Gwinnett Buzz

CBS Atlanta has just reported that Commission Chairman Charles Bannister’s blood test has come back negative for alcohol in his system.  This result confirms the 0.0 reading on a Breathalyzer test administered to the chairman prior to his arrest for DUI Monday night.  Combine this with the fact that there is no video of Bannister failing a field sobriety test and Bannister’s claim that he would be exonerated is looking more and more likely.  (I would note, I do not put much stock in the field sobriety test failure.  If I had a police officer having me recite the alphabet starting at a letter other than A, on the side of a road, my nerves could cause me to get flustered and mess that up as well!)

What is going on here?  Is Bannister being setup for political purposes?  The story does shed some light on why the Sheriff’s Department was involved.  Apparently, someone in the restaurant called an off-duty deputy who, in turn, phoned an on-duty deputy.  However, as I questioned previously, why did this tip not get forwarded to Gwinnett Police who normally handle traffic cases in this area?  According to the AJC, the fact that the Sheriff’s department handled the arrest is not the only irregularity with this case.

Sheriff Butch Conway has stated that he stands behind his deputy.  So long as there is no evidence of a setup, I cannot argue with this because a good superior backs up his employees.  However, if something starts to look fishy, which certainly is shaping up to be the case here, Conway should absolutely look into this matter very closely.  The question is what he will say during a news conference today regarding the blood test results?  Don’t forget that Conway backed Bannister’s opponent, former commissioner Lorraine Green, in the last election.  Will the sheriff let politics get in the way of seeking out justice for a political opponent?  Stayed tuned.

UPDATE: Sheriff Conway has announced that DUI charges would be dropped against the chairman.  However, per the irregularities in this case, this should not be the end of the matter.  Someone, whether it be the sheriff or other authorities, should look into whether any laws have been violated in the treatment of Bannister.  Even if no laws have been violated, there should be close scrutiny that no law enforcement official abused their authority in order to humiliate Bannister with trumped up charges.

The Buzz has been quiet lately as I have simply not had time to devote to the site (still open to accepting other contributors - let me know if you are interested in writing for the Buzz!).  However, after reading the news of Commission Chairman Charles Bannister being charged with DUI last night, I had to comment.

While I supported Bannister in his race against former Commissioner Lorraine Green two years ago, I have been less than pleased - to put it mildly - with the job performance of the chairman and the rest of the board since that time.  However, despite that, this is not a post to “pile on” the chairman.  Rather, after reading the latest news account of yesterday’s events, I wanted to write to urge my fellow Gwinnett residents not to rush to judgment.  There are enough red flags to prompt the fair-minded observer to allow the facts of this situation come to light before forming a hardened opinion on guilt or innocence.

When I received a text from a friend last night telling me that 11Alive had tweeted that Charles Bannister had been charged with DUI, my initial inclination was to believe that he was guilty.  I mean, after all, DUI is pretty cut and dried right?  You get pulled over, you blow a high reading on a Breathalyzer…bam, DUI.  Not really any extenuating circumstances for that in my book.  However, as details of last night’s events have emerged, I have begun to think “Hold on…maybe things are not as they seem:”

…the Breathalyzer producing a .000 reading.

Hmm.  Of course, given the description of Bannister’s driving, the decision of Gwinnett Sheriff’s Deputy M.G. Cummings to ask for a blood test was understandable:

“Once I received the blood kit I explained to the defendant that due to the results of the breath test being inconsistent with someone who had drunk a beer, as he admitted to at the scene of the pullover and at the jail, and his current manifestations, I requested he submit to the state test of his blood. He stated he would.”

However, this raises another question to me.  Why was this incident being handled by the Sheriff’s Department?  While I know the Sheriff’s Department certainly has the authority to conduct traffic stops, in Gwinnett, I normally think of the Gwinnett County Police Department taking on that responsibility.  Could it be because the Sheriff is an elected official and, as such, not a direct report to Bannister?  Is it normal procedure for the GCSD to handle such incidents to avoid a situation where a county employee is arresting his boss?  If anyone knows about this, please post.  If the GCSD handling this is not standard operating procedure, I think asking why the Sheriff’s office and not the police department was waiting outside the restaurant for the chairman to leave is a fair question.

