3/17: On minority representation; Bad superintendent bill

TWENTY MEMBERS of the Philadelphia Winn Chapter, Lawrenceville, Daughters of the American Revolution, were in attendance at the 119th DAR state conference last weekend at the Stone Mountain Evergreen Conference Center. Among the members present were Regent Kitty Watters;  Past Regent and State Constitution Week Chair Lydia McGill and First Vice Regent Ann Story.  A total of 703 members representing 97 of the 110 DAR chapters were present.

TODAY’S FOCUS: More Minority Representation Needed To Reflect Gwinnett’s Diversity

EEB PERSPECTIVE: Oppose Proposed Bill To Allow Elected Local School Superintendents

SPOTLIGHT: Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District

UPCOMING: Hudgens Center Changes Name Slightly and Adopts New Logo

NOTABLE: Louise Radloff To Be Recipient of Salvation Army’s “Other” Award

RECOMMENDED: Mistress by Danielle Steel

GEORGIA TIDBIT: Tales Galore Surround Georgia’s Coastal Blackbeard Island

TODAY’S QUOTE: Remembering The Irish Bishop That the Island Loves

MYSTERY PHOTO: Simple Statue Awaits Your Identification and Location

CALENDAR: Methodist Campground Is Subject at Gwinnett Historical Society on March 20

More minority representation needed to reflect Gwinnett’s diversity

By Jeff Ploussard, Lilburn, Ga.  |  The population of Gwinnett is one of the fastest growing in the nation. In addition, according to the Lawyers’ Committee, Gwinnett is “the most racially diverse county in the Southeastern United States.” As a resident of Gwinnett since 1995, my family has benefited from the stable, fair, competitive and robust business climate in our county. According to Partnership Gwinnett, the county’s economic development arm, there’s been $240 million in investments and 3,075 new jobs announced since January 2015.

It is a shame that our political system has lagged so far behind our business community in competitiveness.  Most elections are won by the incumbent who is often unopposed.

County elected officials are also not representative of the dramatic demographic changes in Gwinnett.  In fact, a lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court last month alleging that Gwinnett politicians violated federal law by gerrymandering the election maps of County School and Commission Boards in the aftermath of the 2010 census.  Gerrymandering is the practice of political parties drawing districts to create partisan electoral outcomes.

The lawsuit claims that the current electoral maps in Gwinnett County are drawn to dilute minority rights and voting power by dividing the minority population in the four County Commission districts.  By fragmenting the minority groups across the four districts, the elected politicians have stalled the creation of a majority minority district and the day when minority voters will have a fair and competitive opportunity to elect candidates of their choice.

One can scarcely exaggerate the unfairness and lack of political representation for minority communities in Gwinnett.   Since 2010, minorities have made up more than half of the population of Gwinnett, but the county has never elected an African-American, Latino or Asian-American candidate to any county office.

Today, the five members of the Commission remain all white and Republican despite the facts that, according to Gwinnett County Public Schools, only 31 percent of county public school students are white and that the 2016 Democratic Presidential candidate won the popular vote in Gwinnett.  The resentments we hear from minority groups in Gwinnett concerning this political situation are similar to those voiced by the American colonists in the 1750s and 1760s at being taxed by a British Parliament to which they elected no representatives.

The disenfranchisement of voters in Gwinnett came to a head in August of 2016 when the aforementioned lawsuit was filed.  But the time for change is now.  According to the Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Office (Joint Office of the Georgia General Assembly), any change of districts for County School and Commission Boards must be introduced and passed by the state legislature.  Therefore, contact your Georgia State Senator or Representative, and ask him or her to introduce and support legislation to redraw the district maps of Gwinnett to bring more fairness, competition and majority minority representation to our county.

Without more fair and competitive county elections the current polarization, stalemate and dysfunction of our county government will continue and unifying efforts to make Gwinnett great again will continue to be distracted.

• Have a comment?  Send to:  elliott@brack.net

Oppose proposed bill to allow elected local school superintendents

By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher |  In a constitutional republic where new legislation is constantly being pushed by many elements, all citizens must be vigilant.

Brack

For every time you gain a victory, that doesn’t mean that the victory will last. You may have to go all-out to insure that the victory remains in place, since there are usually major opponents to almost every bit of legislation.

