Elliott Brack’s Perspective
BRACK: Norcross graduate heads biology firm listed on NASDAQ
By Elliott Brack | A 1988 Norcross High graduate rang the bell on Earth Day, April 22, at the NASDAQ stock exchange in New York, signaling the public listing of his company’s stock, Zymergen. He is Josh Hoffman, 50, of San Francisco. He is the son of Eve Hoffman of Peachtree Corners and the late Howard Hoffman. He is the CEO of Zymergen, which was offered for sale on NASDAQ at a price of $31 per share that opening day. As of Wednesday, the stock was trading at $35. Its trading symbol is ZY.
BRACK: Though a year away, 2022 political season has begun
By Elliott Brack | Though we are a year away, the 2022 political season saw its practical start when Gov. Brian Kemp put forth recently he would seek an endorsement term as the state’s chief executive officer. So for the next 12 months, watch out: political blowhards will be busy positioning themselves to look as good as they can at all times to the voters. Just remember: what you see in them may not be what you’ll get.
BRACK: Here’s the thinking behind Raffensperger’s 2020 actions
By Elliott Brack | These days we often hear soundbites from people in the news. We seldom get to hear how they arrive at their thinking. Speaking at the Gwinnett Rotary Club recently, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger gave a glimpse of his thinking as he defended Georgia’s count in the 2020 presidential election.
BRACK: Golden Ray salvage going slow near Georgia’s Golden Isles
By Elliott Brack | The continuing story coming out of the Golden Isles of Georgia is what’s taking place between St. Simons and Jekyll Island…..something being called the “Saga of the Golden Ray.” That’s the title of an informative article by Cathy Coleman in the spring issue of the local magazine, High Tide. We visited the Golden Isles last week and were mesmerized by the salvaging attempts.
BRACK: More on Samuel Spencer, Jon Ossoff, NPR and the late Eli Broad
By Elliott Brack | The removal of the Samuel Spencer statue in front of the Norfolk Southern Railroad headquarters continues to bother me — because of the reason for its removal. Etched on the statue were three facts: Spencer was a native Georgian, Confederate soldier and first president of the Southern Railway.
BRACK: Top officials predict what their city census count will be
APRIL 30, 2020 | The 2020 Census state population figures were released this week, providing little information for us except which states gained and lost population. A more detailed and useful release of Census data will come in August, when we will know population figures down to cities and counties.
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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