SOMEONE GOT UP EARLY to catch the morning sunrays reflected on the walls of Georgia Gwinnett College’s Building B, where many key offices are located. Note that it is so early in the day that only one person is shown in the photograph, and that is unusual, for the campus is usually heavily crowded with students at all times of day. Three cheers for a beautiful photograph! Rah! Rah! Rah!
IN THIS EDITIONTODAY’S FOCUS: Year-Long Bicentennial of Gwinnett To Close Saturday Night
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Early Democratic Euphoria Evaporates Looking at Runoff Results
ANOTHER VIEW: Three Reasons on How Local Officials Should Make Decisions
FEEDBACK: Let Not the Baton Be Dropped When Remembering George H.W. Bush
SPOTLIGHT: Walton Gas
UPCOMING: Charlotte Nash To Be Speaker at Georgia Gwinnett Graduation
NOTABLE: GGC’s Annual Impact on Gwinnett Totals $464 Million
RECOMMENDED: The Soul of America by Jon Meacham
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Savannah Artist Gains Fame; Part of Collection at Frick in New York
MYSTERY PHOTO: Animal Casting May Give You a Clue on Mystery Photo
CALENDAR: Check out coming happenings
TODAY’S FOCUSYear-long Bicentennial of Gwinnett to close Saturday night
By Heather Sawyer
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. | Make plans now to celebrate Gwinnett County’s 200th birthday on Saturday, December 15. The yearlong Bicentennial celebration concludes with a family-friendly party and an evening gala at the Infinite Energy Center.
The festivities will kick off with the Family Cultural Birthday Party from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hudgens Center for Art and Learning and the Infinite Energy Theater at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway. The free event features different rooms representing different continents for all to enjoy and free cupcakes while supplies last (one per visitor).
Youngsters can create crafts from the continents and get their bicentennial passport stamped, and guests will see cultural performances from across the globe. They can also leave their mark by participating in a photo mosaic and a kids’ art project. Other activities include storytelling and meet-and-greets with characters from around the globe and throughout history.
Visitors can also learn about the history of Gwinnett by viewing documentaries shown throughout the day and exploring the Gwinnett history exhibit. They can take in an art exhibit featuring juried works by Hudgens’ members and pieces from the personal collections of Gwinnett residents.
Outdoors, visitors will get a chance to purchase treats from food trucks representing Gwinnett’s diverse culinary scene, make s’mores over fire pits and watch an artist make an ice carving of the Bicentennial logo.
Later in the day, guests can celebrate the county’s rich history and pay tribute to its vibrant community and diverse cultures at a gala in the Infinite Energy Center ballroom. The cocktail party begins at 6 p.m. and dinner begins at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $125 per person. Cocktail attire is appropriate.
Visit www.gwinnett200birthday.com/events to buy tickets for the evening gala and to learn more about the free daytime event. To find out more about Gwinnett’s yearlong bicentennial celebration and see photos from this year’s activities, visit www.Gwinnett200.com.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Early Democratic euphoria evaporates looking at runoff results
By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher
DEC. 11, 2018 | Georgia Democrats may be encouraged by their 2018 election showing, but they should not be so upbeat about any long term prospect at winning control over the state soon.
All it takes is a look at the results in the two runoff elections.
While the Democratic candidate, John Barrow, in the general election ran only 0.42 percent behind the eventual winner, Brad Raffensperger for Secretary of State, it wasn’t nearly as close in the runoff. Raffensperger won the runoff by 3.94 percent, 754,017 to 702,547. (All the figures are from elections results on the web from the Secretary of State’s office.)
It was a similar story in the runoff race for Public Service Commissioner. Chuck Eaton, the Republican, won over Lindy Miller by 3.66 percent. In the General Election, Eaton won by a smaller margin, 2.07 percent.
Georgia Democrats surprised most people by the closeness of the outcome in the General Election. While the Republicans were favored, still the Democrat candidate for governor, Stacey Abrams, was only 1.39 percent behind the eventual winner. The final outcome was a difference of 54,773, the closest any Democrat has come in the race for governor since Roy Barnes actually won in 1999.