We are thinking of the hard-earned victory in 2010 requiring that all Georgia counties have local school superintendants appointed by the school board, and that the office of superintendent not be an elective office.

But now comes a proposal in the 2017 General Assembly to allow counties to choose if they want an elected or appointed school superintendant.

That measure is a bad one, and should never see the light of day. But it has already passed the Senate, and could become law in Georgia.

The present law requiring appointment of local school superintendents is a good one. It leaves the selection of the new superintendent to the local elected school board. It also virtually insures that the person chosen as superintendant will be a professional school administrator, and not a popular local citizen who only has to gain votes to serve.

Under the manner prior to 2010 for selecting superintendents, often you had an elected superintendant, and an elected board. That meant there was constant tension as to who, the board or the superintendent, was really in charge.  It was not professional, and it certainly was not efficient. It did not lead to better education for the students.

Not only that, but with an elected superintendent, that person could almost insure that he/she remained in office, by simply not allowing qualified potential opponents to have a job within the school system. Since there was a qualification that anyone running for the office had to reside in the county, the elected superintendent was almost automatically re-elected each term.

The current proposed legislation would provide for two arrangements of electing members of local boards of education and local school superintendents. One arrangement would be for voters to elect members of local boards of education, and the boards of education to appoint a school superintendent. The second arrangement would be for voters to elect a local school superintendent, and members of local boards of education to be elected by grand juries.

We have no problem with the first choice. Yet the second choice, electing a superintendent, and school board members chosen by a grand jury, still would put the superintendent and the school board at odds. The jury-appointed board would virtually have no power, for even if it voted to change different aspects of school policy, the superintendent could pay no attention to the board, since they did not put him in office.  It would mean more tension, and less good government, and certainly not an improved school district.

The school board appointing a superintendent is no panacea that everything will be hunky-dory. But compared with other systems, it’s the better choice.

We pray this bill concerning elected superintendents fails miserably. It’s not a choice in the best interest of the State of Georgia, its citizens, and certainly, not in the interests of the students.

It’s a new bit of legislation Georgians don’t need. Be vigilant. Oppose it.

• Have a comment?  Send to:  elliott@brack.net

Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. The Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District was formed in 2006, and is a self taxing revitalization district that includes just over 800 commercial property owners with a property value of over $1 billion dollars. Gwinnett Village CID includes the southwestern part of Gwinnett County including properties along Jimmy Carter Boulevard, Buford Highway, Indian Trail, Beaver Ruin, and Singleton Road. Gwinnett Village is one of four CIDs to be created in Gwinnett County and is the largest of all CIDs in the state. Gwinnett Village’s mission is to improve property values through increased security, a decrease in traffic congestion, and general improvements to the curb appeal of the area. For more information visit www.gwinnettvillage.com or call 770-449-6542. For a list of other sponsors of this forum, go to: https://www.gwinnettforum.com/about/sponsors.htm.

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Hudgens Center changes name slightly and adopts new logo

The Jacqueline Casey Hudgens Center for the Arts is announcing its new name and logo.

After extensive research, the board voted to rename the 36-year-old institution, to be known as the Jacqueline Casey Hudgens Center for Art and Learning.  The board anticipates that this neighborhood “secret” will become a hub for imagination and creative discovery. This rebranding, design and digital overhaul came through working in a pro-bono relationship with the Gwinnett County marketing agency, Mighty 8th Media.

Infinite Energy Center General Manager Joey Dennis says: “With the expansion and new development at Infinite Energy Center, we feel the Hudgens Center will provide an artistic experience for new guests and visitors. It is a unique opportunity for individuals to discover incredible art exhibits as well as the opportunity to escape into the world of creativity while spending time on the property for an event or meeting.”

The Hudgens Center for Art and Learning also bears a new logo that reflects its new image. Duluth Mayor Nancy Harris, Hudgens Board Chair, states, “The Hudgens Board appreciates the work and energy that the Mighty 8th team has contributed to our new website and updated image.”

One pillar of the Center’s new marketing message is “I (Heart) Art” — treated as a powerful story that spans all generations, this statement supported a full rework of the Hudgens website.

An inaugural “I Heart Art” celebration will be Saturday April 1, 2017. Everyone is invited! Just visit the Center between 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. to enjoy food, music and lots of art.

