A GRANT FROM the Peach State Federal Credit Union of $50,000 will help establish an Early Learning Readiness Program at the J.M. Tull YMCA in Lawrenceville. Students from the Early Learning Readiness Program are shown with their caregivers and with Jennifer Minor, senior director for the YMCA of Metro Atlanta; Kim Nelson, group vice president for the YMCA of Metro Atlanta; and Teresa Welborn, senior vice president of business lending for Peach State Federal Credit Union. For more on the grant, see Notable below.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Brexit May Be Coming to a Head with December 12 Results
EEB PERSPECTIVE: It May Be That Loganville Has a Better Way To Elect Its Leaders
ANOTHER VIEW: Yule Sales Might Give You a Chance at Eating a Wetzel Pretzel
SPOTLIGHT: Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce
FEEDBACK: The Big Lie Makes All of Us Disbelievers and Distrusters
UPCOMING: GGC’s Enrollment Gain Again Tops Among the 26 USG Colleges
NOTABLE: Peach State FCU Pledges $50,000 for Tull YMCA Learning Center
RECOMMENDED: Movie: Midway
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Hargrett Library at UGA Hosts Georgia Writers Hall of Fame
MYSTERY PHOTO: Examine this one closely
LAGNIAPPE: Learn More About a Key Spotter of Mystery Photos: Allan Peel
CALENDAR: Grayson Clean-Up Day Is Saturday
Brexit may be coming to a head with Dec. 12 results
(Editor’s Note: this is the 10th in a series of reports from a correspondent in England concerning its difficulties in what is called the Brexit question.) –eeb
By Darryl McDonald, UK Correspondent
LONDON | Well, well, well to everyone’s amazement Prime Minister Boris Johnson pulled a white rabbit out of the hat at the last minute! A deal was agreed with the European Union (EU) on October 17, the day after my last report. His plan was to get it through Parliament before the October 31 deadline to leave the EU.
Unfortunately the main outcome of the earlier Supreme Court judgment was that if no deal was agreed by Parliament before the October 18, Boris would be forced to send a letter to the EU to extend the deadline so we did not crash out with no deal.
So the first vote by Parliament on the 18th was to enforce the judgment and Boris had to send the letter to the EU asking for an extension. What he did was send a letter asking for an extension but left it unsigned. He added a second letter saying it was his intention to get the deal agreed in Parliament by the due date and it would be a mistake to offer an extension!
The revised Deal was duly presented to the House with a limit of three days to debate it to meet the deadline of October 31. The Deal was passed by a majority of 20 votes, including some Labour defectors, but the three days to debate was heavily defeated. The Oppositions did not want to rush it through without due consideration, this meant a further delay and put an end to leaving on the deadline.
So Boris made a bold and calculated decision by withdrawing the Deal and called for a General Election, in effect saying Parliament was deliberately employing delaying tactics, therefore un-democratic!
Because we have a fixed five year term for the elected Government, it meant that there had to be a Parliamentary vote to call an Election. The first vote failed to get the required two thirds majority of the House. So Boris baited the Opposition by saying they wanted an Election to get rid of the Government and they agreed to leave the EU by invoking Article 50 to leave but appeared to have changed their minds and were now a Remain party! He won the second vote by over 300 votes because many of the Labour Party abstained to avoid their supporters coming to the same conclusion.
In the meantime the EU saw that this was coming, so they agreed to extend the deadline to January 31, 2020 to allow time for a pre-Christmas Election to take place on December 12. Boris is now hoping to get a clear majority to get the Deal through Parliament. He has based this on a lot of disappointed Labour voters in the Midlands and North, who voted to Leave, abstaining or making a protest vote.
Let’s hope he has called it right so we can get Brexit done and move on to more urgent UK issues! I will keep you posted after the December 12th result.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Loganville may have a better way to elect its leaders
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
NOV. 15, 2019 | Elections come regularly. May we suggest: is there a better way to hold elections?
The November city elections in Gwinnett may suggest another way to hold elections.
All too often, when more than two candidates vie for a position, one of them does not get a majority (50 percent plus one) of the ballots…..and the result is a runoff.
