Though Doug Stacks has never held political office, he said his years "on both sides of the counter" —- as both a real estate broker and land-planning professional —- have served as something of a political education.

Named director of planning and economic development for the city of Lilburn in March, Stacks is challenging incumbent Mike Beaudreau for the District 3 seat on the Gwinnett County Commission.

"I'm a common sense guy, a realist," said Stacks, 46. "I'm here as a citizen who's concerned with the way development is going."

In Stacks' case, that means concern that development is slowing down.

Growth equals prosperity, he says. As a planner, he believes the key is "shaping how growth occurs." Without it, Stacks said, the taxpayer burden will be shifted to residents.

Beaudreau, 33, said he thinks the best way to manage growth is to stick to the county's land-use plan, which already has been through public review and approval. In general, he said, he's tended to be tough on spot rezoning requests —- such as last November's bid from Crown Point Properties to construct a shopping mall on a popular Loganville strawberry field —- as well as recent applications for pawnshops on U.S. 78.

"We don't need any more pawnshops in that area," Beaudreau said. "It's a free country, but people have elected me to not do more of the same."

A national accounts manager for Ricoh Corp., Beaudreau lives in the Grayson/ Lawrenceville area with his wife, Tegwen.

Stacks, who represented Crown Point Properties in the strawberry fields case, said he considers rezonings part of doing business and says they're "a good way to change [the] vision for a particular piece of property."

A resident of District 3 for most of his life, Stacks lives in Dacula with wife, Maria, and two daughters.

Beaudreauo said his record of preserving green space and being available to his constituents at informal monthly meetings speaks volumes about his priorities. He said he's been mischaracterized as being against mass transit. Government isn't always the best solution, he said, but he's for anything that gets people off the roads, if it's "cost-effective."

Stacks said he's interested in looking into all mass transit options and thinks the county needs to advocate for regional solutions. First, he said, he'd start with improving roadways and intersections and increasing the number of bike paths.

 WALTER CUMMING / Staff
Map shows location of Commission District 3
Mike Beaudreau, Doug Stacks 
Source: Gwinnett County Government