Local commuters get new tool for trip planning online

Gwinnett commuters have a new trip planning tool thanks to a partnership between Gwinnett County Transit and Google Transit. This online tool makes trip planning easier and more efficient.

The Google Transit app allows Gwinnett County Transit schedule data to be accessed via Google Maps, providing riders with step-by-step trip planning from their desktop computers or smartphones. By inputting their starting and ending points, Google will provide transit options available near those locations. Commuters also can access customized route data with multiple travel options.

Karen Winger, director of the Gwinnett County Transit Division, says: “This is really helpful for a transit rider who is perhaps going to a new destination. You can input your typical starting point and your new destination and the system will identify what route and what mode of transit is available.”

Don’t even try to trick the system. “It’s clever enough to know which starting and ending points aren’t anywhere near a transit system,” Winger said.

The user can generate the route information from most smart phones. If personal computer is being used, the trip planning tool provides the option to send the route data to a smart phone as well. Additionally, this application supports 12 languages, which makes it more user-friendly in a multicultural county like Gwinnett.

To access this tool, type Google Transit into a search engine. Choose Transit – Google Maps. A new screen appears and the user then types in the starting and ending points and hits enter. It’s that simple.

28^th annual Spring Into Art Lilburn youth exhibit coming March 19

The Lilburn Woman’s Club Arts Program is hosting its 28th annual Spring into Art youth art competition and exhibit on March 19th from 1 until 3 p.m. in the Community Room of the Lilburn City Hall/County Library building located on Main Street, Lilburn.  Three members of the Lilburn Arts Alliance will serve as the judges for this fun community event.

Youth Art Month, administered by the Council for Art Education, Inc., is observed annually each March and it highlights the importance of youth art education and encourages public support. The Grand Prize winner receives $50 cash plus their creation will be professionally framed for posterity.

This event is free and open to the public and we welcome all art aficionados to join us for a fun family event and support our budding local artists!

Duluth plans panel on women’s careers for students on March 21

Join Gwinnett County Public Library’s Duluth Branch for “Game Changers: Women’s Career Panel” on March 21 from 5:30 to 7:30 p. m. for students. The program will be at the Duluth Branch Library, 3480 Park Lane in Duluth.

This event provides students in Grades 6 to 12 an opportunity to meet with accomplished women to gain valuable insight and advice on various career paths. Panelists will share their experiences and stories of pursuing careers in government, information technology, medical fields and more.

Panelists will include: Duluth Mayor Nancy Harris; Kaneshia Robinson – assistant principal at Duluth Middle School; Dr. Ingrid Reyes,  Obstetrician, Gynecologist and co-founder of (her practice) Modern Ob/Gyn; Christine Dachraoui, wellness coach; Investigators Amber Snavely and Investigator Lea Elam, Duluth Police Department; and Margaret Penn, Gwinnett County Public Library.

Week of March 19-25, find your Burger + Brew for $7

The week of March 19-25 is to be Burgers + Brews Week, a county-wide celebration of burgers and beer pairings available for one week only. Diners have the opportunity to visit any of the 12 participating restaurants to enjoy a $7 burger (tax and beer, gratuity not included) paired with a beer chosen by the chef. Explore Gwinnett is sponsoring the program.

This is the first year of the program. No reservations needed. Just visit the participating restaurants. They include:

• 1910 Public House (Lilburn),“I Do Declare” Burger;
• Ba Bellies (Peachtree Corners), Ba Bellies KBl;
• Local Republic (Lawrenceville), The El Chapo;
• McCray’s Tavern on the Square (Lawrenceville), Sweet Heat Cravin’ Burger;
• Parma Tavern (Buford), 7 Poppin’ Bottles Burger;
• Rico’s World Kitchen (Buford), All-American Burger;
• Pub Ten (Peachtree Corners), The California Burger;
• Sugar Hill Bakery and Café (Sugar Hill), Woodstock Burger;
• Tannery Row Ale House (Buford), Smokehouse Burger;
• Three Blind Mice (Lilburn), The Pretzel Burger;
• Ten Bistro (Peachtree Corners), 50/50 Burger; and
• Universal Joint (Lawrenceville), Anniversary Burger.

Radloff to be recipient of Salvation Army’s “Other” award

The Gwinnett Salvation Army has selected longtime School Board member Louise Radloff as the recipient of the Army’s “Other” award for 2017. This is the highest volunteer designation that the Army awards.

