Gwinnett commission challengers want new direction

While Gwinnett County Commission incumbents stand firmly on their records over the past four years, the two Democratic challengers are underscoring a desire to point the county in a new direction to weather tough economic times.

The commission chairman’s race pits Republican incumbent Charles Bannister of Lilburn against political newcomer Democrat Vincent Passariello of Snellville. They squared off in a debate Monday at Georgia Public Broadcasting and have either attended or had their views presented at several forums held over the past two weeks.

Bannister, a retired insurance consultant and former state legislator, has stressed his record of delivering on his campaign promises from four years ago — all without raising property taxes.

Since he was elected in 2004, Bannister said, the county has added nearly 300 police officers, new police precincts and an anti-gang and drug task force. He said he has helped found a department of economic development, which has joined with the Chamber of Commerce to help create 21,000 new jobs.

When he ran four years ago, Bannister said, all he heard about was sprawl. The county has since clamped down on unbridled development, he said.

Bannister, who is in the midst of finalizing the 2009 budget, said in the face of the economic downturn, nothing is sacred. Every item is subject to cuts, he said.

Passariello, a part-time pilot for the Coast Guard with master’s degrees in business and engineering, is an engineer with Newton County. He said he has the technical and business background to govern the development of Gwinnett County.

“I’m just a regular guy,” Passariello said. “I’m a father. I’m a husband. I’m there for you to be fiscally responsible and show integrity for this office.”

Passariello criticizes Bannister’s record. All the money for police and roads, the challenger said, do not translate to a better Gwinnett.

“That’s just throwing money at problems,” he said. “I am an engineer. I look at problems with an analytical mind, then solve them.”

Passariello also claims not enough is being done to prohibit undocumented workers performing jobs for the county, an accusation Bannister denies.

“I speak Spanish,” Passariello said. “I go up and talk to these workers, and they tell me.”

In the race for the District 3 commission seat, Earl Hendon, 46, of Dacula, a project coordinator for Siemens, has set transportation as his key issue.

He said Gwinnett County needs to invest in alternative transportation, such as the proposed Brain Train that would run from Athens to Atlanta or some sort of light rail system. The idea, he said, would be to move people in more directions, more efficiently throughout the county.

“I believe this project will create jobs and give a lot of opportunities for Gwinnett residents,” Hendon said.

He added that his focus is to make the middle class more prosperous and that he regards open government as a must.

“What I’d like to do is set an example, have a transparent environment,” he said. “And I want you, the taxpayers, to hold me accountable.”

Incumbent Republican Michael Beaudreau, 33, of Lawrenceville, is an accounts manager. He said he is proud to come before the voters after four years.

“What we’ve accomplished in four years,” he said, “I’m proud to say has really changed Gwinnett County government for the better.”

Beaudreau may be best known for his stands against rubber-stamping development requests.

“I heard many, many times from citizens that they felt like the developers ran the county, and that they didn’t really have a say in the process,” he said. Citizens now, he said, feel less helpless when battling developers.

He said he is equally proud of his fiscal responsibility in that Gwinnett has maintained or lowered the tax rate the past 14 years.