Gwinnett chairman won’t be ‘fun job’ for anyone

Ten people — most of them current or former elected officials or candidates for public office — have told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution they’re thinking about running for the job vacated when Chairman Charles Bannister resigned Oct. 8.

Those possible candidates are county Commissioner Mike Beaudreau, former Commissioner Lorraine Green, county GOP Chairman Bruce LeVell, county Tax Commissioner Katherine Meyer, developer and former state legislator Emory Morsberger, 2008 Bannister opponent Vincent Passariello, security firm owner David Post, Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District Executive Director Chuck Warbington, Dacula Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks and Suwanee Mayor Dave Williams.

“I am kicking it around,” said Wilbanks, echoing the noncommittal remarks of other possible candidates.

Gwinnett voters won’t know who’s serious until candidates file to run Dec. 6-8. But the county’s top elected post, though tarnished of late, clearly has some appeal.

Potential candidates cite the prospect of leading Georgia’s second-largest county to a new era of prosperity. They talk about improving communication and restoring voter trust.

It won’t be easy. A property tax increase, a new garbage collection plan, a secret stadium deal and other controversies have angered many voters over the past two years.

Now the county is awaiting a final report from a grand jury that has been investigating questionable county purchases of potential parkland for nine months.

The grand jury already has indicted Commissioner Kevin Kenerly on charges of bribery and failing to disclose a financial interest in two properties the county rezoned. Kenerly denies any wrongdoing.

Though he avoided indictment on a charge of perjury, Bannister resigned after appearing before the grand jury. Vice Chairwoman Shirley Lasseter is filling in for now but says she’s not interested in the job in the long term.

Those considering a run for Bannister’s former seat seem to know what they’re getting into.

“It’s not going to be a fun job for anybody who gets it,” said Suwanee’s Williams. “There’s a tremendous amount of broken trust between the taxpayers and county government. It’s going to be hard to repair that.”

On paper, the chairman’s job isn’t that impressive.

You run a handful of meetings a month. You sign contracts. You can propose anything you want, but you’re just one of five votes on the commission.

But there is real power and responsibility.

For starters, chairman is the only full-time job on the County Commission. The others have day jobs and serve part time. And while the other commissioners serve specific districts, the chairman represents all of Gwinnett’s 808,000 residents.

The chairman also proposes — and therefore shapes — a budget of roughly $1.6 billion. And the chairman represents Gwinnett at the Atlanta Regional Commission and other agencies that help divvy up hundreds of millions of dollars for roads and other projects.

“This person represents more people than [live in] the city of Atlanta,” Warbington said.

Given the responsibilities, some think the job doesn’t pay enough. Cobb County’s full-time board chairman makes $129,877.

The starting pay for Gwinnett’s chairman: $58,342.

Patrick Malone, a partner in a management consulting firm who pays attention to Gwinnett politics, thinks it should be at least $150,000. He’s lobbying commissioners to raise the chairman’s pay before the December candidate filing period. The idea: attract more qualified candidates.

“You’re either going to get a retiree or you’re going to get somebody’s who’s independently wealthy” with the current salary, Malone said. “That cuts down on the potential pool of people who have visions for Gwinnett but can’t afford to run for that kind of money.”

Several commissioners seemed cool to Malone’s proposal.

“Salaries are a hot-button issue,” said Commissioner Bert Nasuti, an attorney. “I don’t think anybody up here serves for the money.”

Voters will cast their ballots in a special election for chairman March 15. There will be no primary, but if a runoff is needed it will be held April 12.

The winner will serve the remaining two years of Bannister’s term. The office will be up for election for a full, four-year term in 2012.

The successful candidate may be the one who convinces voters that he or she will favor the public interest over special interests.

“I’d become concerned if someone was too involved in development, because then you could be really good friends with property developers and Realtors,” Norcross resident Barbara Renz said. “We want to balance development with conservation.”

“I would definitely want someone who has lived in Gwinnett County for some time,” said Sharon Rich of Snellville. But she doesn’t want someone who’s “so entrenched in the political scene that they might be more concerned with their friends in other offices than they are with the constituents that they serve.”

Contenders?

Several candidates have expressed an interest in chairman of the Gwinnett County Commission. No one will know who is serious until filing Dec. 6-8. A special election will be held March 15 to replace Charles Bannister who resigned Oct. 8.

How we got the story

Within hours of Gwinnett County Commission Chairman Charles Bannister’s Oct. 8 resignation, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution began calling some likely candidates to be his successor. Other possible candidates called the newspaper themselves. In the following days, the newspaper spoke to other potential candidates that had expressed an interest. The newspaper sought all of their opinions about the pros and cons of a job that wields substantial influence but also has come under intense scrutiny. It also spoke with local residents about the qualities they’d like to see in the next board chairman.