« For Commission Chairman the Buzz endorses... »

...no one.

Why?  Because none of the candidates overly excite me and not one of them jumps off the page as someone I would really like to see running the county commission.  Personally, since I have been following county politics, this is the most ho-hum slate of candidates in a commission race that I can remember.  I would hasten to add, however, that three of the four candidates are not highly objectionable either.  As I have discussed previously, all of the candidates have positives and negatives.  (See my previous thoughts on this race, here, here and here.)

Charlotte Nash: I felt Nash displayed too narrow of a perspective on the airport privatization and commercialization question when she suggested that her position on the issue would be more heavily influenced by those people living in the immediate vicinity of Briscoe Field.  Conversely, I really appreciated her answers regarding the board structure in light of recent corruption on the commission.  I was also impressed with a campaign mailer in which she pledged not to raise taxes.  She took a similar stance recently in speaking against a commission resolution passed earlier this month which essentially amounted to another property tax increase.  Finally, her opponent Larry Gause claimed she would be a "Wayne Hill clone."  Gause apparently meant this as a criticism but I take this as a major endorsement.  I have never equivocated that I strongly feel Gwinnett voters made a mistake in 2004 by choosing Charles Bannister over Wayne Hill.  This comparison of Nash to Hill is ironic given the fact that Nash was endorsed by Mike Beaudreau who I see as a near opposite of Hill.  Nonetheless, I would tend to agree with Bob Griggs that Nash is a strong choice for commission chairman, though I cannot go so far as to endorse her.

Will Costa: Costa was initially my first choice based on his position on the airport, a position which I felt was the most friendly of the four candidates to property rights.  I was very much impressed with his views of limited governent.  However, I was taken aback by his support of more and/or larger muncipal government in Gwinnett, a position that seems to contradict limited government.  I am also surprised at Costa's advocacy of light rail, apparently under government control. I have no problem with light rail as a transportation alternative.  I have a big problem with the Gwinnett County government delving further into the transporatation business.  If a private business wants to operate light rail, fantastic!  But I do not want taxpayer dollars potentially being tied up in, to use a Griggs phrase, a "government boondoogle."  That all being said, I am still intrigued by Costa.  While the positions cited above do seem to contradict his limited government views, I would love to see a voice on the commission truly commited to decreasing the size and influence of the Gwinnett County government.  Thus, Costa will get consideration as I make my final decision tomorrow.

Duane Kissel: To me, Kissel is the "invisible man" candidate in this race.  He is there, but you don't really notice him.  I agreeed with his statements on the airport but was not clear regarding his thought process in arriving at those views.  Regarding commission structure, he had an interesting idea about terms limits for commissioners but I am not sure how well thought-out this stance is and whether, as chairman, he could practically have any impact on implementing such a restriction.  I think I am pretty decided that Kissel will not receive my vote.

This brings me to the one candidate I have come to view as the villian of this campaign, the one person for whom I have great distaste as a candidate and for whom I can say with absolute certainty that I will not be voting.  In fact, he is the only candidate in the race I would strongly caution Gwinnettians about supporting.  That candidate is Larry Gause.  Initially, I had mixed feelings on Gause's stance on Briscoe Field.  However, in general, I saw him much like Kissel - there but generally invisible.  Then I started seeing smoke.  I received an email making various claims about dirty politics by Gause.  I did not publicize this release becasue I could not be certain of the claims.  But I now see Griggs as well as the BanishBannister.com website making similar arguments.  The charges I found most offensive regarded Gause's alleged dishonesty.  Griggs reported that Gause was dishonest about his employment on his campaign financial disclosures as well as his connection to unsavory political consultant Bill McKinney.  BanishBannister.com claims that Gause has displayed the Georgia Right to Life logo on a political mailer though he is not endorsed by the organization.  This apparent dishonesty really galls me because Gause has emphasized his military service.  Isn't one key part of military life honesty and integrity?  While I thank Mr. Gause for his service to our country, I find it highly offensive that someone who promotes their duty would then engage in questionable behavior even in the political arena.  While I cannot independently verify the information reported by others, for me, there is far too much smoke surrounding Larry Gause not to wonder just how much fire is there.  I am absolutely certain I will not vote for Gause and I would urge Buzz readers to tread cautiously before casting a vote for him.

While I cannot make an endorsement in this race, I can offer a short list: Charlotte Nash or Will Costa.  I think Gwinnett would be best served by replacing Charles Bannister with one of these two individuals.  I hope everyone will vote tomorrow, but I would encourage you to be informed before you visit your polling place.  Voting is an important responsibility.  Too often people are simply encouraged to vote, but being prepared to vote is not emphasized as much as the act of voting itself.  As we saw in the election of President Obama, casting an uninformed vote can have severe negative consequences, so if you are going to vote, be informed as you make your decision.  Don't just rely on my opinion above but seek out other sources of information.  When you cast your vote for your candidate of choice, do so knowing why you are choosing that person to lead our county out of the morass of recent years.