Candidates for the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners chairmanship faced off in an Atlanta Press Club debate Wednesday.
Democrat Nicole Love Hendrickson touted her experience working with the county government as an asset that would set her up for success. Republican David Post said that while he didn’t particularly want to be chairman, he felt he was needed in the role as someone with experience in both law enforcement and private sector business.
“I’ll be 74 this month, and I’m semi retired. I would love to spend more time with my grandkids, off riding off into the sunset,” Post said. “But I have the experience to take on this kind of the situation. Not a lot of people do, because this is not an easy situation, and it is a crisis situation. And what we do now, is going to make a difference for our kids and our grandkids in the future.”
Post cast the next few years as a critical time for shaping the county’s future, questioning the necessity of new tax increases and county-involved developments like the newly-announced Rowen project, for which commissioners recently approved $67.7 million in bonds.
“My question is, how many people, how many families are we going to destroy financially and socially to keep burying them with new taxes?” Post said. “We’ve got so many things that we have purchased, that the citizens of Gwinnett County are going to have to end up paying. So we’d have to look at anything that’s going to create a new tax.”
Hendrickson shared Post’s concerns about taxes, noting she was “shocked” at her own property tax bill this year. But Hendrickson argued that the county has to balance planning for future needs with tax burdens on residents.
“While I don’t support increase in taxes, I do recognize and am cognizant that sometimes it is necessary to continue providing world class services and amenities that we’ve been able to benefit from for many, many years,” she said.
Hendrickson also challenged Post on past comments about his desire for the job and admissions he’d never attended a board of commissioners meeting.
“I do believe that the voters deserve to have a leader who wants the job, who knows the job, and who has a plan to transition us into the future,” Hendrickson said.
Hendrickson cited her experience as a division director overseeing budgets as a foundation for overseeing the county’s financial future. Hendrickson was the county’s first director of community outreach and previously led grassroots and planning efforts for the Gwinnett Coalition for Health & Human Services, a public-private partnership group that works closely with the county government.
Hendrickson also said she would help reflect Gwinnett’s growing diversity. She would be the first black woman to serve as chairman and the second to ever serve on the Commission. Commissioner Marlene Fosque, elected in 2018, was the first.
“My entire campaign has been built on the premise that everybody has a seat and a voice at the table, and I will continue fighting, no matter what the outcome is, to ensure that everybody’s voice is included in the future of our county and all decisions that are made for the future of Gwinnett,” Hendrickson said.
Early voting is underway in Gwinnett through Oct. 30. Voters can also request mail-in absentee ballots through Oct. 30 or vote on Election Day, Nov. 3.
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