Elliott Brack’s Perspective
BRACK: Beard is longest serving city official in Gwinnett: 46 years
By Elliott Brack | Buford’s Philip Beard feels that he has not one, but two distinctions: he has served consecutively as a city official for 46 years, longer than anyone in Gwinnett. He’ll start his 47th year on September 1, 2021. All this time he has been the chairman of the City Commission, and also chairman of the Buford City Schools Board.
BRACK: Time of the year for local governments to OK budgets
By Elliott Brack | It is somewhat surprising to find that the City of Lawrenceville is raising taxes. This once-staid conservative government is going to raise ad valorem taxes this year by 0.4 mills. Not only that, the city is also going to start charging its first garbage fee, which will be $10 per month for 2022, and in 2023, will be $20 a month. Previously, there was no fee for garbage service.
BRACK: New York’s use of ranked choice voting is major system test
By Elliott Brack | There were major political results in New York City this week, as citizens there held a primary to determine who will be the Democratic candidate for mayor. Weak Republican influence in New York points to the eventual Democratic winner as the next mayor. The mayor will officially be decided in their General Election in November.
Gwinnett Forum | April 1, 2025
“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.”
— Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874-1965), via Lee Klaer, Duluth.
Continuing objectives
Gwinnett Forum publisher Elliott Brack suggests Gwinnett County needs a long-range list of continuing objectives for improving the county. His 2025 list:
- Move statewide non-partisan judicial and school board elections to the date of the General Election.
- 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.
- Eliminate single-use plastic packaging and straws in Gwinnett and require instead the use of paper products.
- Gwinnett planners to encourage condos and townhouses instead of apartments.
- County-wide microtransit services.
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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