Runoffs are costly. Runoffs often do not see many voters return to the polls. One guy or gal may have led the first ballot casting, but that in no way insures that they will win in a runoff. For it all boils down as to which candidate gets the most voters to return to the polls the second time.
In many races, there is little difference in the quality or the politics of the candidates. Which ever won would be good for the government.
So why bother to have runoffs? It’s because rules required a “majority” of the voters who come to the polls to elect in most situations.
Yet how many times has the first voting seen, as an example 1,000 voters turn out in a first city race…..and the runoff find only 300 voters return to the polls? Let’s say that each candidate got 450 votes the first time (and a third candidate got 100), so a runoff is required.
But the second time, the winner might get 200 votes and the loser 100, and be declared the winner. But in reality, the winner got only 20 percent of the number of people who first voted, not 50 percent of 1,000 voters who voted the first time. In reality, the candidate won with a minority of all voters that year. Is this good government?
OK, let’s turn to Loganville. For Council in 2019, the results shows that of the total of 751 votes:
- Bill Duvall, 465 votes (62%);
- Jay Boland, 419 votes (56%);
- Linda A. Dodd, 367 (49%) votes;
- Femi Oduwold, 344 (46%) votes; and
- Misty Cox, 287 (38%) votes.
We had also reported the 2017 results for Mayor, where Rey Martinez won. However with Loganville having four year terms, there was no election for mayor this year.
Yet Loganville didn’t have to resort to an untimely and costly runoff……to get the hallowed “majority,” because of their method of bringing to office the top three in the race. So if you set up the election this way, you can override having to have a runoff.
Perhaps Loganville points to a better way. Maybe the other Gwinnett cities should consider changing their requirements and let the candidates who get the most votes wins the first time around, and avoid a costly and inefficient runoff.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Yule sales might give you a chance at eating a Wetzel Pretzel
By Debra Houston, contributing columnist
LILBURN, Ga. | One fine October day I walked through a Mall of Georgia department store, and from the overhead speakers the melody of “Silent Night” drew me into a preternatural state of panic. Is it Christmas already?
Not at all bashful, I settled into my own version of the tune: “Silent Night, Holy Night. Not yet Halloween. Yes, that’s right. Not yet Thanksgiving, not even near. I won’t fall for fake holiday cheer.”
Perhaps I’d felt better had the store included the song lyrics, which express the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Christ. Or had it played, “The Monster Mash,” for moms rifling through racks of costumes in search of that trendy zombie outfit their kids will love while trick-or-treating on Halloween.
Sorry, mall stores; I won’t fall for your pre-Halloween, pre-Thanksgiving subliminal yuletide songs. – Unless it’s Brenda Lee singing, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” I’d listen to that song on the 4th of July.
For clarity’s sake, I wasn’t there to shop but to burn calories speed walking. Apparently that wasn’t a good idea upstairs in “Home and Appliances.” If I bumped into one Christmas tree overladen with grapefruit-sized ornaments, I nearly brought down another. But out in the mall area, I figured I could burn a ton of calories darting around slow moving shoppers. My plan quickly derailed, though, when the sticky aroma of Cinnabon grabbed me by my taste buds.
Take note: A report on the radio mentioned that consumers are purchasing Christmas gifts earlier this year, and that stores have already lowered prices to Black Friday levels. If only! Seems like the Fake News Elves are at it again, busy spreading rumors when they should be hammering out toys for Santa’s run on Christmas Eve.
But if the report is right, holiday sales are at rock bottom. I’ll place a bet with you: Prices will progressively dip as they have in the past the closer we come to Christmas. If I’m wrong, I’ll buy you a Wetzel Pretzel.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s sponsor is the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. The Gwinnett Chamber is the forum for business, government, education, healthcare, arts/culture/entertainment, and philanthropic and public-service communities to come together to advance our region’s economy and enrich Gwinnett’s quality of life. The Gwinnett Chamber strengthens existing businesses, facilitates the growth of quality job opportunities and ensures success continues to live here.
- For more details, go to www.gwinnettchamber.org.
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The Big Lie makes all of us disbelievers and distrusters
Editor, the Forum:
In response to Ashley Herndon’s editorial in the most recent GwinnettForum:
This editorial was breathtaking in its impact. We seem to be living The Big Lie every day. From our drug manufacturers to our food producers; from our banking and educational institutions, to our politicians and leaders; and, more abhorrent, from those individuals and groups who would have us believe their ranting irrationality!
