GwinnettForum | Number 23.84 | Oct. 25, 2024
NOW WHICH WAY IS THAT? You may get a laugh, or be misdirected, any way you read these two signs. The photograph was taken in the back parking lot of the Forum in Peachtree Corners. Perhaps the arrows on both yellow and the white signs are each just missing another point. Or maybe whoever made those signs just ran out of ink. Motorists are wondering.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Vote YES on Gwinnett transportation referendum
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Should property tax or sales tax pay for transit?
SPOTLIGHT: Centurion Advisory Group
ANOTHER VIEW: The Election is about fascism, not the economy
FEEDBACK: Found Early Voting efficient, friendly and easy
UPCOMING: Georgia Festival of Trees new home is Gas South arena
NOTABLE: Jackson EMC teams among best international linemen
RECOMMENDED: The Surrender Tree, by Margarita Engle
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Georgia Museum of Art located on UGA campus
MYSTERY PHOTO: Check out this gorgeous view of a red lighthouse
CALENDAR: German classic car show comes to Norcross on Saturday
Vote YES on Gwinnett transportation referendum
By Kyle Gomez-Leineweber
Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, GALEO Impact Fund
NORCROSS, Ga. | As a proud resident of Gwinnett County with roots going back to my grandparents in Buford, I’ve seen firsthand the critical role mobility plays in the lives of our community. Gwinnett is home to diverse communities, including many Latino and immigrant families.
Gomez-Leineweber
For a significant number of residents, owning or accessing a car is a privilege they cannot afford. Too many have to rely on others for rides, pay for costly services like Uber and Lyft, or walk long distances on unsafe roads without sidewalks. These barriers make it difficult for people to get to work, go to doctor appointments, or attend school meetings for their children.
Growing up, I watched my father—a proud immigrant from Mexico—struggle to maintain access to reliable transportation. This struggle remains a reality for thousands of families today. Expanding transit in Gwinnett would provide what our community needs most: more options.
An expanded transit system would allow us to move without sacrificing time, money, or safety. Whether it’s catching a bus to work or using affordable microtransit options, a better public transportation system helps everyone, especially those who don’t have access to a car. We cannot ignore the needs of tens of thousands of Gwinnett residents who would benefit from a more connected network.
Voting YES for Gwinnett Transit will benefit all residents, even those who may not directly use the system. This plan is designed to reduce traffic congestion, improve safety in our communities, and create a more accessible future. The transit referendum on the ballot this November presents a unique opportunity for meaningful change.
One key element of the proposed expansion is the installation of smart traffic signals, which will help reduce congestion throughout the county. These synchronized signals will keep traffic flowing smoothly, cutting down delays. This solution benefits everyone—drivers who want shorter commutes and transit riders who need reliable options to get where they need to go. It’s a simple but effective improvement for Gwinnett’s traffic challenges.
Another exciting feature of the expansion is the creation of a direct shuttle service to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. For many of us, traveling to the airport without a personal vehicle or paying for an expensive rideshare can be difficult. This new, affordable shuttle service offers a convenient and reliable option for Gwinnett residents needing easier airport access.
The transit referendum will also have a positive impact on seniors and people with disabilities, ensuring they can get to their destinations safely and affordably. I think of my grandfather, who, after suffering a stroke, went from being a fiercely independent retired cop to relying on loved ones for transportation. By passing this measure, we’re not only improving mobility across the county; we’re also supporting our most vulnerable residents.
Ultimately, this isn’t just about traffic; it’s about supporting all Gwinnett residents. Whether it’s hard-working immigrants like my father or longtime community members reclaiming independence like my grandfather, this transit expansion is for all of us. Gwinnett County stands out in Georgia as a great place to live and work, and it’s time our transit system reflects that standard.
By voting YES on this transit referendum, we are choosing a more connected, efficient, and equitable future for Gwinnett. Let’s work together to make it happen.
- Have a comment? Click here to send an email.
Should property tax or sales tax pay for transit?
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
OCT. 25, 2024 | Some form of public transit will always be part of the county transportation plan and paid for by future citizens of Gwinnett.
The major question is:
- Whether it is paid by property owners, or
- Whether it will be paid by the 30 year one cent sales tax on the November ballot.
A major benefit of the upcoming referendum on transit is that a major portion of the proposed sales tax will be paid for by people from outside the county shopping in the many retail stores that Gwinnett offers.
Recognize that by using the sales tax to fund the always-to-be-present transit operations, it will be absolutely nothing but a tax relief for property owners, both homeowners and businesses.
