Coronavirus, elections topics at town hall with Gwinnett officials

State Rep. Jasmine Clark of Lilburn was among officials who participated in a town hall event Wednesday night. (PHOTO by Bob Andres / bandres@ajc.com) AJC FILE PHOTO

State Rep. Jasmine Clark of Lilburn was among officials who participated in a town hall event Wednesday night. (PHOTO by Bob Andres / bandres@ajc.com) AJC FILE PHOTO

At an online forum Wednesday, Gwinnett County state and local elected officials answered questions about the coronavirus, noise and development.

The town hall, organized by Rep. Jasmine Clark (D-Lilburn), also included State Sens. Nikki Merritt (D-Grayson) and Sheikh Rahman (D-Lawrenceville); Gwinnett County Commission Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson; Gwinnett County Commissioner Ben Ku; and Everton Blair, chairman of the Gwinnett County Board of Education.

Hendrickson touted a mask mandate she had signed for county buildings and property and said she intends to continue resigning it each month.

In response to a question about vaccine accessibility, Hendrickson said the county hopes to work with private providers to coordinate access, and expects mobile vaccination units to be rolled out.

Clark said the state legislature is also seeking solutions to expand the ease of access.

“I do not like that getting a vaccine appointment feels like winning the lottery,” she said.

The elected officials also handled questions about fireworks late in the night — “It’s not illegal, but we can be responsible with it,” Hendrickson said — and drag racing. They talked about the importance of transit in traffic mitigation as more homes are built. And they said it could cost $1 billion to expand sewer service to areas that use septic systems.

Blair, the school board chair, said accreditation was on track and wouldn’t be an issue. Clark said she was concerned about a spate of election-related bills that she said are “not about fraud.”

“This is about not liking the outcome of an election,” she said.

To watch the full town hall, see https://bit.ly/3d2upLs.