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December 2007
What are Gwinnett’s big issues for 2008?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
From new political leaders to redeveloped traffic interchanges a lot will transpire in Gwinnett County next year.
Our reporters have shared their thoughts on the biggest issues but what about yours? What will folks in Gwinnett be talking about come 2008?
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Business beefs get their own courtroom
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gwinnett County has launched a temporary “business court” program.
Apparently it’s a trend — businesses around the country are fed up getting stuck in lawsuits for years at a time and running up huge legal bills.
As a result, many locales are creating specialized business courts to help move these kind of civil cases through the system faster.
According to Gwinnett court administrator Phil Boudewyns, the county’s six-month business court pilot project is the first of its kind in Georgia.
“If there is a need for the Business Court in Gwinnett, we hope the pilot project will let us know that,” Boudewyns said.
During the project, any case that gets sent to the business court must be approved by the judge presiding over it.
State Court Judge Randy Rich will head up the project.
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Honey, the Bible says ‘Vote Thompson’ … sort of
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
David Shafer says there’s been some discord in his marriage of late.
The spat’s over the Republican presidential primary. For a state senator and his wife, that might not be a small dispute.
Shafer supports Fred Thompson for president. He’s backed the government-lawyer-turned-actor-turned-politician-turned-actor-again-turned-politician-again from the start.
However, Shafer’s wife, Lee, is a recent convert to Mike Huckabee.
“She was impressed, among other things, with how he is able to communicate his conservatism in an optimistic and nonjudgmental tone,” the Duluth Republican wrote in his blog last week.
Shafer said he reminded his wife that Huckabee, a Southern Baptist minister, once signed a letter calling on “wives to graciously submit to their husband’s sacrificial leadership.”
The command comes from a much-debated passage in Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. To Shafer, its meaning is clear. His wife must join him in supporting Thompson.
But she wouldn’t submit to that, Shafer said.
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Tell us your story
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What’s your David and Goliath story? Tell us how your small business in Gwinnett overcame a difficult situation or time.
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Pardon their progress
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gwinnett Tax Commissioner Katherine Sherrington said Friday that the county’s tag office at Peachtree Corners will remain open during renovations of the shopping center where it’s located.
“We apologize for the inconvenience and want to make sure everyone knows we’re open for business. After the dust clears, customers will enjoy improvements in access to our office,” Sherrington said.
The tag office is located in the Interlochen Village shopping center at 5270 Peachtree Parkway in Norcross.
Sherrington said the renovations are expected to be completed in April.
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Cal Warlick / On Gwinnett
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Danger, Will Robinson!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Gwinnett County Police Department is buying another robot.
We didn’t know they already had one.
Gwinnett County Commissioners last week approved $182,523 to buy the Remotec F6A robot. The Police Department will use the 485-pound metal buddy for picking up explosives and other dangerous things.
We have a picture of Remotec F6A, and it doesn’t look anything like the arm-waving, goldfish bowl-headed creation on the 1960s TV show “Lost in Space.”
Remotec F6A looks more like Johnny Five, the lovable living bot in the movie “Short Circuit.” Can RoboCop be far behind?
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The other best friend
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
GOP blogs are all abuzz about U.S. Rep. John Linder taking back his presidential campaign endorsement of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and handing it to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
Peachpundit.com, which posted the Georgia GOP congressman’s press statement last week, has garnered scores of comments about the endorsement switch.
Some accused Linder of flip-flopping his endorsement because of Huckabee’s climb to front-runner status. Linder defenders said politicians switch endorsements all the time.
One critic called Linder’s switch “a hypocritical and unprincipled move.”
Another asked, “Will Linder endorse Hillary this time next year?”
Still another person said, “There is nothing wrong with Linder switching support unless he is doing it just to be on the winning team.”
The comments are interesting to read, but Linder’s reversal seems unlikely to have any lasting consequences. That is, unless Romney gets elected.
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I hate to say ‘I told you so,’ but …
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bob Griggs said he could see it coming.
When the Gwinnett Board of Commissioners last June changed its purchasing ordinance to deny county contracts to companies that hire illegal immigrants, he thought there’d be trouble.
A federal judge recently warned the commissioners that he’ll probably strike down at least part of the ordinance because it encroaches on the federal government’s exclusive power to regulate immigration.
Griggs said he warned commissioners about potential flaws in the statute ” long before the ordinance was adopted.”
Griggs is a political activist and an Internet services provider. He owns Verify I-9 LLC, a company that verifies the legal status of workers.
The board passed the amended ordinance June 26. On Aug. 3, Griggs wrote a letter to commissioners warning them that “because the ordinance was so poorly worded it [can] not withstand a legal challenge. …
“I believe, however, that a challenge will come and that it is incumbent on you to get this right now and not later and only in response to a lawsuit,” wrote Griggs.