That’s essentially what this proposed tax boils down to.
Some ask: but why 30 years?
Developing a comprehensive transit plan to serve all the citizens in Gwinnett has huge up-front costs. There are the many transit vehicles to buy. There are major roadway improvements and purchasing of right-of-way. By having a defined period to collect all pennies of this transit tax, over 30 years, the county can fund all these up-front costs by selling bonds to bring in the upfront dollars needed.
It’s as simple as that.
During the latter years of the tax period, there will no longer be the high up-front costs, so funds collected then can pay off the balance of the bonds. Funds in later years will also go more toward maintenance of the system, instead of buying rolling-stock and building stations.
As envisioned, once voters approve the 2024 comprehensive transit plan, there will be faster development of several features of the proposed widened system.
- One of the first elements that Gwinnettians will see after the approval of the referendum will be a county-wide microtransit service, already rolled out in Snellville, Lawrenceville and Norcross. This is a curb-to-curb shared ride service, costing residents only $3, which so far has exceeded expectations. It provides transportation for those without a means to get around.
- Another transit element that will move quickly to fruition will be the Airport Ride to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. It will be an on-demand service from multiple locations, and available seven days a week.
- One of the longer term parts of the transit plan is the 26 mile Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service. This will require dedicated bus-only lanes for BRT, with specific stations and queue jumps.
- The current bus fixed routes will be expanded to more frequent service for longer trips in the county, plus direct connection to MARTA stations. Speeding this service will be transit signal priority, to improve travel time.
There is one more major difference in this vote on transit than in previous votes. In all the previous referendums on this subject, MARTA was somehow involved. When the 2024 transit referendum is passed, only Gwinnett leaders will direct the total transit operations. There will be no connection at all to MARTA. All the pennies collected will apply directly to Gwinnett operations, and led by people in Gwinnett.
On November 5, this key question about the next 30 years in Gwinnett boils down to: who pays?
For sure, Gwinnett will necessarily have to have some form of transit in its future. There is no way around that.
So, Gwinnett voters: will you allow shoppers from outside the county help local taxpayers develop a modern transit system, and contribute a penny sales tax on every purchase, or do you want to pay for transit entirely out of property taxes?
Think about that when you vote.
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The election is about fascism, not the economy
Via Unsplash
“When government becomes dysfunctional, because of runaway spending, unsustainable debt, a war gone wrong, or other crises, people often clamor for a strong man to restore order.”– Cato Institute.
By Jack Bernard, contributing columnist
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. | White working men are the Make America Great Again (MAGA) base. Their earnings have not risen as fast as inflation… and they feel powerless.
On Jan. 6, 2021, the S&P was at 3,748. It is now at 5,751. That is a tremendous rise. Joe Biden has helped many retirees with savings. Maybe that is why he is doing so well with seniors. But things are not as good for young folks. And that is what worries me regarding this election, which will determine if we remain a democracy.
My maternal grandparents, hard-working and highly religious people, were penniless immigrants. Their parents, brothers, and sisters remained in Italy when Mussolini came to power. I always wondered how his leading government could take place.
Mussolini recalled the environment that led him to seize power: “We saw passing before our eyes the dreadful panorama of chaos and of evil forces which had broken into a gallop, tragic beyond words to one who loved his country.” Wow, that wording sounds very familiar…and current.
In 1922, Mussolini led his base of fascist followers, who wanted to make Italy great again, and marched on the elected government in Rome. “The one constant throughout the ordeal was that nobody seemed entirely sure what the end goals of the Fascists were, much like the contradictory and unclear nature of their ideology.”
Prior to 1922, squads of right-wing followers of Mussolini frequently attacked his enemies. Often, the police would just stand by. So, he easily cowered the Italian government into thinking that his Blackshirt Militia, funded by wealthy Italians (sound familiar?), would attack if they did not peacefully cede power. Mussolini took power without a shot, which is exactly what Trump wanted to do on January 6, 2021, when his minions followed his instructions and marched on our Capitol to overthrow an election.
But the 1922 situation did not happen overnight. The key is understanding how Mussolini achieved his goal. And that begins with fascist theory and the Cato Institute quote above.
If the population believes that the nation is in great deterioration, it will long for a strong man to correct the situation. Said fascist theoretician Mario Palmeri: “The state must be a social, political, economic, moral and religious organism built as a pyramid, and at the top is the national hero, the greatest man of his time.” Sound familiar, MAGA supporters?
