Politics & Government

Candidates List Budget, Public Trust as Top Issues

The four candidates for chair of the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners weigh in on the biggest issues facing the county.

In just a few weeks, voting for the next chair of the Gwinnett Board of Commissioners will get underway.

Though the special election to fill former Gwinnett County chairman Charles Bannister's unexpired term is not until March 15, absentee voting begins Feb. 14.

Four candidates – Charlotte Nash of Dacula, Larry Gause of Tucker, Gerald Duane Kissel of Snellville and Will Costa of Lilburn – remain in the running. Two other candidates,  and Timothy Swiney, withdrew from the race last month.

Find out what's happening in Lilburn-Mountain Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The winner of the March special election will assume responsibility for managing . The new chair must also deal with .

In this second part of a weeklong series, Patch asked each of the candidates for chair of the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners to identify the three biggest issues facing the county.

Find out what's happening in Lilburn-Mountain Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Patch did not limit the length of the responses.

Note: Kristi Reed is the Local Editor of Dacula Patch.

 LARRY GAUSE:

  • Spending:  We need to reduce the size of government by 25 percent over the next few years through salary reductions and natural attrition through retirement.  Job descriptions need to be expanded to logically combine responsibilities. Salaries for new hires in years to come need to be more in line with the current market conditions so that we do not find ourselves in this same predicament in 30 years. We need to implement austere conservation measures in county government to eliminate waste from within - from cell phones, to government vehicles for personal use, office supplies, travel requests, etc.  Businesses are tightening their belts and budgets and government needs to as well.
  • Water:  We need to look 20-30 years out, and water is one of the top issues facing Gwinnett County and the state of Georgia. In order for Gwinnett to attract new companies (jobs), we need to address the issue of availability of water to accommodate growth. Gwinnett needs to build its own reservoirs. Plans were drawn up years ago for an open reservoir that would feed off of Lake Lanier.  This reservoir would be built and controlled by Gwinnett County.  The plans for this reservoir were drawn and submitted, but the county has yet to move forward on this. Providing long term plans for accessibility to water is critical to the success of Gwinnett County.
  • Code enforcement:  Gwinnett County has a higher rate of foreclosed properties than any other county in the United States. Many of these foreclosed properties are not being maintained. This leads to vagrancy and reduced property values.  New businesses are not going to relocate to Gwinnett County if they drive around the area and see run-down shopping centers or houses.  The banks that have foreclosed on these properties should be required to maintain the outside appearance of the properties.

 DUANE KISSEL:

I could use some of the cliche answers and say crime, drugs and gangs. While these are serious issues [that] have existed for hundreds of years in the past and will exist hundreds of years in the future. Some would say traffic is a huge issue.  This is true and can be solved by the people easier than by the government through voluntary carpooling, mass transit use, and telecommuting.  With that said my three issues are as follows:

  • The biggest issue facing Gwinnett County Government is regaining the trust of the citizens. Recent events have been an extreme embarrassment on our county.  I believe that I can help  tremendously is this area.  I spent my entire life dedicated to doing the right thing, doing it the right way, because it was the right thing to do.  As a police officer for right at 30 years, integrity was the life blood of my profession.
  • Property value depreciation due to the extremely large number of foreclosures that have occurred. Gwinnett is leading the way in an area that you do not want to be known as a leader in.  Every effort needs to be made to stabilize property values.
  • Gwinnett needs to look for other methods of funding to shore up the lack of property tax revenue. The residential property owner is continually asked to carry the full weight of government spending on their shoulders.  This works fine when the economy is strong, but as we have seen in the last several years, this method is not very friendly in a sluggish economy.

 CHARLOTTE NASH:

  • Loss of public trust (This is such an important and fundamental issue now that I have chosen as the theme for my campaign “Earning Your Trust.”  I recognize that being elected signifies that voters have placed their trust with the public official, but the public trust must be constantly earned through behavior and communication.)
  • Fiscal stress and budget shortfall.
  • Need for sustainable economic development and redevelopment that result in more jobs in the county.

WILL COSTA:

  • Number one is the budget shortfall.
  • Crime is going to be a major issue if we do not get out in front of it soon. There will be the need to address juvenile crime prevention. 
  • Allocation of the limited resources. This needs to be resolved before there are more disputes over placement of new and or promised public works projects.


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