It is frightening; dangerous; disruptive and demoralizing! We are becoming disbelievers and distrusters… “anti-“ has become the current catch phrase, and trust is fast becoming a thing of the past. Who do we trust nowadays?
Perhaps one of the most obvious victims of The Big Lie is the media – our beloved newspapers (electronic and print), magazines, radio and TV newscasters, which segues directly into what or who shall we believe! Frightening, indeed!
— Keni Woodruff, Lithonia
- 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
GGC’s enrollment again tops of the 26 USG colleges
Georgia Gwinnett College’s (GGC) enrollment gain was the largest among the state colleges within the University System of Georgia (USG) and one of eight in the 26-institution system that showed a gain.
From its inception in 2005, GGC has seen consistent gains in enrollment. This year is no exception, according to recently released data from the University System of Georgia (USG).
The USG lists GGC’s overall fall enrollment at 12,831, a 2.6 percent increase from 2018. GGC also saw a 3.1 percent gain in full-time student enrollment. The overall enrollment increase was the largest among the state colleges within the USG and one of eight in the 26-institution system that showed a gain in 2019.
According to the USG report, one of GGC’s largest gains was the fall incoming freshman class, up 14 percent from 2018. GGC’s Vice President of Enrollment Management Services Michael Poll attributes the gains to an intentional strategy that began with high schools. “We made a concerted effort to collaborate more efficiently with our feeder schools and counselors to ascertain and meet their needs,” he explained.
Poll also said that GGC streamlined its application processes and revamped campus tours to enhance the visitor experience. Poll says: “We created a special room for visitor presentations and gave a more personalized experience to our visitors,” he said. “That personalized experience now extends on to the application process, where we are helping our applicants navigate the process.”
As recognized by U.S. News & World Report for the past six years, GGC is the most ethnically diverse Southern regional college among ranked institutions. The college’s demographics support that ranking. The Hispanic/Latino student population has the largest growth with 3,016 or 23 percent in 2019, according to self-declared student race/ethnicity data for Georgia Gwinnett College.
Gilbert wins Peachtree Corners Name-The-Trail contest
Gilbert
Peachtree Corners resident Randy Gilbert is the winner of the “Name the Trail” contest conducted by the city. His winning name is the “Corners Connector.” There were 150 entries in the contest.
Mayor Mike Mason says: “The new trail name suggests a connected community, which is just what the trail is designed to accomplish. A big thanks to all of you who submitted trail name suggestions.”
Eventually, the 11.5-mile multi-use trail will wind through our entire community connecting neighborhoods, businesses, the Town Center and businesses. All sections of the trail will be ADA compliant. This new section is about 1/3 of a mile long (1,500 linear feet). Trail signage with “Corners Connector” will be installed along this portion in the near future.
Peach State FCU pledges $50,000 for Tull YMCA learning center
Peach State Federal Credit Union has pledged $50,000 to the J.M. Tull-Gwinnett Family YMCA to create the Peach State Federal Credit Union Academic Achievement Exploration Room. The YMCA of Metro Atlanta is raising $7.7 million to renovate the J.M. Tull-Gwinnett Family YMCA to increase access to wellness, adaptive aquatics, after school and Early Learning Readiness programs, to ensure that more people in Gwinnett County have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
The Peach State Federal Credit Union Academic Achievement Exploration Room will feature flexible STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) equipment, interactive learning stations and customized room to tinker, innovate, invent and tackle real-life challenges. The space will be key to preparing hundreds of students each year to learn, grow and achieve long-term academic and career success.
Kim Nelson, Group Vice President for J.M. Tull-Gwinnett Family YMCA says: “From homework help to hands-on STEAM activities, the Peach State Room will give more children in our community opportunities to continue learning when school is out. We are so excited to partner with Peach State to improve the academic success of more children as they discover a love of learning in a safe and supportive environment.”
Peach State President/CEO, Marshall Boutwell says: “The credit union was founded by Gwinnett County educators in 1961 and has maintained a focus on supporting education and teachers throughout their history. Learning shouldn’t stop when the school day ends—the Academic Achievement Exploration Room will help students continue their education in an engaging way.”
