Articles by: Elliott Brack
BRACK: Gwinnett district attorney not performing duties as she should
By Elliott Brack | Voters here need to know that Gwinnett County is being poorly served by District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson. We understand that she is an amicable person, but she is in over her head in this office. She has lost multiple simple murder cases, meaning that criminals are going free when they should be in jail.
BRACK: Georgia doesn’t need heavier trucks pounding our roadways
By Elliott Brack | When driving on Interstate highways, do you notice how many people drive constantly in the left lane of Interstate highways?? Ever wonder why? There’s a simple answer. The 18-wheel or more trucks are required to drive in the right lane. That simply means that the right lanes of the Interstate system have more bumps and are much rougher to drive on because of the pounding that the heavy trucks on the pavement.
BRACK: Action from 2006 might be harming police hiring
By Elliott Brack | An action taken by Gwinnett County government back in 2006 may be creating problems in retaining county employees. On Dec. 31, 2006, the county’s defined benefit plan (read as “pension”) was closed to all new employees of the county. Those employed at that time had the option of remaining in the pension plan or being included in either a 401 (a) or 457 (b) retirement plan.
BRACK: Cherokees’ removal in Trail of Tears has ties to Gwinnett
By Elliott Brack | This week a group was being led on a tour of the new Lawrenceville Performing Arts Center, which is run by the Aurora Theatre. As the group stopped at one exhibit, something was said that the Trail of Tears, which removed Cherokee Indians westward, started at the Gwinnett Courthouse.
BRACK: It’s a sad time when those in Congress heckle a president
By Elliott Brack | Discourteous people bother me….seriously. It doesn’t matter who, when or where someone shows bad manners, it’s telling…about that person. Shocked! Yes, we were shocked at the lack of civility Tuesday night when the president of the United States was heckled by many Republicans during the State of the Union address.
BRACK: No housing should be permitted along major thoroughfares
By Elliott Brack | Have you ever considered that there ought to be a special place in hell for people who come up with the ideas of locating housing for people next to major thoroughfares? Adjacent to such roads you see many developments of apartment complexes, townhouses and condos, and even single-family subdivisions.
Gwinnett Forum | Nov. 26, 2024
“Bureaucrats write memoranda both because they appear to be busy when they are writing and because the memos, once written, immediately become proof that they were busy.”
— Editor-in-chief of the Washington Monthly Charles Peters (1926-2023).
Continuing objectives
Gwinnett Forum publisher Elliott Brack suggests that Gwinnett County needs a long-range list of continuing objectives for improving the county. His list:
- Move statewide non-partisan judge and school board elections to the General Election.
- Adoption of the 2023 Transit Plan for Gwinnett.
- More creative efforts to support the arts in Gwinnett.
- Advancement and expansion of city historical societies.
- Require establishments that serve alcoholic beverages to halt sales of such products at 1 a.m., and close by 2 a.m.
- Require the Georgia Legislature to meet only once every two years.
- 21st century salary for the Gwinnett County Commission members.
- Remove chewing gum on sidewalks at entrances of post offices and other governmental buildings.
- Eliminate single-use plastic packaging and straws in Gwinnett and require instead the use of paper products.
- Condos instead of apartments for Gwinnett.
Interested in Gwinnett history?
Now re-printed in its third edition, Gwinnett: A Little Above Atlanta, the award-winning history of Gwinnett County, is once again available for purchase. It sold out of its first two printings. The book won the 2010 Award of Excellence in Documenting Georgia History from the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board. The book is available at Old Town Antiques at 93 Main Street in Lilburn.
- The history of Gwinnett is also available as an e-book from Amazon or Barnes and Noble for $9.95.
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