So who wants to run for chairman?

The schedule for a special election for Gwinnett Commission Chairman to replace recently resigned Charles Bannister has been set:

On Nov. 15, a Probate Court judge will officially call for the special election.

On Nov. 16, the County Commission plans to set a qualifying fee for candidates.

Candidates can qualify for the office beginning at 9 a.m. Dec. 6 and ending at noon Dec. 8.

The deadline for voter registration for the special election will be Feb. 14. Absentee voting also will begin on Valentine’s Day.

Advanced voting for the special election will be March 7-11 at the county elections office, 455 Grayson Highway, Suite 200, in Lawrenceville. The office will have extended hours, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The special election will be March 15. If needed, a runoff election will be held April 12.

The AJC article goes on to speculate who might run for the office.  Those mentioned (along with my comments) are:

Former Gwinnett Commissioner Lorraine Green: This makes me think of Roy Barnes.  We said no to her in 2008, but she may not have gotten the message.  Even with all I know about Charles Bannister now along with the other commissioners that have done such a lousy job, I would still pick any one of them over Lorraine Green.

Republican Party Chairman Bruce LeVell: The Buzz endorsed LeVell when we ran in the 2008 primary against Shirley Lasseter in District 1.  This would be a great choice for Gwinnett assuming his positions remain the same as they were two years ago.

2008 Democrat Commission Chairman candidate Vincent Passariello: Gwinnett has grown more and more Demorat in recent years, but I do not think we are quite to the point where a Democrat has a strong chance of winning a county-wide seat.  Of course, Lorraine Green nearly beat Bannister in 2008 and I don't really see much difference between her and a Democrat.

Gwinnett Village CID head Chuck Warbington: I honestly do not know much about Warbington.  He is a graduate of Dacula High School and he played for the 1990 Georgia Tech National Championship football team.  While I think having a national championship ring as a Yellow Jacket is a great part of his bio, that alone is not enough to gain the endorsement even from a website with "Buzz" in its name.

Other names mentioned include Dacula mayor Jimmy Wilbanks and Suwanee mayor Dave Williams.

I am still surprised not to see Mike Beaudreau listed as a possibility.  I have not seen any articles or tweets saying he has decided against running.  Until that happens, I have to believe he is a strong possibility to throw his hat into the ring.

The Gwinnett Commission has completely ignored you!

EDIT (2 March 10): I stated below that the audience could not address the commission during the meeting.  I am watching the meeting right now and the audience does have the opportunity to address the board.  The first two speakers are grilling the commissioners - way to go!

Just when you thought it was safe to take your garbage to the curb, there stands the Gwinnett County Commission waiting at the end of your driveway to "help" you take out your garbage.  That's right - socialized garbage is back. Tomorrow, the board will consider a new version of the ordinance that looks almost identical to the old version.  What does that tell us?  The Gwinnett County Commission did not listen to a word that was said to them - loudly and clearly - at the various meetings and hearings in the last 15 months.  They have effectively brushed you aside and will do exactly what they intended to do all along - micromanage your life!

The most substantial difference between the previous ordinance and the current iteration is of little real importance to the average citizen: Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful will not be administering the program.  Whew!  That makes me feel so much better knowing that someone else will deny my economic freedom and tell me I am not capable of handing my own affairs.  At the end of the day, the county will still mandate that you must have garbage service.  The county will still tell you what company you must have as your garbage hauler.  They will still bill you for the service as part of your tax bill.  The only substantive item that appears to be different is that recycling is not mandatory.  Exactly how is this different than the socialistic program the board attempted to foist upon us last year?  In a nutshell- IT'S NOT!

Our commissioners are thumbing their noses at us.  They are saying we listened and we ignored virtually everything you told us.  Why?  Because we are politcians and we know how to live your life better than you do!  And these are supposed to be five REPUBLICANS, one of whom may want to go to Washington as a Congressman!