Two contractors’ associations filed suit Nov. 29 against the county over the ordinance.
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House members in no mood for GREAT beating
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jock Connell took great pains not to offend Gwinnett state lawmakers when he presented the county’s wish list for the 2008 General Assembly.
That’s probably because the head of that delegation was in no mood to get “beat up” over GOP House Speaker Glenn Richardson’s GREAT plan.
That’s the plan that seeks to end local property taxation in Georgia by adding new state sales taxes to replace the revenue local governments and school boards would lose.
Connell, Gwinnett’s county administrator, has remained mum on the idea. But several county commissioners think it stinks.
At a meeting between county officials and state lawmakers last week, Connell gave a polite and fairly neutral presentation of how GREAT, if enacted, might affect the county.
“We appreciate your approach to that,” Rep. Bobby Reese (R-Sugar Hill), the Gwinnett House delegation’s chairman, said after Connell’s presentation.
“If we were going to get beat up over it, we were going to leave,” Reese said.
Reese said state lawmakers got “beat up pretty bad” at a prior meeting with the Georgia Municipal Association.
“But they fed us well right before,” Reese said.
Connell suggested it was good the county decided to serve sandwiches instead of a full-course meal.
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County to take another run at passing a TAD
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
No doubt some Gwinnett County boosters are mystified that eight cities could accomplish what the county could not: pass a tax allocation district referendum.
The county put the measure on the 2006 general election ballot. It lost by a narrow margin.
Last month, eight cities inside Gwinnett managed to pass TAD referendums of their own.
So the county’s trying again. The commissioners have asked the state Legislature to call for a second referendum on the issue in a March special election.
It makes your brain tired trying to explain what a TAD is. Suffice it to say, that it is a revitalization mechanism that allows property owners in blighted areas to use their taxes to pay for improving these places.
If you need a propeller-head’s explanation, visit www.dca.state.ga.us. Search the site for TAD.
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Cal Warlick / On Gwinnett
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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As ex-mayor, she’ll still run the welcome wagon
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lillian Webb says leaving elected office won’t stop her from paying visits to newcomers to downtown Norcross.
Webb last week was denied a 12th term as Norcross mayor when she was defeated in a runoff election by retired Georgia Tech band director Bucky Johnson.
As mayor, Webb has long made a point of visiting new arrivals to old Norcross.
“I guess that’s kind of homespun,” Webb said. “I kind of like to welcome folks into the neighborhood and extend a hand of friendship.”
Asked if she’ll continue carrying the welcome mat when she leaves office, Webb replied, “Oh yes.”
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Immigration statute headed south?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lorraine Green says she won’t back down on an ordinance barring illegal immigrants from working on county projects.
But Green and her commission colleagues might not have a choice.
At a hearing last week, U.S. District Judge Clarence Cooper said the ordinance attempts to regulate immigration, something only the federal government can do, by punishing county contractors who hire illegal immigrants.
Cooper wasn’t issuing a final ruling on the matter, but his comments suggested the ordinance could be in trouble.
Green, who crafted the proposal, thinks the judge’s concerns could be satisfied “with just a few tweaks.”
But if that means removing the sanctions against contractors who hire illegal immigrants, that seems more like a chomp than a tweak.
The statute currently allows the county to terminate a contract with any company that uses illegal immigrants to perform a county service.
The contractor also can be forced to reimburse the county for the cost of starting the project over with a new company.
Without such sanctions, what’s left is basically an ordinance that requires contractors to sign an affidavit stating they don’t have undocumented workers on their payrolls.
And there don’t seem to be consequences if they do.
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Garbage will be on commissioners’ minds
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Normally we don’t curtain raise county commission meetings in this column.
But there are two worth paying attention to this week.
On Monday night, the Gwinnett Board of Commissioners is holding a meeting on its new “solid waste management plan.” Translation: garbage disposal.
Believe it or not, the meeting’s likely to be a barn burner. The county’s likely to hear from professional trash haulers who fear the county is going to cut them out of the garbage business in Gwinnett.
The board votes on the plan Tuesday. The commissioners also are scheduled Tuesday to hire a contractor to help the county enforce an anti-illegal-immigration-contracting ordinance. That’s the one being challenged in federal court.
Then the Board of Commissioners will take up a water conservation plan to slap new heftier fines and surcharges on those who use too much water.
If you care, be there. Aloha.
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Team effort brings Santa to seniors this year
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This Christmas season, some Gwinnett residents are expanding their list to include a group often overlooked in all the holiday merriment — senior citizens living in our community who are alone and financially strapped.
Area merchants — and shoppers throughout the county — are helping us remember these people through our “Be a Santa to a Senior” project.
