Gwinnett County Chairwoman Charlotte Nash is ready to turn the page.
Nash said in her State of the County speech Wednesday that the Gwinnett commissioners have already taken steps to restore public trust after a series of corruption scandals forced former commissioners to resign, face indictments and be sent to prison.
She said new rules for ethical conduct and how the county buys land will better protect taxpayers in the future. But there is more to do.
“We can’t stop now,” Nash said. “In the 2013 budget, we’ve funded the district attorney’s request for a senior investigator to focus on even the hint of corruption. You’ll see us take more steps to be accessible through town hall meetings, listening sessions and technology.”
The biggest issue in the coming year will be a new special purpose local option sales tax, or SPLOST, likely to be on ballots in November. It would fund the county’s transportation and building program for the next five years.
It will test voters’ view of government, since one of Gwinnett’s scandals involved former commissioners using SPLOST funds to pay inflated prices to developers for six pieces of parkland. In addition, a recent AJC poll of metro Atlanta residents found 60 percent think elected officials are not trustworthy.
“The worth of SPLOST funding has been proven time and again,” Nash said. “It has generated over $2 billion for projects for Gwinnett County and our cities … (and) provided cash for needed projects in lieu of issuing bonds that has saved taxpayers more than $1 billion in financing costs.”
Nash gave the speech in front of about 500 business and civic leaders at the Gwinnett Center. She promised that the county will aggressively pursue economic development to help the business community create more jobs.
That sounded good to Philip Wolfe, chairman of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and CEO of Gwinnett Medical Center.
“With a continued commitment to pursuing economic development and job creation efforts, Chairman Nash’s report gave a promising outlook for the business community,” Wolfe said.
But Nash said the county can’t do it alone.
“We need your help — every resident, every business owner,” Nash said. “Be informed, get involved, stay in touch.”
About the Author
