It’s been a month since the collapse of a portion of Interstate 85. Even if you’ve never had the pleasure of traveling on that stretch of highway, the interruption of service has affected just about everyone in metro Atlanta.
If I-285 was your normal route, you’ve found that thousands more commuters have joined you. Motorists may have thought it was bad before, but to paraphrase the hip kids, stuff just got real right now.
But contrary to what many in the rest of the country may believe, folks in the ATL are a resilient bunch. We may be cutting each other off in traffic and denying entry to late-comers to the turning lane, but we’re still getting in our cars every day and making the sometimes two-hour trek to work, school or leisure activities.
Although construction crews are working non-stop at getting residents and visitors back to the regular gridlock, it will probably be another month before things are back to normal and we’ll just have sports teams, pollution and taxes to complain about.
So we’re asking readers to share coping strategies.
What do you do to keep from tearing out your hear or honking your horn until it burns out?
Share your best tips and tricks and we’ll pass them on to other readers. Please remember to keep it G-rated. There’s nothing wrong with a little humour as long as it’s not offensive. (Don’t act like you don’t know what we mean.)
Send comments to communitynews@ajc.com. Responses may be edited for length and/or clarity and may be published online and/or in print.
Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners continue to hear from protesters at each public meeting concerned about comments made by District 3 Commissioner Tommy Hunter in mid-January. The controversial Facebook comments calling civil rights leader and U.S. Rep. John Lewis a “racist pig” have left residents calling for his resignation or for commissioners to remove him from his seat on the board. The county has formed an ethics committee in response to a complaint filed by two local attorneys who feel Hunter’s actions have violated Gwinnett’s 2011 ethics ordinance.
In the mean time, meetings continue to be disrupted by protesters. We asked readers to suggest solutions to help Gwinnett spend more time on county business.
Here’s what some had to say:
I may or may not agree about what he said, but I will fight to death for his right to say it. Voters, in time, will have a say in his political future, but right now, I believe any action taken against him, would be detrimental to democracy and the Republic. — Gerardo Gonzalez
It's time to quell the demonstrations at the council meetings. They have had their say, now let's get some real work done. — Gail Vail
Gwinnett should do nothing. The people in the district will decide at the voting booth. — Debbie Bullard
Tommy Hunter's comments show he is not fit to be a representative for the citizens of Gwinnett and he should be removed so commissioners can get on with the business of making Gwinnett a great place to live. — Roy Johansen
They should remove these protestors for disturbing the peace. — Brian Pavlich
The protesters should find a venue and time to exercise their First Amendment right without being disruptive. — Lior Burko
What has happened to Tommy Hunter's right to freedom of speech? The people disrupting the county are only wasting everyone's time. The commission chairperson needs to limit their time on this subject so the county can get on with its business. — Bill Almand
He said he was sorry now let it go. The voters can vote him out in the next election. — Carol Lee
Chairwoman Nash and Chief Ayers would be well served to bring in an objective third-party entity to thoroughly investigate and audit the practices of both the county commission and the Gwinnett County police department. — John Hollon
When a person holding public office makes statements in a public forum that are inflammatory and insensitive, we have to question their fitness to represent ALL of their constituents. — Ronald Perry
Tommy Hunter has apologized and said that he used a poor choice of words. Under the First Amendment a person has the right of free speech and since he apologized that should have ended it. Enough is enough. — Bobby Cochran
The voters are the ones to decide. Had he made this statement as an official act, it would be different. This was a social media post, not an official act. — Derrell Earl
He is an elected official who has shown implicit bias towards minorities and women in a majority-minority county. What other solution is there other than to remove him from office? — Tai Davis
Hunter's postings demeaned both the objects of his bitterness and the citizens of Gwinnett. Leaving commission meetings prior to their conclusion eliminates the possibility of hearing citizens' opinions and recommendations. The Gwinnett Code of Ethics requires commissioners, "Put loyalty to the highest moral principles and to county above loyalty to persons, party, or county government department." Hunter must resign or be removed by his peers. — Deborah Millette
Accept the fact that some people have a different opinion of others, whether it be right or wrong or "publicly" acceptable and move on with real county business and issues. — V. Pantazopoulos
It's time for Commissioner Tommy Hunter to resign. District 3 is a very diverse district and deserves a commissioner who will represent it with dignity, respect, integrity and maturity. — Daniel Walker
Let the voters decide and let the elected officials do the people's business. No one should resign and let the voters accept or reject the totality of the official's actions on Election Day. — Mike Seigle
Tommy needs to resign. The remarks he made are offensive. He represents us in Gwinnett, yet how can we grow as a community when that is not what we stand for. Move on so we can move on. — Patty Gilmore
If the Commission itself is powerless to do the will of the people, and the Commissioner is unwilling to do the right thing and step down, then we the people must continue to voice our opinion until it is heard. — Penny Bernath
Remove Mr. Hunter. He misrepresented the majority of his constituents. This disruption of county business is a result of the commission's inability to take action. — Jasper Watkins III
Hunter should be removed because his actions are a distraction. As an elected official, he must be held to a higher standard. — Keisha Wilson
Voters in his district should make that decision on Election Day. — Elaine Kelly
We'll fire him during the next election. He shot himself in the foot when he insulted more than half his constituency. Wouldn't be a terrible example to get rid of him earlier, though. He's an embarrassment. — Kate Bass
Do nothing because he has the right to say what he believes unless he threatens someone with harm. In this case, no harm was meant. — Michael Meeks
Karen Huppertz for the AJC
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