While none of the above suggests that Bannister is definitively not guilty of the charge, these facts suggest to me that we be all the more cautious about jumping to conclusions.  Whether anyone agrees or disagrees with Chairman Bannister politically, as an American citizen, he has a right to be treated fairly under the law and not to be immediately assumed guilty due to political unpopularity.

I am absolutely not taking DUI lightly.  In fact, I feel that the justice system is too easy on those convicted of DUI.  This is a serious offense that takes too many innocent lives across our country.  However, before applying strict punishment, any American, including Chairman Bannister, must be proven guilty of a DUI charge.  Once that occurs or if the chairman admits guilt, only then is consideration of whether he should resign his office or any other response appropriate.

(Note: I am straying a little from my Gwinnett focus in order to post a general political rant.  While my comments below do not involve Gwinnett specifically, the same logic would apply to Gwinnett politicians should they engage in similar tactics.  Fortunately, given that District 4 is not up this cycle nor is commission chairman, I am not receiving any calls for Gwinnett county offices this time around.)

Let me say first, I hate robocalls.  They are annoying, obnoxious, and rude.  Are they illegal?  Unfortunately not, but that is hardly a shock. Congress wisely created the Do Not Call Registry to allow us to setup a blanket opt-out of telemarketing calls.  Conveniently, the politicians exempted themselves from the rule.  Big surprise.  Despite this loophole, you would hope that a conservative Republican, who is supposed to respect the individual, would honor the wishes of those who do not want unsolicited phone calls.  Yet, every two years, I get flooded with “political telemarketing” calls that show no regard for my wishes.

About a month ago, I got a robocall from Karen Handel for Governor.  I went to her website and sent an email to her campaign to request removal from her call list.  I also tweeted this situation to create some, albeit a tiny amount, negative publicity, publicity apparently being the only language many politicians speak.  This afternoon, my phone rings with an “Out of Area” caller.  Red flag.  I answer to be greeted by Karen Handel’s cheery voice.  Ms. Handel’s voice was greeted with the click of me hanging up both on her call and any chance of her receiving my vote in next month’s gubernatorial primary.

This is a real loss for Ms. Handel.  I am a reliable conservative vote, meaning I am about as close to 100% as you can be in voting for Republicans.  Three weeks from the primary election, I have no strong opinion for which candidate to vote for either Governor or 7th District Congressional representative.  I am truly one of those “Undecideds” you see at the bottom of most political polls.  According to a poll taken earlier this month, Handel has a very slight hold on second place which would get her into a runoff with current front-runner Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine.  Former Congressman Nathan Deal sits in third but appears to be gaining in recent months.  Ms. Handel really should not be alienating voters whose votes she obviously needs.  I have not received any annoying robocalls from Deal so at this point and, though I am not sure I want him as governor, I am inclined to vote for him to setup a runoff between himself and Oxendine.

As an individual we cannot do much about politicians who show so little regard for us.  Granted, I have become jaded enough to naturally assume that most politicians, no matter how much I may agree with them politically, are self-serving and insincere in their assertions of caring about the everyday voter.  However, when their actions reinforce this perception, we as voters should put our collective foot down and let them know there are consequences for doing so.  I may be a lone voice, but this voice is saying no to Karen Handel due to her disregard for my wishes.  Her robocalls have backfired and resulted in me voting against.  (Ok, the fact that Mike Beaudreau supports her is another strike in her column, but that is a different post for a different day!)

The AJC has reviewed my current favorite Lawrenceville restaurant.  Oyster Bay is on the square directly across the street from the historic Gwinnett courthouse.  I cannot recommend this place enough and the AJC seems to like it as well.  We stumbled across it back in February and I have taken others there a couple of times since.  I am glad to see that Lawrenceville has a quality seafood option aside from the big, national chains.

