Articles by: Elliott Brack

This plaque hangs at the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce (Photo by Brooke Waters)

BRACK: Gwinnett’s “go-to” person, Patsy Rooks, served area well

By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher  |  In Gwinnett’s formative years starting in 1970 and for the next 37 years, if there was someone in Gwinnett who was the “go to” person for about any question you had, it was Patsy Rooks. The Lawrenceville native, 76, died recently and was buried from Chestnut Grove Baptist Church on Sunday.

When she first came to the Chamber, it was located in the Stark Building, right off the courthouse square. Golden Pirkle of Buford, was the first full-time Chamber executive, starting in 1969, and he hired her.

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by · March 20, 2018 · Elliott Brack's Perspective
Capetown, South Africa

BRACK: Many of us are so fortunate at seeing so much of the world

By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher  |  Those of us born during the Depression and those born soon after World War II have really been lucky. They probably have seen more of the world than any other generation of people.

It’s been possible because of automobiles and ships and more leisure time, but mostly because of the jet airplane.

Americans are a traveling citizenry. Remember when you were growing up?  Can you ever have imagined that you would have traveled so extensively?

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by · March 16, 2018 · Elliott Brack's Perspective
BRACK: Gwinnett will find 143 candidates seek 27 seats

BRACK: Gwinnett will find 143 candidates seek 27 seats

By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher  | Lots took place in the last week, so it’s catching up time.

Again, the Buford City School system has been named the No. 1 Best School District in Georgia by Niche.com. Congratulation to Supt. Geye Hamby and his leadership team.

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by · March 12, 2018 · Elliott Brack's Perspective
Little River Falls, Ala.

BRACK: Find the fun by moving outside your own boundaries

By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher  |  All too often we find it difficult for most of us to bust through our own boundaries.

Most of us don’t reach out to others, or try to look at a different viewpoint. We also see this in the political boundaries that hem us in. There are so many boundaries which limit us.

For instance, though Greenville, S.C. is said to be a snazzy place to visit, there’s that state boundary line that separates that city from Georgians. We’ve been meaning to visit that area for some time, but never seem to get there.

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by · March 9, 2018 · Elliott Brack's Perspective
BRACK: Looking back to the political watershed year of 1984 in Gwinnett

BRACK: Looking back to the political watershed year of 1984 in Gwinnett

By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | If you moved to Gwinnett after 1984, you may not realize the significance of that year politically for the county. You would not be alone. The county’s population in 1984 was 226,100, while today it’s estimated to be 960,000. So a great majority of residents, 733,100, have moved here since 1984. You are in good company.

Back in 1984, the county was still composed of mainly white residents, more than 95 percent. Today that’s no longer the case, with the white population in 2018 in a minority, and with African-Americans, Hispanic and Asians being together a majority of the county.

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by · March 6, 2018 · Elliott Brack's Perspective
BRACK: Cagle-Delta Air Lines flap signals beginning of 2018 election season

BRACK: Cagle-Delta Air Lines flap signals beginning of 2018 election season

By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher  |  The political season is about upon us. March 9 is the last date to qualify to run in primary and non-partisan races, with the actual political primaries coming on May 22. Should a runoff be needed from a primary, that date will be July 24.

The biggest recent political bombshell centers on whether Delta Air Lines and other airlines should get a tax break for fuel bought in Georgia. What at first seemed to be a normal political question got quickly escalated when Delta announced it would not give a discount any more to members of the National Rifle Association (NRA).  Many other companies announced backing out of close ties with the NRA, so this did not seem to be a problem for Delta.

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by · March 2, 2018 · Elliott Brack's Perspective
BRACK: Suburban Gwinnett changes as more multi-family units arrive

BRACK: Suburban Gwinnett changes as more multi-family units arrive

By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher  |  As suburbs move toward maturity, they change, in that they are more welcoming to multi-family housing.

This comes about for several reasons.  First, as communities have more people in single family houses, land becomes more eaten up and therefore more valuable, since there is less open land in those communities.  As more jobs open up in suburban areas, more people want to live in those communities to be close to their work. Too, it’s more economical per unit to build multi-family housing.

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by · February 27, 2018 · Elliott Brack's Perspective
BRACK: Blooming Trees, Daylight Savings Time, and Hurrah for Mitt Romney

BRACK: Blooming Trees, Daylight Savings Time, and Hurrah for Mitt Romney

By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher  |  Nothing thrills us more this time of year than to see the new crop of blooms on the flowering trees of our area. It’s a sure sign that the weather at least has temporarily shifted a bit, though we also know that another cold snap can kill those blooms quickly.

So sit back and enjoy the flowering these days. It means that pretty soon, our toes won’t be so cold much longer.  Hurrah!

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by · February 23, 2018 · Elliott Brack's Perspective
BRACK: The Very Thought of Schools Having  a “Red Alert” Is Scary

BRACK: The Very Thought of Schools Having  a “Red Alert” Is Scary

By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher  |  Think back to when you were in elementary school.  Isn’t it interesting that in many places, such as in Macon where I was raised, we called them grammar schools! After all, they did teach us grammar.

Most of those school days were routine in the classroom. But every now and then, a little drama entered when we had a fire drill.  We excitedly marched outside in the prescribed way, stood around a while no doubt noisily, then a little exhilarated, returned to class.

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by · February 20, 2018 · Elliott Brack's Perspective
BRACK: It’s Good To See Some Continuing Objectives for Gwinnett Achieved

BRACK: It’s Good To See Some Continuing Objectives for Gwinnett Achieved

Development of a two-party system for county offices
Moving statewide non-partisan judge election runoffs to the General Election
Commuter rail for Gwinnett from Doraville MARTA station to Gwinnett Arena
Banning of tobacco in all Gwinnett parks
More diverse candidates for political offices and appointment to local boards
Creative efforts to support the arts in Gwinnett
Advancement and expansion of city and Gwinnett historical societies
Stronger regulation of late-night establishments with alcohol licenses
Requiring the legislature to meet once every two years.

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by · February 16, 2018 · Elliott Brack's Perspective
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