The project grew from an interest by the Home Instead Senior Care franchisee in Gwinnett to participate in a holiday community service project. (Home Instead Senior Care is a private company that provides nonmedical home care and companionship to senior citizens. The recipients of the program would not be clients of Home Instead Senior Care, but elderly who are identified as being in need.)
The goal of the “Be a Santa to a Senior” program is to provide holiday cheer and gifts to almost 400 seniors who are lonely, financially needy and least likely to receive a present during the holiday season. Shoppers and patrons at participating businesses can take an ornament from one of the display trees at the business and purchase gifts for a senior, based on the ideas listed on the ornament. The gifts are dropped off back at the participating merchants by Dec. 10, after which they will be gathered, wrapped and distributed.
How is this accomplished? Well, it takes the involvement, dedication and hard work of many people — most of whom I don’t know and the majority of whom I will never meet. But a few people are working particularly hard to make “Be a Santa to a Senior” come together.
Our nonprofit agency partner that provides us with the older adults to be the recipients of the gifts is the Gwinnett County Department of Community Services.
Help from area merchants has been essential, and we have been blessed with four who are hosting a Christmas tree at their location: Wal-Mart on Scenic Highway, Belk Department Store in Snellville, Chick-fil-A on Scenic Highway and Macaroni Grill at the Avenue at Webb Gin.
All the presents dropped off at the merchant locations will be retrieved and brought to our office to be logged in and catalogued properly. Guess who does all that running around? Well, every program needs a point person — a “go-to” individual who can get the project off the ground and nurture and care for it through completion. That person is our office manager, Sue Silva, one of those people who actually likes it when things get hectic and crazy, and the more hectic and crazy, the better.
The fifth-grade classes at Pharr Elementary and Grayson Elementary will participate in a holiday wrapping party for all the gifts bought, and Pharr Elementary has graciously offered to host the party. Not only will the children help wrap presents, but they will also get their creative juices flowing by making sure each senior has a handcrafted holiday card to accompany the gifts. Additionally, some community residents as well as some Home Instead caregivers have volunteered their time to help wrap presents.
Finally, we need a whole lot of elves to help deliver the presents. Most of the gifts will be delivered by volunteers with the Meals on Wheels program in Gwinnett County, along with some Home Instead Senior Care personnel.
Just telling you about the scope of this project makes my head spin. And realizing all the people who have so unselfishly given of their time, their money, their goodwill, their store space and their school space is overwhelming. I don’t know where to begin to thank everyone.
Most important, I want to acknowledge every individual who will take the time to select an ornament and shop for someone they don’t even know. Most of you have gone above and beyond in your generosity. I wish I had each of your names so I could personally thank you for your willingness to get involved and go the extra mile. This project has reinvigorated my faith in people and their decision to stop and help a stranger less fortunate during a time of the year when it is most appreciated.
Gerry Serotte and her brother Sam Serotte of Lawrenceville co-own the Snellville office of Home Instead Senior Care, which is in its 10th year of operation. The business assists the elderly with errands and nonmedical home care that allow them to stay at home as they grow older.
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Holiday photos of kids follow definite pattern
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This past Thanksgiving, I was visiting with my parents when I found a box jam-packed with grainy, fading photographs. My dad sat down with me, and we had the best time looking through the pictures, figuring out which woman was my grandmother, which gentleman was my grandfather and, especially, which little boy was my dad.
My dad is 84 years old. I’m no math wizard, but some quick subtraction told me these photos were taken in 1933. Or ’35. Or ’38. The point is: way, way back in the day, photos were taken pretty regularly. Imagine that! Because a search through my mom’s scrapbook will produce an extremely meager stash of her young family’s pictures. Especially when it comes to me, otherwise known as the third-born.
My two older brothers, at 2 and 3 years old, show up in some dandy pics, wearing cowboy suits and boots, pedaling a tricycle. Or in the park, dressed in little jackets with those ear-flap hats on their buzz-cut heads. Then I was delivered, and wham! Welcome to the photographic black hole.
“But what about holiday photos?” you ask. Surely, there’s a precious picture of that only daughter, dressed in red velvet and lace or even footy pajamas. What mother doesn’t have a bounty of black-and-white memories of her little ones, opening presents on Christmas morn, or sitting on Santy’s lap, their tiny eyes all aglow?
Well, OK. There is a holiday photo. I suppose the only reason we have that picture is because my mother didn’t have to take it. There we stand, my two older brothers and I, sort of close, but not really, to the fat, jolly man. We look distinctly uncomfortable. Probably because we had no idea what was going on, being as unfamiliar as we were to the whole picture-taking process.
It’s the only photo I’ve ever seen of me or my brothers with Santa Claus. When I asked my mom about this phenomenon, she claimed nobody took pictures back in the day. When pressed further, she’d say she was too busy raising her children to bother with pictures, especially around the holidays. Like that’s any kind of an excuse.