The Gwinnett County Commission voted Tuesday to install artificial turf on a “multipurpose field” (here in the South, that would be a football field that “lesser sports” are allowed to use outside of football season! ) and warm up area at Duncan Creek Park in Dacula.  The board cited long-term cost savings from reduced field maintenance as well as year-round field availability as justification for the project.  While I am critical of the board for their all-too-frequent missteps, I want to lend support when they do the right thing, and saving taxpayer dollars is the right thing.  Granted, I hate to see a football field marred with “permanent striping for…soccer…[and]…corners for lacrosse,” but that is a small price to pay given the upside.  Well done, commissioners!

Former Christian Coalition head Ralph Reed has announced that he will not seek the 7th District congressional seat being vacated by Rep. John Linder.  Thusfar, three Republicans have announced their candidacies for the race: state Sen. Don Balfour, state Rep. Clay Cox and Walton County businessman Tom Kirby.

Yesterday, the Buzz received this release from the Tommy Hunter campaign.  You can visit Tommy’s site here.  It is probably the best Gwinnett campaign site I have seen thusfar in this election cycle.

Hunter Campaign Launches Website

BUFORD, GA Gwinnett County District 4 Commission candidate Tommy Hunter has announced the launch of his campaign web site. By visiting www.tommyhunter2010.com, voters can find information about Tommy’s experience and community involvement, as well as his positions on the major issues facing Gwinnett County. Voters can also find out how to support Tommy’s campaign or volunteer to help Tommy bring responsible leadership and representation back to the County Commission.

Most important to District 4 voters, however, is his straight-forward, common sense commentary on the news of the day including the controversial sanitation plan.

“I am very proud of the effort that went in to making the new site a reality,” Tommy said.  ”The information on the site goes a long way toward explaining how I feel about the issues facing us- for example, how the budget should be handled; how tax rates should be formulated; and my integrated plan to help lessen the impact of the cost of government on our citizens.”

Tommy continued, “Citizens can contact me directly if they have questions about my stance on any issue. I want them to feel free and welcome to contact me.”

Tommy is a staunch conservative and resides in the Buford area with his wife, Judith, and two young children, where he has attended Harmony Baptist Church his entire life.  The website was designed by Shoestring Solutions in Loganville, GA.

State Rep. Tom Rice has drafted legislation in the Georgia General Assembly to allow Peachtree Corners to incorporate as a “city light.”  The legislation would permit Peachtree Corners to incorporate with “a weak governing board that addresses only minimal issues, such as planning and zoning, code enforcement and trash collection” while continuing to receive “county services, such as police, water and roadwork, after it has formed into a city.”  According to Mike Mason, president of the United Peachtree Corners Civic Association, the association is awaiting a University of Georgia study on the cost of operating such a muncipality.  Why do I suspect that the results of that study are really immaterial?  After all, isn’t an initiative such as this more often about power for those pushing it than anything else?

Bloomberg BusinessWeek has listed Duluth as one of the Best Affordable Suburbs in America for 2010.  Only one community in each state made the list.  A variety of factors were considered in identifying the suburbs that were included:

We weighted a variety of factors including livability (short commutes, low pollution, green space), education (well-educated residents, high test scores), crime (low personal and property crime), economy (high job growth, low unemployment rate, high family income), and affordability (median household income, cost of expenditures).

About Duluth, the magazine said:

A wealthy, fast-growing suburb of Atlanta with a town green, Duluth has a mall, civic and cultural center, arena, arts center, and theater. Residents can also join golf and country club communities.

When I saw the headline on this one on AJC.com, my first thought was “Here we go again.  A government is going to restrict the rights of property owners.”  Imagine my pleasant surprise to read that the City of Grayson is considering “allowing animated signs, internally illuminated signs and double-faced signs.”

Wow.  A government that is easing restrictions on citizens - what a novel concept!  Kudos to Grayson officials!