Members of a new Gwinnett Citizen’s Academy heaped praise upon county commissioners at a town hall Tuesday, saying the program allows them to become more informed residents.
“It’s opened my eyes to what happens behind the scenes and allowed me to get a broader view,” said Reem Bajes, who lives in Norcross. “I really believe an informed citizen is an active citizen.”
Bajes said her own involvement in the program inspired her to try to form a neighborhood watch in her community. A classmate said the program reveals vision, and will help keep people in Gwinnett.
The program, in part, is designed to broaden county leaders’ network of diverse residents, Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash said. Other local leadership programs were “not as representative of the community,” she said.
While Nash said she and other commissioners can still do more to increase diversity among county employees and on appointed boards, she is not ready to create a written policy calling for a more diverse workforce.
“We’re more and more aware of the necessity” for diversity, she said. “We’re looking at how we can meet communities halfway, instead of them coming to us.”
Residents opposed to a new animal tethering rule, who have spoken at previous meetings, also came out in droves. They reiterated their stance that allowing animals to be tethered on a trolley system is dangerous for animals and children who might approach them.
Some said residents are afraid to call animal control about abused animals for fear of reprisal from neighbors.
“If you’re too scared to call, you’re part of the problem,” Commissioner Tommy Hunter said. “You’ve got to be involved.”
Other residents at the Hudgens Center for the Arts asked about stalled parkland, the need for more police officers and public transit.
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