Partnership Against Domestic Violence staffers recognized
Two Gwinnett County residents and key staff members of the Partnership Against Domestic Violence (PADV), in Gwinnett and Fulton counties, have received prestigious recognition.
Jeffery Brown, vice president of development and marketing, has been recognized as one of Georgia Trend Magazine’s 40 Under 40. Brown helped expand and diversify the organization’s funder base by planning and holding various events throughout the year to showcase the life-changing assistance PADV continues to provide. In 2019, PADV hosted its 31 annual Hearts with Hope Gala that raised almost $750,000 and was attended by more than 500 guests.
Brown was born and lived in Queens, N.Y., before moving south to attend the University of Georgia. He now lives in Dacula with his wife, Candace, and two sons, Xavier and Avery.
Katha Blackwell, vice president of shelter services and supportive housing, received Atlanta Business League’s Atlanta’s 100 Women of Influence recognition. Through her work aiding survivors living in PADV’s shelters, Blackwell consistently exemplifies passion and dedication to the organization and its mission. Originally from Chattanooga, Tenn., Blackwell now resides in Suwanee with her husband, Eric, and their children, Elias, 11, and Eliana, 9. She earned her bachelor’s degree in political science with a pre-law concentration from the Michigan State University before obtaining her master’s degree in social service administration from the University of Chicago.
Movie: Midway
From Tim Anderson, Fitzgerald: “I love history and great movies. The new movie Midway is the perfect combination of both. Woody Harrelson stepped out of his usual character and played Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz like a symphony. The movie is the story of the real people in the greatest naval battle in American history. The American military was grossly outmanned early in the war. The Japanese were superior in every facet of the war effort. American torpedoes simply did not work, so the only alternative was to use dive bombers, which needed to get within a 1,000 feet to be accurate. They flew directly into enemy fire. It simply took courage rarely seen. Many died. Four Japanese aircraft carriers were sunk that day, a crippling blow to Japan. In the course of the battle, Pilot Dick Best won three Navy Crosses, exhibiting unmatched courage for valor, a feat unequaled in naval history.
- 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
Hargrett Library at UGA hosts Georgia Writers Hall of Fame
The Georgia Writers Hall of Fame was established in 2000 as part of the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Georgia. It honors Georgia writers and introduces the public to the library’s rich collections for research into Georgia literature and cultural history.
The Hall of Fame accepts public nominations which are then turned over for consideration to a board of judges appointed by the University of Georgia Librarian—academics, civic leaders, librarians, the heads of the University of Georgia Press and The Georgia Review, and recent Hall of Fame recipients.
To be eligible for nomination a writer must have been either a native of Georgia or have produced a significant work while in Georgia. Nominations must be received more than 30 days prior to the annual judges’ meeting to be considered for that year’s honors. However, once accepted, all eligible names remain in consideration for subsequent years.
An annual public ceremony at the University of Georgia’s Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries celebrates each year’s annual inductees in conjunction with an exhibit of rare books and literary manuscripts.
The Georgia Writers Hall of Fame and Hargrett Library also conduct class sessions focusing on the Hargrett Library’s collections of Georgia writers.
- To see who is in the Hall of Fame, go to https://georgiawritershalloffame.org/honorees.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Examine this one closely
There’s a lot going on in today’s Mystery Photo, both close up, and in the background. This is not your normal everyday scene. Can you figure out where it might be? Send answers to elliott@brack.net and include your hometown.
The Mystery Photo in the last edition came from Wikipedia, and is the SRP Park, 187 Railroad Avenue, North Augusta, S.C. George Graf of Palmyra, Va. tells us it is the “home of the Augusta GreenJackets, a Minor League baseball team playing in the South Atlantic League. It was opened on April 12, 2018, and can seat 4,782 people. SRP Park replaced Lake Olmstead Stadium as the home of the GreenJackets.
Stadium naming rights were purchased by the SRP (Savannah River Plant) Federal Credit Union.”
Other answers came from Lou Camerio of Lilburn, and from Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill: “The SRP Park opened in the spring of last year and was named “ballpark of the year” by both BaseballParks.com and Ballpark Digest. Building materials were chosen that would look light, natural and refined. The park also has see-through fencing so you can see the river. This ballpark is the first phase of a large ‘village’ area being developed along the river and includes living and retail space, a hotel and restaurants. The bridge is the 13th Street Bridge.”