So I vowed to be the best darn picture taker ever after my first-born arrived. His baby book is crammed with page after page of snapshots, documenting his every move. And Christmas pictures? Too many to count. I’m surprised we didn’t have to take out a loan to pay for all that December adorableness.
When his sister followed a few years later, I clicked away. Her baby book is full, too. Maybe not crammed. Maybe not chronicled month-by-month. More like quarter-by-quarter. But in my defense, she leaped from one milestone to the next, unlike her brother, who crawled at a snail’s pace. Is that the photographer’s fault?
And can you really blame the photographer if at Christmas, a certain little girl had an aversion to sitting on strange men’s laps? There are a few photos of my daughter with Santa, but she’s usually standing to the side of the chair, looking distinctly uncomfortable (like mother, like daughter). So can you blame a parent if those holiday photos weren’t taken at the expensive mall Santa hot spot? I mean, we still had to pay something for the pictures, even if it was a donated can of peas or box of tuna helper.
The third child joined us in 1991, I think it was. And I truly believe that 2008 will be the year I finish his baby book.
But, and this is the most important thing to remember during this holiday season, I do have a picture of my youngest with Santa Claus. There’s a darling Polaroid of him with a teenage Santa taken during a Secret Shopping Day extravaganza. Sure, the photo was free. And maybe I wasn’t exactly there to take the picture. And it’s possible that my child is leaning against the chair because he’s way too big to sit in the scrawny Santa’s lap.
But there’s a definite look of wonder on my son’s face. Maybe the poor kid’s wondering what he’s doing with this fake 14-year-old Santa? And I think I know the answer to that. But first, I’ve got to call my mother. She’s getting an apology for Christmas.
Cathy C. Hall is a mother of three who lives in Lilburn. You can check out her writings at Cathy C.’s Hall of Fame at www.cathychall.blogspot.com.
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$110,000 for a Button!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Being an obscure historical figure has its advantages.
Some folks will pay a fortune to buy the scrap of paper bearing your grocery list or the tissue you wiped your nose with.
Such is the case with Button Gwinnett’s signature.
A recent AJC Gwinnett News story about this county’s namesake and lesser-known signer of the Declaration of Independence prompted some readers to remind us of this fact.
In 2001, Sotheby’s sold a sheet bearing Gwinnett’s signature for $110,000. It fetched more money than a Beatles album signed by all four members of the band.
That’s because documents bearing Gwinnett’s name are quite rare.
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Cal Warlick / On Gwinnett
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Any similarity to another North Georgia politician?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It felt a little like a flashback.
Cagle, a likely candidate for governor in 2010, was giving a speech about growing up in a single-parent household and talking about his own life.
“I’ve been an underdog all my life,” Cagle said.
Cagle talked about growing up in rural Hall County as a fatherless son to a mother who worked two jobs to make ends meet. He described coming home to dinner with barely enough food to feed one person.
“She taught me the values of hard work. She had to make a lot of sacrifices,” the lieutenant governor said. “I will tell you that life wasn’t easy.”
Cagle’s speech at the Single Parent Alliance and Resource Center last week didn’t exactly bring the house down. But his remarks clearly resonated with his audience.
And it was reminiscent of another lieutenant governor who often talked about his hardscrabble North Georgia childhood and the single mother who raised him when he ran for governor, and later U.S. senator: Zell Miller.
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Lt. Gov. Beagle
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sometimes it’s good to be reminded of how unimportant you are.
Case in point: An encounter between Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and G.I. last week in Norcross. Cagle was the featured speaker at a center for single moms at Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church.
Before his speech, Cagle extended a hand to a member of the fourth estate and said, “Hey Ray.”
He got the name wrong. An aide rushed to correct him.
“It’s Jim,” she said.
“Oh, I’m sorry … Jim,” Cagle said.
That was wrong, too. But Cagle rebounded.
“I just stumbled all over that, didn’t I,” he said, sounding self-deprecatory.
Cagle wasn’t the only one to bungle a name.
Moments later, a pastor who preceded Cagle at the podium called him “Lieutenant Governor Cable” … twice.
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Gwinnett lawmakers to county: Let’s talk
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gwinnett’s legislative delegation will be talking about wish lists all day Monday.
That’s when the state lawmakers are scheduled to meet with county officials, school board members and other agencies about their priorities for the upcoming 2008 Georgia General Assembly.
The 40-day legislative session convenes in January.
Expect water and taxes to top the County Commission’s list. The board wants the Legislature to pass water conservation measures.
The commission doesn’t want the Legislature to adopt Georgia House Speaker Glenn Richardson’s “GREAT” tax plan.
That’s the one that would end property taxation in Georgia by swapping the revenue local governments would lose with added state sales taxes.
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