Unfortunately, this will ordinance will pass because this commission is not accountable to you.  Two members of the board, District 2 Commissioner Bert Nasuti and District 4 Commissioner Kevin Kenerly, are not running for reelection.  They can vote for the ordinance and not have to worry about facing the music from the voters.  That means there only needs to be one other vote to pass socialized garbage.  If Commission Chairman Charles Bannister has already decided not to seek a third term in 2012, he would be just as unaccountable as Nasuti and Kenerly.  I suspect he will not run again, but only he knows for sure.  The other likely source for the third vote is Mike Beaudreau.  Whether he runs for Congress or not, Beaudreau will likely run for a higher office in 2012 given that his interest in Congressman John Linder's congressional seat confirms my suspicions that Beaudreau is aiming politically higher than the county commission.  Granted, running for any office from within Gwinnett would force him to face voters in some way should he vote for socialized garbage. However, if his next race is for a different office, that would provide some insulation from voter angst over socialized garbage.  That leaves Shirley Lasseter who likely will run for relection in 2012.  With a third vote coming from Bannister or Beaudreau, Lasseter would be afforded political cover by being able to vote against the ordinance knowing that it will still pass.  (To be fair to Lasseter, the original socialized garbage ordinance was passed before she joined the Commission.  Thus, she may truly be opposed to the measure.)

The board will vote on this unAmerican ordinance tomorrow.  Conveniently, these sessions do not allow the public to address the commission, so you will not have the opportunity to remind the board that their support of socialized garbage is unacceptable.  Ironically, that is very appropriate given that they chose to ignore you when you did have the opportunity to speak.  Who needs Democrats when you have Republicans like this bunch?

Beaudreau is not a "commerce commissioner"

Tuesday night, the Gwinnett County Commission approved a waste transfer station on Alcovy Industrial Boulevard in Dacula.  What struck me about this decision was not whether the approval was warranted from a land use perspective.  I appreciate that waste transfer stations are difficult questions for commissioners.  In similar projects in the past, I have seen legitimate arguments for the board to vote either way.  I do not know the particulars of the Dacula project but those details and whether the case should have ultimately been approved is not why I felt compelled to comment.  I must question part of the rationale Commissioner Mike Beaudreau offered in his opposition to the project.

"I'm firmly against this proposal," Beaudreau said. "With roughly 14 transfer stations already in Gwinnett County, we're really getting into the speculative business here and approving something speculative in nature."

To imply that the commission should base its decision on whether a proposed business venture is "speculative" suggests a view of government as marketplace arbiter.  This is not the role of the Gwinnett County government.  Whether the approved transfer station is speculative, whether there is too much or too little competition in Gwinnett's waste transfer marketplace, these are business questions.  Such questions are best answered by the free market, not Mike Beaudreau.  The question before the Gwinnett Board of Commissioners should be only be considered from a land use angle.

As I have discussed numerous time on the Buzz, our elected officials should limit the considerations for their decisions to whether a project has a material impact on other nearby land owners.  Unforunately, MIke Beaudreau seems to view the role of government as larger than it should be.  While there is little the residents of District 3 can do at this point, Beaudreau's sympathy to government interference in the free market should be noted should he run either for reelection or for higher office in the future.  This type of big-government advocacy from Republicans is what has caused seriously weakened the national party, thus opening the door for the hard-left, socialistic policies of the Democrats that are being being slickly packaged for a naive American public.  Demanding limited government from elected Republicans is not just a national issue, but something that must start at home with local officials.

287(g) to receive greater scrutiny - why?

The federal 287(g) program that empowers local law enforcement to assist in the identification and deportation of illegal immigrants will soon be the subject of greater federal scrutiny.  The questionm however, is why?  According to the article, Cobb County's program is doing exactly what it should be doing - helping to deport those who have come to the United States illegally.

A recent Government Accountability Office report questioned its effectiveness. GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, reported that authorities failed to determine how many of the thousands of people deported under the program were the kind of violent felons it was devised to root out.

...

As a result, some law enforcement agencies focused on people arrested for relatively minor crimes, the GAO said.

So let me get this straight.  We should only deport those who commit major crimes?  Should we simply ignore the fact that being in the country illegally is a crime in and of itself?  By this line of thinking, perhaps the feds would prefer that a police officer simply let someone go because they only had a small amount of cocaine rather than enough to traffic?

Now the feds are going to step in and assist local law enforcement in administering the program.

To address the GAO’s concerns, ICE officials say the new agreements will specify who should be arrested, how the arrests should be made, how data are to be collected, and how ICE will supervise the program.