The libertarian Cato Institute goes on to list a few of the items related to a fascist state, including appealing to “capitalist cronies”; appointing these cronies (“If a constitution makes it difficult for a strong man to appoint his cronies to high positions, he should disregard the constitution and appoint them anyway”), and subverting human rights to further “national greatness.” This sounds most familiar regarding many of the Project 2025 recommendations I detailed in earlier columns.
I can agree with Trump on some policy areas, such as the Middle East. However, Trump’s dictatorial tendencies, his autocratic ways, and him teetering on the edge of being alert, are my greater concerns.
But, if you want to keep our democracy free, vote for Kamala Harris.
- Have a comment? Click here to send an email.
Found early voting efficient, friendly and easy
Editor, the Forum:
Kudos to the voters who have shown up in record numbers during Advance Voting.
The process for me was extremely efficient and easy at Bogan Park…no longer needed to fill out a manual form, as the computer system verifies name and address from Voter ID.
Poll workers were extremely organized and well trained. Advanced Voting continues until the end of the month, but information on the Secretary of State website shows almost 1.6 million Georgians have cast their ballot.
I recall a lot of concern about how new voting laws would lead to widespread voter suppression and take Georgia back to the Jim Crow days. I believe this concern has been debunked.
– Elaine Still, Braselton
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, and include your hometown. The views of letters are the opinion of the contributor. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: ebrack2@gmail.com.
Georgia Festival of Trees’ new home is Gas South arena
Georgia Festival of Trees will kick off another holiday season with its signature multi-day festival at a new home at the Gas South Convention Center in Duluth from Saturday, November 23 through Sunday, December 1. The event will feature a dazzling display of Christmas trees, wreaths, centerpieces and nativities for auction, Penelope (Penny) the Pink Pig, live music and entertainment, Christmas Brick Challenge, Gingerbread competition, kids’ activities and games, and boutique gift shops.
Known as the state’s largest holiday event, Georgia Festival of Trees continues to support local organizations working to end the commercial sexual exploitation of women and children in Georgia by partnering with Street Grace and Atlanta Redemption Ink.
Angie Ulibarri, Georgia Festival of Trees executive director, says: “When we started Georgia Festival of Trees four years ago, we weren’t sure how it would be received. It is remarkable to see how it’s grown and evolved into a special holiday tradition for families. The heartbeat of the festival remains the same – holiday magic with a heart to end human trafficking.”
Each tree, wreath, centerpiece and nativity at the festival is designed, decorated and donated by individuals and organizations around the Southeast, providing a beautiful array of holiday decor. Trees and other decor are auctioned off both in-person and online during the festival. The auction serves as the primary driver to support Street Grace and Atlanta Redemption Ink.
Georgia Festival of Trees will debut Penny the Pink Pig, a new pig-themed train for children and adults, inspired by the beloved Atlanta tradition originally created in 1953 by Rich’s. This new version will transport guests on a magical ride through the Georgia Festival of Trees. Rides on the Pink Pig will cost $5 per person. (The Pink Pig is a trademark of Macy’s.)
The festival offers live music and entertainment on the main stage, as well as Santa with his reindeer and life-size sleigh and Reindeer Games for the kids, which include the Elf Training Academy, the Lil’ Elves Driving Academy, LEGO® bricks, Elf Phone Booth, North Pole Post Office and more. Guests can enjoy sugar cookie decorating at Mrs. Claus’ Kitchen, Santa’s Workshop, a Gingerbread Competition, Christmas Brick Challenge and boutique shopping.
- For a schedule of events, to purchase tickets, become a sponsor or a volunteer, donate an auction item, or learn more about the Georgia Festival of Trees and its charity partners, visit gafestivaloftrees.org.
Jackson EMC teams among best international linemen
Daryll Bond, Jason Bond and Kevin Waters placed first in the senior division among journeyman linemen at the International Lineman’s Rodeo. Photo provided.
Two Jackson EMC journeyman lineman teams ranked among the best at the 40th Annual International Lineman’s Rodeo in Bonner Springs, Kansas on October 19. The competition includes more than 1,300 lineworkers who were judged on speed, agility, technique and safety procedures.
Jackson EMC sent three journeyman lineman teams and six apprentices to the international competition. A total of 227 journeymen lineman teams and 380 apprentices competed at the event. Apprentices compete as individuals, while journeymen compete in teams of three. The International Lineman’s Rodeo includes participants from electric cooperatives, investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities, contractors and electric providers for the military.
A Jackson EMC journeyman team finished first in the senior division. Daryll Bond, Jason Bond and Kevin Waters, of Neese and Jefferson, earned the highest placement in their division at the competition.
