinnett’s spending cuts?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Gwinnett County Commission voted Tuesday to cut $6 million from its 2007 spending proposal. The cuts include $1 million for the county library system, $1.5 million to house jail inmates, $500,000 to provide medical care for inmates, $209,550 for police services and $180,100 for fire services. What do you think about the cuts?
Permalink | Comments (12) | Categories: Gwinnett Government
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