Allan Peel, San Antonio, Tex. told more about the park: “The park is the home of the GreenJackets, North Augusta’s Class A Minor League Baseball team. Located on the north shore of the Savannah River in South Carolina, just at the border with Georgia, SRP Park is the centerpiece of the Riverside Village, a live/work environment, featuring a Crowne Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, Class A office spaces, restaurants, apartments, condos, senior housing and retail, and is capable of hosting events 365 days a year.
SRP Park first opened in April 2018 with a baseball seating capacity of approximately 5,000 people. It replaced the Lake Olmstead Stadium as the home of the GreenJackets and could hold as many as 10,000 people for other, larger events. The park is named after the North Augusta-based SRP Federal Credit Union which purchased the naming rights to the ballpark for an undisclosed sum in August 2017. Established in 1960, the SRP Federal Credit Union serves over 150,000 members in the South Carolina and Georgia.”
Learn More About a Key Mystery Photo Spotter: Allan Peel
Over the last few years, several individuals around the country stand out as experts in answering the mystery photo in each issue of GwinnettForum. “Just who are these people?” several readers have asked us.
To shed a little light on that question, we asked consistent spotters who recognize the mysteries to tell us something about themselves, in about 150 words. We’ll run one in each upcoming issue.
Today’s Mystery Spotter is Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex. He writes:
“I was born in 1951 in Montreal, Canada, graduated from McGill University in 1974 (Electrical Engineer) and started work as a Systems Engineer at Bell Northern Research and Nortel Networks (formerly the largest telecommunications firm in Canada). In 1978, I married my wife Jackie, whom I met at McGill in 1974. In March 1986 we moved to Raleigh, N.C. before moving to Norcross, in December 1987.
“As part of a corporate acquisition, I was transferred to Zhone Technologies, a California-based telecom company as director of Marketing and Product Management, where I continued to work at our offices in Alpharetta, until my retirement in January 2011. In May 2017, my wife and I moved to San Antonio, Texas, to be close to our two sons and our grandson. My wife and I both enjoy travelling and playing tennis. As a hobby, I enjoy amateur photography and photo processing.”
Sixth Annual Fall Art Show of the Lilburn Arts Alliance will be November 15 and 16 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. at The Apothecary, 93 Main Street in Lilburn. It is free and open to the public.
Clean-up Day in Grayson is Saturday, November 16. The regular Team Up effort will begin at 10 a.m. at City Hall. Volunteers will clean up around the concrete islands (not the median) at Rosebud Road, the Kroger entrance, Sosebee Farm Road and Sawyer Farm Drive.
Volunteers needed for cleanup of Bryson Park on Saturday, November 16 by the City of Lilburn and the Gwinnett Department of Water Resources. The event is from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Climate Education is the subject at three presentations by the Citizens’ Climate Education group. Kathe Gowland, Bob O’Brien, Scott Presson and Terry Welsher will make the presentations. They will be Saturday, November 16 at 3 p.m. at Collins Hill Library, 455 Camp Perrin Road, Lawrenceville; Friday, November 22 at 3 p.m. at Suwanee Library, 361 Main Street; and Monday, December 2 at 6 p.m. at the Five Forks Branch, 2780 Five Forks Road.
Southern Wings Bird Club will meet Monday, November 18, at 7 p.m. at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center. Join Melanie Furr to learn about hummingbirds, a year in the life of these magical little birds. As Director of Education at AAS, Melanie develops and teaches numerous programs about birds for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. A licensed wildlife rehabilitator, her interest in birds was sparked by her volunteer work at AWARE Wildlife Center, where she has been rehabilitating injured and orphaned Georgia wildlife and providing training and enrichment for AWARE’s non-releasable animals for almost ten years.
Hear Dr. Michael Gunther talk about pineapples and pumpkins, to ideas about liberty and government. This will be at the Collins Hill Branch library on Tuesday, November 19 at 6:30 p.m. Dr. Gunther is Assistant Professor of History at Georgia Gwinnett College . He will tell you many surprising ways that our original Americans have helped to develop and enrich our country.
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