The candidate who came closest to winning an office in the General Election was John Barrow, up against Brad Raffensperger for Secretary of State. When the final count was over, Barrow was only 16,278 votes behind in this General Election race. (Of course, with a third party in this race, it went to a runoff, where Barrow lost by 51,470 votes.)
And which candidate got the most votes in the General Election? That would be Superintendent of Schools Republican Richard Woods, who garnered 2,048,003 votes, winning with 53.02 percent. The next closest vote for was Republican Agricultural Commissioner Gary Black, who had 2,040,097 votes. Black also had the highest percentage of victory, with 53.08 percent.
For the top spot on the ballot, Brian Kemp had 1,978,408 votes (50.22 percent), while Stacey Adams had 1,923,605, or 48.83 percent.
It’s all about who turns out. A friend reminded me prior to the runoff that the Republicans would prevail in his race, “Because Republicans turn out in runoffs better than Democrats.” I’m sure others recognized this, but it was a new thought to us. And it proved true in 2018.
That’s why it appears to us that the euphoria that the Democrats felt immediately after the election somewhat evaporates when you take into consideration the results of the runoff. For, quite simply, the Democrats did not return to the polls as well as did the Republicans. And that should alarm Democrats.
After all, Democrats had lots of vim and vigor in 2018 with Stacey Abrams shaking the bushes and garnering lots of interest and the most votes by a loser for governor ever in the race. It’s will take such a candidate at the head of the ticket generating that zest for politics for the Democrats to eventually turn Georgia back into a blue state.
Another key factor for Democrats to have a winning strategy will be to find a way to win not only in urban and suburban areas, but to win in the less populated parts of the state. Ms. Abrams might be able to call herself governor had she done only a little bit better particularly in South Georgia.
Democrats are doing amazingly well in Georgia compared to a few years ago, but still have a long way to find themselves big winners.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Three reasons on how local officials should make decisions
By Jack Bernard, contributing columnist
PEACHTREE CORNERS, Ga. | Before I moved to Fayette County, I was elected twice as a County Commissioner (elsewhere). I was also appointed to a county Board of Health twice. Since, I have pretty much kept away from politics, although I just finished a term on the Peachtree City Planning Commission. I have been a State of Georgia regulator and a corporate executive tasked with getting around government regulations. Therefore, my background is unique.
There is one key thing that I have learned. Local officials should make decisions based on three criteria:
- resident quality of life;
- impact on local budgets; and
- broader societal goals (such as diversity or equity).
It seems simple, but I have found that these criteria are often not utilized for a variety of reasons.
Instead, many elected officials (as opposed to those on voluntary boards) have substituted ideological goals as their basis for decision making. These ideological criteria include: supporting capitalism versus government regulation; extent of applicant contributions; family/social ties; ability to get electoral votes; philosophical pro-growth stances; and vague promises of job creation.
I have many stories to tell which illustrate my point but let me just give one as an example of how the corporate world functions vis a vis government.
Decades ago, I was over regional new hospital development for the second largest for-profit hospital chain in the nation. I was tasked with replacing a hospital in Memphis and getting the state and local governmental approvals necessary.
To make a long story short, zoning was a major issue. Our planners believed the best site for the hospital was near an upscale neighborhood with lots of patients covered by good insurance. Unfortunately, the mayor lived in that area. So, I retained a politically connected attorney to shepherd the political process, but indicated to him up front that I would not approve doing anything unethical.
Our initial hearing before the City Council did not go well. At this point, I was faced with two options: a. relocate to a different site or b. follow the advice of the politically connected attorney advising me on the case.
What was the advice of the attorney? He advised me to have the corporation make immediate, substantial contributions to all of the council members. Although these contributions were legal, I refused solely on ethical grounds.
Obviously, I never did get the zoning. My suspicion is that other individuals would have acted differently.
The point of this illustration is that voters need to be more aware of how and why their local officials vote. Put in the time to do the research and vote based on information, not rhetoric.
Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
IN THE SPOTLIGHTWalton Gas
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Walton Gas is a Georgia Proud hometown company that serves the natural gas needs of many Gwinnett citizens. Anyone on the Atlanta Gas Light natural gas pipes system is eligible for service – you do not have to get electricity from Walton EMC to be our customer! Be sure to visit us at many local events including Suwanee Fest, Snellville Live on the Lawn and the Snellville Fall Festival. To get Walton GAS competitively gas rate, call 770-GAS-HEAT.
- Contact Walton EMC at com, facebook.com/waltonemc or 770-267-2505.
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.
Let not the baton be dropped when remembering George H.W. Bush
Editor, the Forum:
One generation accumulates special knowledge about life by living through its context of time. As we watch the burial of our 41st president, George H.W. Bush, we have a chance to grasp one of the last chances at the baton of the great generation.
This distinguished man showed grace in his successes and failures, and sought to serve others, after coming from great wealth and from his own achievement. We should all take a long moment to let the lesson of his life burn into our hearts and minds. We should always remember his reaching out to his opponents even to become their close friends. This is a baton that should not hit the ground. That would be a tragic loss.
— Byron Gilbert, Duluth
Send us your thoughts: We encourage you to send us your letters and thoughts on issues raised in GwinnettForum. Please limit comments to 300 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: elliott@brack.net
UPCOMINGNash to be speaker at Georgia Gwinnett graduation
Keynote speaker for the Georgia Gwinnett College Commencement ceremony will be Charlotte J. Nash, chairman of the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners. The event will be Thursday, Dec. 13, at 10 a.m. at the Infinite Energy Center Area in Duluth. Nearly 500 graduates are scheduled to cross the stage during the ceremony, the third commencement ceremony for GGC this year.
Nash
By virtue of her position as commission chairman, Nash serves as a member of the Atlanta Regional Commission Board and the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District Board, which she currently chairs. She also was recently appointed by the Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives to the board of the ATL (Atlanta Transit Link), the new regional transit authority. She serves on the board of managers for ACCG, Georgia’s county government association, having led the organization as president in 2015-2016.
Before running for public office, Nash was president of a consulting firm specializing in governmental and public strategy and management. She worked for Gwinnett County Government for more than 27 years until she retired in 2004. She served as the county administrator for nine years and previously held the positions of director of Financial Services, budget director and grants manager.
The Atlanta Business Chronicle named her one of the 100 Most Influential Atlantans annually beginning in 2011. In addition, Georgia Trend has included her as one of the 100 Most Influential Georgians annually since 2013.
- For more information about commencement, visit ggc.edu/commencement.
Santa plans visit to Red Clay Music Foundry on Dec. 15
Santa Claus will make a stop in Duluth for Cookies and Cocoa with Santa and spread holiday cheer on Saturday, December 15 from 10 a.m. until noon at Red Clay Music Foundry.
Free arts and crafts will be available as well as cookies (while supplies last). Hot cocoa will be available for a fee. Letters to Santa are welcome. Professional pictures will be taken on site and later posted on the City of Duluth’s Facebook page for downloading. The pictures are free.
Main Street merchants will be open for the holiday season with festive items available for purchase. Participants are asked to arrive early as Santa will leave promptly after the event to make it back to the North Pole on time. There will be a cutoff at 11 a.m. to ensure those in line get to see Santa. Also, families will get no more than one minute to take a picture with Santa to help ensure we reach everyone in attendance. For more information about the event, visit www.duluthga.net/events.
NOTABLEGGC’s annual impact on Gwinnett totals $464 million
Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) contributed more than $464 million to the economy of Gwinnett County and the immediate area during fiscal year 2017. This represents an increase of more than $12 million from the previous year, according to a recent economic impact study commissioned by the University System of Georgia (USG).
The research, conducted by the University of Georgia’s Selig Center for Economic Growth at the Terry College of Business, attributes the impact to economic activity including 4,240 jobs created by the college, spending by the institution and spending by students who attend the institution.