A journeyman lineman team with Justin Cash, Austin Gragg and Devin Triplett, all of Jefferson, finished third in the electric cooperative division and sixth overall.
Apprentices Jerry Olivas, of Oakwood, finished eighth and Ben Adams, of Jefferson, finished 10th in the squirrel removal event.
“At Jackson EMC, we take pride in our members and employees, and a job well done. We want to be the best for our members,” said Patrick McAuliff, Jackson EMC’s Jefferson district director of engineering and operations. “The skillset and ability to follow safety procedures in the challenging events at the International Lineman’s Rodeo is a great example that our linemen are some of the best in their field.”
Jackson EMC’s participants at the International Lineman’s Rodeo earned their spots based on their performance at the Georgia Lineman’s Rodeo, held in May.
The Surrender Tree, by Margarita Engle
From Karen J. Harris, Stone Mountain: The book is a history of Cuban wars for freedom. It takes the reader through a rough terrain of freedom fighters and autocrats fighting against each other for ownership of the nation. It is also a glimpse into the work of Rosario Castellanos-Castellanos and her husband Jose Francisco Verona, who helped establish hospitals during these wars. In poetic form, it is peopled with fictional characters who struggle to make their way to Rosa’s hospitals, some of whom die along the way. The wars range from the Ten Years War of 1868-1878; through many others to the Spanish American War, during which Spain cedes Cuba to the United States, thus truncating freedom for Cubans. It is a sobering account of the danger, resilience and the folly that exists when lands which belong to people are overrun by aggression. This title received both the Newbery Award and the Pura Belpre Award.
- An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (150 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. Click here to send an email.
Georgia Museum of Art located on UGA campus
The Georgia Museum of Art, on the campus of the University of Georgia in Athens, is both an academic museum and the official art museum of the state of Georgia. The permanent collection consists of American paintings, primarily of the 19th and 20th century; American, European, and Asian works on paper; the Samuel H. Kress Study Collection of Italian Renaissance paintings; and growing collections of southern decorative arts and Asian art.
The museum opened to the public in 1948 in the basement of an old library at the University of Georgia, and by 2011 the museum occupied a contemporary building in the university’s Performing and Visual Arts Complex. There, nearly 82,000 square feet house more than 8,000 objects in the museum’s permanent collection, as well as gallery space for temporary exhibitions and classrooms.
Much of the museum’s collection of American paintings was donated by Alfred Heber Holbrook, in memory of his first wife, Eva Underhill Holbrook. Included in this collection are works by such luminaries as Frank Weston Benson, William Merritt Chase, Stuart Davis, Arthur Dove, Childe Hassam, Winslow Homer, Jacob Lawrence, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Theodore Robinson. Over the years it has been impossible to separate the history of the museum from the story of Holbrook’s generosity.
Holbrook retired from an active New York law practice at the age of 70. He began a personal quest to learn about the world of art, an interest piqued by his passion for visiting museums. In his retirement he was determined to study art in a gentle southern climate. A trip to Athens in the mid-1940s led to his introduction to Lamar Dodd, head of the university’s art department. The two became friends and shared a joint vision of enriching the visual arts environment in Georgia. Holbrook, clad in a knee-length pink artist’s smock with pipe in hand, attended art classes at the university. The Georgia Museum of Art was founded in 1945, and Holbrook became its first director. Holbrook continued to serve as the museum’s director past his 90th birthday.
Exhibitions from such international museums as the National Gallery of Scotland, the Palazzo Venezia in Rome, the Rembrandt House, and the San Carlos National Museum in Mexico City have all been displayed in the galleries of the museum. The museum also offers traveling exhibitions formed from its permanent collection to other museums and art institutes around Georgia and the Southeast.
Since the early 1970s the Friends of the Museum, a support group of more than 1,200 members, has hosted fundraisers and openings for exhibitions and has sponsored exhibitions and educational programs at the museum. In 2000 the Henry D. Green Center for the Study of the Decorative Arts opened at the museum, and two years later the Pierre Daura Center, dedicated to the exhibition and study of the Catalan American artist Pierre Daura, was established. In 2005 the museum received the Southeastern Museum Conference’s Exhibition Award of Excellence for the exhibition Classic Ground: Mid-19th Century American Painting and the Italian Encounter.
The museum broke ground in 2009 on a major new expansion; additions included galleries to showcase the permanent collection, the outdoor Jane and Harry Willson Sculpture Garden, the Study Centers in the Humanities, and an education wing. Closed to the public during the renovation, the museum reopened in January 2011 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a slate of special events.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Check out this gorgeous view of a red lighthouse
Yep, we found another lighthouse to test your skills. See if you can determine where this beautiful lighthouse photograph comes from. Send your guess to ebrack2@gmail.com, and include your hometown.