Am I the only one who is astounded that the Obama administration is effectively turning a blind eye to all but a portion of the illegal immigration problem?  Frankly, by effectively saying "We won't deport you so long as you keep your crimes minor" does not surprise me from a party that has largely taken a position of coddling illegal immigrants.  Any more of you now suffering buyer's remorse over your Obama vote?

Democrats use unfortunate situation for political points

Last week I blogged about the plight of Eric Tabora and his family.  As I wrote then, the Taboras' situation highlights the need for a change in our immigration laws.  Apparently, some Democrats feel the same but, as is often the case with the left, their solution is the exact opposite of what should be done.  Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) swooped into Georgia to capitalize on the situation, telling a large crowd gathered at a large rally in Norcross:

“Our patience is waning,” Gutierrez told the crowd. “It is time to end the deportation and the separation of families.”

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) didn't have to travel as far to leverage the Tabora situation for political points.  Lewis expressed similar feelings in remarks:

“It’s time for us all to get in trouble,” he told the crowd. “What our government is doing is not right, it is not fair, not just and it must be brought to an end. I will do all that I can to help.”

Here we have two Democrats who would further risk our American identity and culture with increased illegal immigration all in the name of political gain for their party.  (If you doubt that a significant number of those present vote for Democrats, consider the co-opted Obama chants.)  Without a doubt, immigration reform is needed but the answer is not to take actions that would almost certainly promote a flood of illegal immigration.  If the federal government allows "anchor babies" to serve as an automatic free pass for U.S. residency, a fence 100-feet high won't hold back the human tide rushing to the U.S. to give birth to children.

A far better approach is as I suggested last week: eliminate U.S. citizenship for children of parents here illegally, strengthen immigration enforcement, and enhance opportunities for legal immigration to ensure access to the American dream for people throughout the world.  This is a sensible approach and encourages the kind of immigration that enriches America as opposes to risking its cultural identity.

Of course, how often do we see the Democrat Party being reasonable and seeking to embrace aspects of America's heritage when they can do the opposite and garner political gains?

Playing catchup on Gwinnett news

Fortunately, my day job has returned to normal, so I hope to get caught up here at the Buzz in the coming days.  And this just after I had finally gotten caught up and cleared a backlog of stories!

In the interest of not falling behind on current events, here is a summary of Gwinnett from the last week and a half with some light commentary.  I have saved the bigger matters for separate posts I hope to have up by the weekend.

Another garbage meeting, same ole topics

Frankly, there is little to say here.  The top issues at the meeting held on Thursday, February 5 were hauler choice - makes perfect sense to me - and truck traffic - I still don't get this one.  The next meeting is tomorrow night, Thursday, February 12 at the George Pierce Community Center in Suwanee.  According to Gwinnett Views, the meeting starts at 6:30.

Gwinnett cities negotiate property tax level with county

Gwinnett cities are negotiating with the county on the level of county property tax their residents have to pay.  At issue is paying full the county tax rate even when some county services are duplicated by municipalities.  Police protection is specifically mentioned.  I think Commission Chairman Charles Bannister makes a valid point in saying, “Even where cities have a police force, you will find the county involved in varying levels with accident investigations, crime scene work, SWAT, the radio system or animal welfare.”  Even if cities agreed that county police would not conduct any law enforcement activities within their city limits, can you imagine the outcry the first time something of major significance happened and the county police did not respond?  Besides, who is going to actually deal with real crime with city police departments occupied with running their speed traps?  I could see a "discount" on county taxes for duplicated services that only occasionally call on similar services from the county but not complete elimination of this portion of the property tax.

Here is a better idea.  Why do we have so many municipalities?  These cities are quite obviously duplicating many services that the county already provides.  This places a greater burden on individuals and companies doing business in Gwinnett because they have to negotiate varying rules, processes and procedures between the various jurisdictions.  Also, look at the shenanigans going on with the Snellville City Council.  Why exactly does a few miles of GA 124 and US 78 need its own government, especially when half of their elected officials behave less maturely than members of the South Gwinnett High School student government?  If you ask me, rather than creating new cities in the state, the Georgia State Legislature should be setting minimum population requirements for municipalities in order to eliminate excessive, inefficient and unnecessary layers of government.

More than 900 Gwinnett inmates to be deported

Federal immigration officials flagged for deportation 915 foreign-born inmates at the Gwinnett County jail during a 26-day surge that ended on Thursday.