GGC President Stas Preczewski says: “GGC continues to be an economic engine for our community. Including our capital outlay for construction projects, we have surpassed $3.26 billion in cumulative economic impact since GGC has been included in the USG study.”
This fall, the college will have totaled 6,400 graduates since it began granting degrees, extending the college’s impact even further.
Preczewski adds: “As employed citizens and entrepreneurs, our alumni will help drive future economic growth and contribute to community vitality for Gwinnett and the greater Atlanta area.”
The annual study is conducted on behalf of the USG’s Board of Regents by Dr. Jeffery M. Humphreys, director of the Selig Center. Its analysis includes data collected from July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017, to measure the USG’s economic impact on the state.
Peach State Credit Union partners with Scottish credit union
Peach State Federal Credit Union has partnered with Glasgow, Scotland’s National Health Service (NHS) Credit Union since 2016 as part of an initiative to unite and strengthen credit unions throughout the world. Peach State’s President/CEO, Marshall Boutwell, recently traveled to Glasgow, Scotland to help celebrate NHS’s 20th anniversary. Such partnerships offer credit unions from different countries the opportunity to cooperate on a variety of projects as well as exchange information, expertise and experiences that will benefit each credit union and their respective members. Peach State President Marshall Boutwell is shown with three officers of NHS Credit Union, Maureen Paterson, Natalie McQuade and Elaine Ray. Peach State entered into their first international partnership with a Polish credit union in 1996. The relationship has had such a positive impact on both organizations that the decision to partner with NHS was an easy one.
The Soul of America by Jon Meacham
Reviewed by John Titus, Peachtree Corners | As a subtitle for his book, Historian Jon Meacham chooses The Battle for Our Better Angels. The term was taken from Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address in which he is pleading for the preservation of the Union. Meacham takes us through numerous crises in our history from the Civil War to the struggle for civil rights in the 1960s. Along the way he points out how presidents and others appealed to hope to overcome division and fear to move the country forward. His recounting of our history I found both sobering and inspiring as ultimately our ‘better angels’ won out. In this time of division, Meacham uses his final chapter to call the reader to action by getting involved, resisting tribalism, respecting facts, deploying reason and being humble enough to recognize that no one group has a monopoly on virtue or on wisdom.
- 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. Send to: elliott@brack.net
Savannah artist gains fame; Part of collection at Frick in New York
A lifelong resident of Savannah, Emma Cheves Wilkins continued the artistic legacy established by her mother and grandmother, and honored the efforts of earlier generations. She developed a census of paintings that is now part of the Frick Art Reference Library in New York City and supported herself by painting portraits of prominent citizens, while simultaneously gaining a reputation for painting lush, impressionistic landscapes and still lifes.
Born on December 10, 1870, Wilkins was the oldest of eight children born to Emma Cheves and Gilbert A. Wilkins. Though the family was not wealthy, generations of prominent southerners on the maternal side of the family led to a wide range of useful connections. Both Emma’s mother, who gave private art lessons, and her grandmother, Charlotte McCord Cheves, were academically trained artists who specialized in painted miniatures. Wilkins was instructed at home and received additional training from Carl Brandt, the first director of the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences.
An astute and socially prominent businesswoman, Wilkins was also a self-supporting artist. From her private art school, she taught members of the next generation of Savannah artists, including Myrtle Jones, Augusta Oelschig, and Hattie Saussy.. She studied in France with Henry Caro-Delvaille, Gustave Courtois, Louis-Auguste Girardot, and Louis-Maurice Boutet de Monvel. She spent one month in Munich, Germany, an experience that influenced her color palette and use of both heavy brushwork and impasto.
Portraits of judges, politicians, doctors, bankers, military figures, and, to a lesser extent, women and children, provided a livelihood for Wilkins. She was also well known for loosely painted landscapes and still lifes, which were often exhibited and won prizes in juried shows. Wilkins noted that she had never studied landscape painting but created them purely for pleasure.
She exhibited her work in New York City and in Georgia, with the Association of Georgia Artists, the Savannah Art Club, the Southern States Art League, the Society of Washington (D.C.) Artists, and the Dogwood Festival of 1936, which was held at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.