Radloff

The award will be presented at The Salvation Army of  Gwinnett County’s “Doing the Most Good” luncheon at the Infinite Energy Center on Friday, May 12, at noon.  The keynote speaker is ESPN analyst and former professional and University of Georgia football player, David Pollack.

Mrs. Radloff has been a committed supporter of the programs and services of The Salvation Army throughout Gwinnett County, as she gives her gifts of time, talent and treasure.

Proceeds from the luncheon will be used throughout Gwinnett County to provide shelter to the homeless, food for the hungry, hope to disadvantaged children, and compassion to all. To purchase tickets for the luncheon, visit http://salvationarmyatlanta.org/gwinnett-county-doing-the-most-good-luncheon/

Hendrix named AII sports information director … too

Jason Hendrix, Georgia Gwinnett College’s sports information director since February 2016, is the new sports information director for the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) of Kansas City. However, this is an additional duty for AII, as Hendrix remains in Gwinnett as the college sports info officer.

AII Commissioner Ted Breidenthal made the announcement this week. Chief among Hendrix’s duties with the AII will be website maintenance as well as the implementation of a social media strategy, Player of the Week awards, and weekly game or match coverage. Hendrix will also be responsible for helping organize the league’s annual awards and tournaments in addition to serving as a national representative for the conference at yearly conventions.

A native of Palmetto, Ga., Hendrix will complete his sixth year in sports information and ninth year overall in collegiate athletics in fall 2017.  He came to GGC after a two-year stint as the sports information director and athletics coordinator at Thomas University in Thomasville, Ga.  Hendrix also previously served as the SID with West Virginia Tech.

Mistress by Danielle Steel

From Karen Harris, Stone Mountain  |  Natasha Leonova lives a protected life as the mistress of Russian billionaire Vladimir Stanislas. Rescued from the streets of Moscow when she was a penniless 19 year old with no family, she has never been on her own or secure and independent in her own right.  When painter Theo Luca, son of a renowned painter Lorenza Luca, sees Natasha for the first time, he is overcome with her beauty and develops an obsession that is relieved only by painting an arresting portrait of her. When Vladimir Stanislas attempts unsuccessfully to purchase a painting that is not for sale, his rage ignites a contest between the Luca family and the power Vladimir wields. Natasha’s loyalty and Theo’s obsession with Natasha are locked in a collision course with Vladimir entitlement.  This is a colorful, light story with the romance for which Danielle Steel is best known.

• An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (100 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. –eeb

Tales galore surround Georgia’s coastal Blackbeard Island

The setting for generations of pirate lore and tales of buried treasure, coastal Georgia’s Blackbeard Island has had a compelling history for at least 200 years, including a period when it was the largest federal marine quarantine station on the south Atlantic coast.

The 5,618-acre island, northeast of Sapelo Island in McIntosh County, was named for Edward Teach, best known as “Blackbeard,” a pirate who conducted raids on merchant shipping in the region in the early 18th century. It was called Blackbeard Island as early as 1760, when the island was delineated as such on a survey map compiled by William DeBrahm and Henry Yonge.

The legend that Teach buried his pirate loot on the island has persisted over the years, although no treasure has ever been found. Teach and his cohorts almost certainly frequented the area around the island. Tidewater Georgia, with its labyrinthine creeks, inlets, and secluded marsh islands, provided ideal cover for their illegal operations.

Blackbeard Island was owned by a consortium of French investors for 11 years beginning in 1789.

In 1800 the island was sold at public auction to the U.S. Navy Department as a federal timber reserve. Live oak timber from the south Atlantic coastal islands was in heavy demand in the first half of the 19th century because of its suitability for the construction of wooden naval vessels. Public documents and personal accounts describe forays by northern shipbuilders to Blackbeard and other Georgia islands in search of the heavy, durable live oak timbers used in the framing of ships’ hulls. James Keen of Philadelphia made one such visit to Blackbeard in the winter of 1817-18. Keen kept a journal of the activities of his crew on the island.

Except for occasional leasing by the federal government for cattle stocking, Blackbeard Island saw little further use until after the Civil War (1861-65).