Of the inmates identified as being in the country illegally, 489 had a previous criminal history, said Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway.

This is the result of the targeted enforcement effort by the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  I am very supportive of Sheriff Conway's effort to get Gwinnett included in the 287(g) immigration enforcement program.  However, not everyone sees things in the same light.

Rev. Tracy Blagec, a spokesperson for Atlantans Building Leadership for Empowerment (ABLE), said she suspects many of the undocumented aliens in the Gwinnett jail committed only traffic violations.

“This is local enforcement trying to enforce something that should be corrected at the national level,” Blagec said.

Those who oppose enhanced immigration enforcement continue to use flimsy excuses for their opposition.  An examination of the list of offenses of those to be deported shows less than 300 of the approximately 900 deportees who stand accused of not having a driver's license, violation of a city or county ordinance, or other traffic violations.  That means that over two-thirds were jailed for more serious crimes.  (You could argue that not having a driver's license is potentially serious because these drivers likely do not have insurance and, in the event of an accident, would be more likely to flee.  Someone involved in an accident with these individuals would likely get stuck with the repair bill.)  Even if we ignored the fact that all of these individuals are here in the U.S. illegally, those who committed more serious violations should forfeit any claim to the benefits of living in America.  If you come to America but will not respect our laws, why should you be allowed to stay?

As for the local enforcement of immigration, Rev. Blagec has a point.  However, with the prospect of immigration enforcement being dealt with in an effective manner by the Obama administration, that leaves no one other than states or local governments to deal with a problem that is placing a large burden on their infrastructure.

Gwinnett agencies to get federal aid

This type of federal aid is hard to oppose.  I have long said that government has a role to help people temporarily when they are in dire straits and cannot help themselves.  Certainly, in the current economic climate, there are many people in this situation.  This type of aid is reasonable and humanitarian and is a far cry from so much of the Democrats' "porkulus" package which is little more than an effort to enlarge the federal government and make Americans increasingly dependent on government.  When they become more dependent on government for their ongoing, non-temporary needs, they become more dependent on the liberal politicians who provide it.

Commission backs Springbrook golf course loan application

The County Commision voted 4-1 to back a loan application by the operators of the Springbrook golf course.  The dissenting vote was by Mike Beaudreau.  I can see arguments on both sides of this one.  I can see how supporting this $250,000 loan keeps alive the possibility that the Springbrook Golf Commission will eventually be able to pay back the entire $3.3 million dollars still owed to Gwinnett County as well as possibly avoiding county liability for an additional $1.7 million.  However, I wonder if this is not throwing good money after bad, especially for a non-critical recreational entity in a weak economy that has already shown an inability to pay its debts.

Commission approves Norcross waste transfer station

In a bit of a surprising move, the Gwinnett County Commission approved a waste transfer station in Norcross next door to a Catholic church.  I have to admit, I have never known for sure where I stand on this one and I would have a hard time criticizing a vote in either direction.  Hopefully, the restrictions on the project will ensure that the property rights of the church are not violated.  Unfortunately, by the time that becomes apparent, it may be too late.  It sounds like we have not heard the last of this one.

Balfour considers change in Snellville city council

State Sen. Don Balfour (R-Snellville) is contemplating a change to the structure of the Snellville City Council.  Because the council has an even number of votes, deadlocked votes are common.  Such a move makes sense so that issues can come to a resolution one way or the other.  Snellville Mayor Jerry Oberholtzer, however, makes a valid counterpoint: this type of change should be intiated by the council itself.  If the city and residents are not asking for the problem to be fixed, then is this really something on which Sen. Balfour should make the first move?  This of course assumes that there is even a problem.  Mayor Pro Tem Warren Auld may have put it best:

Auld said beyond the three options pitched by Balfour, there’s a fourth: leaving it the way it is. “In some cases, having gridlock means limiting government action, which sometimes can be a good thing for our citizens.”

Often, government wants to insert itself where it does not belong and a divided government body gridlocked can be an effective antidote to this urge.  (With the Democrats in solid control in Washington, how much I long for a good case of gridlock for the next four or, perish the thought, eight years!)