Wilkins was an active member of the Savannah Art Club and served the Telfair Academy in several different capacities. She donated her personal collection of antique fashion plates, a painting by colonial artist Jeremiah Theus, and decorative art objects to the museum.
Wilkins compiled a list of pre-1880 portraits held in private collections in the region, which is now included in the Frick Art Reference Library. Wilkins’s personal papers are in the collection of the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah. She donated the Cheves and Wagner Family Papers, the legacy of generations from the maternal side of her family, to the Southern Historical Collection at the Wilson Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also donated a miniature painting created by her grandmother of a family member to the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, South Carolina.
Her work is found in the permanent collections of the Armstrong State University in Savannah, the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, the Telfair Museum of Art, and in numerous private collections. Wilkins died on December 18, 1956, and is buried in Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Animal casting may give you a clue on Mystery Photo
A sunny day with sidewalks in the background, what appears to be a book store, at least one more retail establishment, plus a sculpture. That’s the clues this week’s Mystery Photo gives you. Now it’s time for the identification and location of the mystery. Stir up your thoughts and send them to elliott@brack.net and include your hometown.
Roving photographer Frank Sharp caused quite a stir among those seeking to identify the Mystery Photo with his submission last week. No one, not even the “regulars,” could identify it. It was a photograph not ordinarily posted on other web sites, which sometimes helps sleuths seeking to identify each Mystery Photo.
The photo was of goats munching grass in the cemetery in Deadwood, South Dakota. Attaboy, Frank, on your mystery submission.
CALENDAR
ANNUAL CHRISTMAS TEA will be December 13 from 2 to 4 p.m. put on by the Prime Timers at George Pierce Park in Suwanee. Celebrate the yuletide season and enjoy tea, festive treats, music, and fellowship. Pre-register online or by calling 678-277-0190 by December 11 with code GPP42901. Appropriate for seniors 50 years old or older. Cost: $6 per person.
WRITERS’ WORKSHOP: Join Gwinnett Public Library, in partnership with the Atlanta Writers Club, for this workshop with author Phillippe Diederich where he will discuss the value of multi-cultural writing. Diederich is the author of Sofrito and Playing for the Devil’s Fire, which was named the 2017 Best Young Adult novel by the Texas Institute of Letters and the 2017 Young Adult Library Services Best Fiction for Young Adults. This workshop takes place on Saturday, December 15 at 1:30 pm at the Lilburn Branch, 4817 Church Street, Lilburn. It is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978-5154.
BICENTENNIAL EVENT: GWINNETT’S 200th BIRTHDAY GALA. This will be December 15 at 6 p.m. at the Infinite Energy Center, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth. Celebrate the county’s rich history and pay tribute to its vibrant community and diverse cultures at a festive gala. The cocktail party begins at 6 p.m., and dinner begins at 7 p.m. Cost: $125 per person. Cocktail attire is appropriate. To buy tickets or to learn more about the gala, visit www.gwinnett200birthday.com.
NORTH ATLANTA Metro Area Realtors (NAMAR) is holding its annual EXPO on January 17, 2019, at the Infinite Energy Center, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Nearly 150 exhibitor booths will be in attendance.
OUR TEAMGwinnettForum is provided to you at no charge every Tuesday and Friday.
Meet our team
- Editor and publisher: Elliott Brack, 770-840-1003
- Managing editor: Betsy Brack
- Roving photographer: Frank Sharp
- Contributing columnist: Jack Bernard
- Contributing columnist: Debra Houston
- Contributing columnist: George Wilson
More
- Location: We are located in Suite 225, 40 Technology Park, Peachtree Corners, Ga. 30092.
- Work with us: If you would like to serve as an underwriter, click here to learn more.
Subscriptions to GwinnettForum are free.
- Click to subscribe.
- We hope you’ll keep receiving the great news and information from GwinnettForum, but if you need to unsubscribe, go to this page and unsubscribe in the appropriate box.
© 2018, Gwinnett Forum.com. Gwinnett Forum is an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA.
Follow Us