Wednesday
May282008
« So just who is Doug Stacks? »
Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 12:26AM
I twittered this question earlier today. It has been almost a month since candidates qualified for this summer's Gwinnett primaries and we have yet to hear much - well, anything - from Doug Stacks. Stacks entered the District 3 Commission race as a challenger to incumbent, Mike Beaudreau. While I was not too optimistic about the chances of unseating Beaudreau, the fact that Stacks has been nearly invisible means that Mike is running virtually unopposed. (Ok, technically, there is a Democrat in the general election for District 3 this fall, but in Gwinnett County, the winner of the GOP primary in July can pretty much hang up the campaign walking shoes as that race will be over.)
This evening I googled Mr. Stacks and this is basically what I found. He is currently the planning manager for the City of Lilburn and has held this position since March. But wait - what's this? Very interesting. Mr. Stacks represented Crown Point Property in the Strawberry Fields rezoning fight near Loganville last fall. I find this very exciting! No, no, no! Not because I think a developer should always get his or her way. I have stated on many occasions I believe in the concept of material impact, and that necessarily implies that a developer will likely not have all their proposals approved. Rather, what I find exciting is that Stacks may not come to the commission with a default bias against developers that Beaudreau's "community friendly" or "homeowner friendly" growth position implies. I am encouraged becasue during the Strawberry Fields debate, Stacks reportedly characterized development as "progress." Could Stacks be a commissioner that will be more receptive to the reality that developers are a legitimate members of the Gwinnett community who bring a lot of value and amenities to our county?
I could not agree more that development brings progress, because the benefits that development has brought Gwinnett residents have been significant to the continued improvement in quality of life in Gwinnett. If not for development, we would still be shopping from cramped 30-year old Kroger stores, waiting to buy gas at the few two-pump island stations that were allowed to be built, feeling frustrated at the paucity of housing options due to lack of new, modern construction, and having a single, aging regional mall from which to shop. Yes, whether we want to admit it or not, we all enjoy the benefits of development in Gwinnett County and it is time that we had a commissioner that represents all members of the Gwinnett community, not just a subset of homeowners who want to freeze Gwinnett in time the day they buy their home.
I would like to invite Doug Stacks to come on the Gwinnett Buzz to outline his positions to the residents of District 3. Mike Beaudreau will likely win reelection, however, he should not be able to just "walk into the endzone." He should receive enough of a challenge so that he must defend his votes of the past four years. Mr. Stacks, you are the only hope District 3 has in 2008 of regaining our private property rights and our business-friendly environment. Don't forfeit the game to Team Beaudreau.
This evening I googled Mr. Stacks and this is basically what I found. He is currently the planning manager for the City of Lilburn and has held this position since March. But wait - what's this? Very interesting. Mr. Stacks represented Crown Point Property in the Strawberry Fields rezoning fight near Loganville last fall. I find this very exciting! No, no, no! Not because I think a developer should always get his or her way. I have stated on many occasions I believe in the concept of material impact, and that necessarily implies that a developer will likely not have all their proposals approved. Rather, what I find exciting is that Stacks may not come to the commission with a default bias against developers that Beaudreau's "community friendly" or "homeowner friendly" growth position implies. I am encouraged becasue during the Strawberry Fields debate, Stacks reportedly characterized development as "progress." Could Stacks be a commissioner that will be more receptive to the reality that developers are a legitimate members of the Gwinnett community who bring a lot of value and amenities to our county?
I could not agree more that development brings progress, because the benefits that development has brought Gwinnett residents have been significant to the continued improvement in quality of life in Gwinnett. If not for development, we would still be shopping from cramped 30-year old Kroger stores, waiting to buy gas at the few two-pump island stations that were allowed to be built, feeling frustrated at the paucity of housing options due to lack of new, modern construction, and having a single, aging regional mall from which to shop. Yes, whether we want to admit it or not, we all enjoy the benefits of development in Gwinnett County and it is time that we had a commissioner that represents all members of the Gwinnett community, not just a subset of homeowners who want to freeze Gwinnett in time the day they buy their home.
I would like to invite Doug Stacks to come on the Gwinnett Buzz to outline his positions to the residents of District 3. Mike Beaudreau will likely win reelection, however, he should not be able to just "walk into the endzone." He should receive enough of a challenge so that he must defend his votes of the past four years. Mr. Stacks, you are the only hope District 3 has in 2008 of regaining our private property rights and our business-friendly environment. Don't forfeit the game to Team Beaudreau.
Reader Comments