Bert Nasuti, the county commissioner who led the drive for baseball in Gwinnett, confirmed Friday he will not seek re-election in 2010.
Nasuti, a Norcross attorney who represents the Norcross and Lilburn areas, was first elected in 2002. He said he is stepping out of public office because time constraints in his business provide him with little time for his family. Nasuti said his caseload, primarily as a federal bankruptcy trustee for the Justice Department, has more than doubled over the past 18 months.
"I have four teenage children, the county commission, rec authority... and I have missed an awful lot of my children's things," he said. Nasuti added he is working with his family to care for his ailing 92-year-old father.
"I'm not going to drop off the face of the Earth," he said. "I'm going to stay active in politics. I'm going to support candidates who are out there. There will be a lot of good people interested in this position."
Nasuti's decision follows an announcement last month by four-term commissioner Kevin Kenerly that he will also not seek re-election. All five seats are held by Republicans.
Nasuti said he is not stepping down because of criticism. He is still proud of his efforts to land the Gwinnett Braves franchise, he said, despite taking some flak over the $64 million cost of the stadium.
"I will tell you. I don't get a lot of criticism," he said. "My feedback on [the stadium] remains 90 percent positive plus. I said a long time ago to fellow commissioners that I never thought any county commissioner would lose an election over baseball. And I say that to this day."
Besides baseball, Nasuti said he is most proud of his work in promoting parks and quality-of-life issues. He said he led the drive to get state law changed to allow inmates onto private property to paint over graffiti.
Nevertheless, the commissioner conceded the past year has been tough, navigating county government through a troubled economy.
"We get complaints for everything, from how sports teams are doing to how the weather's bad," he said. "The general sour nature of people is at an all-time high, but that is not entering into my decision...but the vast majority of people -- the silent majority -- are happy, and they do love this county."
Nasuti, who served 11 years on the planning commission before winning his commission seat, said he may get back into politics, but most likely at the state or federal level.
"I'm not going to rule anything out," he said.
About the Author
The Latest
Featured