I think Sen. Balfour's idea to hold a town hall to discuss the matter is the best balance of the various viewpoints.  If there is a town hall, I hope that organizers will avoid seeding justifications for a change like the County Commission did with socialized garbage and simply let residents speak express their own views.  From this, the state legislature will have more standing to address Snellville's city council logjams.

Oh, and if the legislature eventually decides to act and decides to reduce the size of the council by one, let me be the first to nominate Councilwoman Kelly Kautz to be the member that is shown the door.  After her performance throghout the crematory controversy, she has earned that honor!

Reminder - Vote for Saxby!

Fellow Gwinnetians, today is a critical day not just for Gwinnett and Georgia, but for our nation.  As you are most likely fully aware after a month of your mailbox and voicemail being bombarded with mailers and robocalls, today is the U.S. Senate runoff between our Sen. Saxby Chambliss and Democrat Jim Martin.  With the outcome of the Minnesota Senate race still undetermined, Saxby could be the last barrier to the Democrats getting a fillibuster-proof Senate, i.e. a blank check in Congress.  Even if you have issues with some of Saxby's particular votes (e.g., he has taken heat over the Wall Street bailout, a package which I feel was justified in some form), I urge you to look at the bigger picture and at the realities of party politics.  America needs Saxby in office to allow the Republicans some countermeasure against ultra-liberal, big government legislation that Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will surely introduce in Congress.  Coupled with a President-elect who has a very liberal history, the need for the ability to slowdown the Democrats should be evident to the common-sense conservatives who make up the majority of Georgians.

Today, Georgia has an enormous opportunity to help America and those that support our heritage of limited government and liberty.  Gwinnett County plays a big part of that as a key conservative voting area.  Gwinnettians can help deliver the runoff for Saxby by turning out in huge numbers at the polls today.  So, Gwinnett, don't let Georgia and America down - vote for Saxby!

Sobering realization for Gwinnett: Democrats are more formidable

While the GOP swept all county government races yesterday, I must wonder if this is the last election we will see such a result?  Yesterday showed that the Democrats are gaining power in Gwinnett.  Are the days where Gwinnett races are over at the end of the Republican primary coming to a close?  How much of this Democrat strength was due to the very long coattails of Barack Obama and how much of it was from a shifting demographic empowering Gwinnett Democrats?  I agree with Gwinnett GOP chairman Gregory Howard that this is a wake-up call for Gwinnett Republicans.  All of us in Gwinnett must get active, involved and aware of our local government.  This is important to protect our property rights as the County Commission decides various issues, but it is even more important in strengthening the party to fight the battles that are likely coming down the road.  As I discussed in my general election endorsement of Mike Beaudreau, we may have issues with the GOP primary winners, but at the end of the day I trust that Charles Bannister, Shirley Lasseter, Bert Nasuti, Mike Beaudreau, and Kevin Kenerly will make more "right" decisions than a Democrat in their seats.

I plan to promote conservative ideals for Gwinnett County in this blog.  However, I would like to do more and would hope my readers would as well.  I know this blog is read by active members of the Gwinnett GOP and I would ask that you respond to this post with suggestions for what myself and others can do as we head into possibly tougher races in 2010.  Whether you approve of his record or not, Barack Obama showed what can happen if people pull together.  We are at the stage in the history of Gwinnett County where we need to pull together and work hard to ensure that Gwinnett remains great and remains a county we want to call home.  If we do not, we may suffer the consequences of Democrat chairman Mike Berlon's hopes for our county:

If the Democratic party can improve its methods of fundraising, Berlon said, Gwinnett can look forward to a more balanced local government.

Morning update on Gwinnett results

As far as outcomes, there is no change in the result of the Gwinnett races this morning.  However, the near final tally in the District 5 school board race between Republican Louise Radloff and Democrat challenger Ravindra Kumar has the margin down to less than 600 votes.  Depending on the status of absentee and early voting ballot counts, this one might not be over and Gwinnett may face the reality that a Democrat has managed to get a toehold in local government.

On the state level, it now appears that Saxby Chambliss will be forced into a runoff for the U.S. Senate.  If so, turnout will be key in the December 2 runoff.  Democrats across the state are energized with the Obama victory so Republicans cannot stay at home and allow Democrat Jim Martin to come from behind and take away the Georgia Senate seat from the GOP.  Gwinnett as a base of conservative Republican votes must turn out big for Saxby.