Gwinnett Commission Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson used her state of the county address to tout past successes and future plans — and to honor groups that have served the community in outstanding ways during unprecedented times.
Hendrickson was elected in Nov. 2020, becoming the county’s first-ever Black commission chair and the first Democrat to fill the seat in several decades. Thursday’s half-hour-long speech in front of public officials and other leaders from across Gwinnett and metro Atlanta marked Hendrickson’s second state of the county address.
But it was her first after spending significant time in the chair position.
Hendrickson rehashed the county’s accomplishments over the last year-plus, promoting the government’s work on an equity action plan; COVID-19 vaccination and rental assistance efforts; the creation of a new entrepreneur center; and plans to “reclaim, reimagine, and reconnect” the long-struggling Gwinnett Place Mall, which the county purchased last spring.
“We’re not representing land. We’re representing people with a vast array of backgrounds, experiences, expectations, and desires,” Hendrickson said. “We’re making choices about the place we call home. And we’re promising to do what’s best for our community.”
»See the full prepared text of Hendrickson’s speech at the bottom of this article.
As her speech — co-hosted by the Gwinnett Chamber and the Council for Quality of Growth — neared an end, Hendrickson announced the county’s first-ever “standard bearer” awards.
The surprise announcement honored three groups whom the chairwoman said went out of their way to support the community in extraordinary times.
The honorees included Chef Hank Reid, whose organization Lettum Eat has provided high-quality meals to thousands of Gwinnett residents facing food insecurity during the pandemic.
Plaza Las Americas, a Lilburn-area strip mall and community center that has hosted vaccination events and worked with other organizations to promote digital literacy and academic achievement in the community, was also honored.
So was the county’s own grants division, which has led the the complex task of distributing millions of dollars in federal pandemic relief funds to individuals and entities across the Gwinnett.
“Facing new and familiar challenges, these groups made outstanding efforts to support our community,” Hendrickson said. “They are examples of the Gwinnett standard and always strive to do better for those around them.”
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