For the last edition, the architectural design, we thought, would signal where the photograph was from, and would be easy. But only six readers recognized the photo. Sorry, but we have lost who sent in the photo.
Those recognizing the Fantoft Stave Church, a reconstructed stave church in the Fana borough of the City of Bergen, Norway included Stewart Ogilvie of Rehobeth, Ala.; Jay Altman, Columbia, S.C.; George Graf, Palmyra, Va.; Kirk Wilson, Johns Creek; Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill; and Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex., who added: “The earliest existing records of the original Fortun Stave Church date back to 1330, but historians believe that it was actually built ca.1150. As with many of the smaller 12th-century churches, it became too small to serve the community, and there were plans to tear it down. Instead, it was purchased by Fredrik Georg Gade (1830 – 1905), a Norwegian businessman and politician who dismantled it, moved the pieces to Fortun, and had it reassembled there.
“The reconstructed church remained in Fortun until it was totally destroyed by arson in June 1992. It was the first of more than 50 centuries-old churches that were targeted by a 1992 to 1996 movement, led by a number of black metal musicians, as a symbolic “retaliation” against Christianity in Norway. The second reconstruction of this medieval church began at its current site in the Fantoft neighborhood of Bergen soon after the 1992 fire. It took six years to complete and a security fence has surrounded the church since its completion in order to protect it from further protests and arsonists.”
Kirk Wilson also sent along a current view (at left) of the church, saying: “Was there July 30. Recognized it from architecture and gravel around it. It is a classic 1500s Stav church that was moved there from inland Norway in late 1800s by restoration philanthropists to protect it, but then burnt and was reconstructed to exacting detail and materials. Big tourist draw in Bergen.”
- SHARE A MYSTERY PHOTO: If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Send to: ebrack2@gmail.com and mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
German classic car show comes to Norcross on Saturday
Trick or Treat Festival will be held on Saturday, October 26, from noon until 3 p.m. at the Yellow River Water Reclamation facility, 858 Tom Smith Road in Lilburn. Join Gwinnett Water Resources and multiple community partners and vendors for this annual Yellow River Trick or Treatment Fall Festival. Meet new officers of the Mountain Park Community Association.
The Deutsche Klassic German Car Show will be in downtown Norcross on Saturday, October 26, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. On exhibit will be over 250 classic German cars, including BMWs, Audis, Porsches, Mercedes-Benzes, Volkswagens, and Opels. It’s a can’t-miss event for car lovers. While you admire the cars, enjoy traditional German food, beer, and live polka music. It’s a family-friendly day full of fun!
The Duluth Church Cemetery committee is hosting our first ever “Spirit of Duluth” Cemetery Tour! It will take place on Sunday, October 27, from 5 – 7 pm at the cemetery on Main Street in Downtown Duluth. In a spooky, yet historic setting, attendees will experience actors portraying people from the past and telling the stories of the ones buried there. See Duluth’s founder, Evan Howell’s grave, Georgia’s first woman mayor, Alice Strickland’s tombstone, and a Confederate soldier in his reenactment. The event is free though donations are welcome. For more information, call Kay Montgomery at 770-605-6600.
Chamberworks music: Gwinnett Symphony, chamber singers and youth orchestra will present a concert at the Norcross First Global Methodist Church, 2580 Beaver Ruin Road, on Sunday, October 27, at 5 p.m. Music featured will be Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland, suite for 13 instruments. For tickets, visit GwinnettSymphony.org.
America Recycles Day is Saturday, November 2 at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds in Lawrenceville from 9 a.m. until noon. This popular annual event will give locals a “one-stop-shop” opportunity to drop off items that are typically more difficult to recycle, such as electronics, tires, clothing, sneakers, and latex and oil-based paint. Paper shredding will also be available. Make plans to join the group as a volunteer or participant!
Local Author’s Day will be marked at the Lilburn Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library on November 2 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Each year, Gwinnett County Public Library provides an opportunity for independent local authors to showcase their works through author talks, readings, book sales, and signings. More than 25 authors of children’s books and various adult book genres will be available for sale and signing. The goal of this exciting event is to bring libraries, local authors, and readers together throughout our community.
Writing Your Memoirs: Learn how your experiences and life lessons can entertain and inspire others in this three-part writing workshop. It will be on November 6 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Lawrenceville Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library.
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