In 1880 the U.S. Marine Hospital Service opened the South Atlantic Quarantine Station at Blackbeard Island to monitor oceangoing shipping entering the Georgia ports of Savannah, Darien, and Brunswick. The quarantine station was built in response to the yellow fever epidemic of 1876, which claimed 1,000 lives in Savannah alone. Yellow fever, typically spread by mosquitoes, was usually introduced to the American mainland by ships arriving from tropical Caribbean waters. Vessels bound for U.S. southern Atlantic ports were required to report to Blackbeard for inspection and, if necessary, disinfection.

(To be continued)

• To view the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org

Simple statue awaits your identification and location

This week’s mystery comes with an inscription on it, which we have removed. All you have to do is figure out where this statue is located, and tell us for what reason. Send in your thoughts to elliott@brack.net and be sure to include your hometown.

While George Graf of Palmyra, Va. sent us a white “surrender” flag on the Nimitz Hotel in the previous issue, he was the only person to recognize the current Mystery Photo. He correctly identified the photo in Larry Zani’s hometown of the center of Kaiserslautern Germany.  Larry writes: “It is the Emperors’ fountain in Kaiserslautern, with each sculpted item representing something to do with the history of the city. At the top are the statues of Emperor Fredric Barbarossa and King Rudolf von Hapsburg (who is facing out in the photo).”

George wrote: “It must have been taken in winter, when German cities drain their fountains. Kaiserslautern was always referred to as K-Town during my U.S. Army tours in Germany back in 1972 and again in 1991.  I’ve probably gone there 25 times, mostly on military business.  Kaiserslautern has one of the largest military presences during and after all the drawdowns and consolidation of bases during the mid-1990s and 2000s.  According to Wikipedia, approximately 45,000 NATO military personnel inhabit the city and its surrounding district and contribute approximately $1 billion annually to the local economy.”

The Foreigner, by Larry Shue, will be presented March 17 through April 2 at the Lionheart Theatre in downtown Norcross. Set in a fishing lodge in rural Georgia, a shy man who “speaks no English” learns more than he should. Runs Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 and Sunday at 2 p.m. Details: http://lionhearttheatre.org/buy-tickets/

Bridal Expo at the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage, Sunday, March 19, from 1 until 4 p.m. The Bridal Expo offers an opportunity for onsite exhibitors to share creative ideas and designs for wedding ceremonies and receptions, provide delectable food and appetizer samples, as well as offer door prizes throughout the day. Presale tickets are available online at www.gwinnettEHC.org and are $25 for the VIP Workshop (only available online prior to the Expo), $8 for adults and $6 for children ages three to 12.

(NEW) A presentation on the history of the Lawrenceville Methodist Campground will be given at the March 20 meeting of the Gwinnett Historical Society. Making the presentation will be Rachel Bronnum, Mary Long and Bruce Fowler. The meeting will be at 7 p.m. at the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse at 185 West Crogan Street in Lawrenceville.

(NEW) Chip Wade, an HGTV designer will speak on  March 25,  at 7 p.m. at the Infinite Energy Center, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth, presented by the Gwinnett Public Library. Host, designer, and executive producer of the Emmy Award winning series Elbow Room, Wade is an Atlanta native who comes from a long line of carpenters and wood craftsmen.  For more information, visit www.gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978-5154.

Exhibition Extended: World Through the Lens Photo Show of Frank Sharp at the Tucker Library, 5234 LaVista Road has been extended until April 28, 2017. The library is open on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. and on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

11th Annual Supplier Symposium for firms wanting to do business with Gwinnett County. The symposium will be April 11 starting at 8:30 a.m. at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center.  Attendees will meet buyers and contracting officers from the Purchasing Division and other metro Atlanta agencies and take advantage of networking opportunities designed to create relationships.  For more information about the event and to register, visit this site.

HANDYMAN SERVICES: Whatever your home maintenance problem is, Isaias Rodriguez can help. An experienced painter, he is dependable in installing or repairing siding, gutters, ceramic tile, plumbing, garage doors, or any other problem around your home. He’ll even fix your bike! He is originally from Mexico and has been in Georgia since 1996. He is legally allowed to work in the United States and is insured. Give him a call at his home in Norcross at 404-569-8825 or email him at rodriguez_isais@yahoo.com Visit his Facebook page at Neza construction and home repair to see some of his past work.

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