Elliott Brack’s Perspective
BRACK: Put transit on the 2020 general election ballot to see it passed
By Elliott Brack | So it’s back to the drawing board for transit in Gwinnett. The tyranny of the minority—nine percent of the 543,000 people registered to vote in Gwinnett, defeated the proposal to bring modern transit to the county. The vote was 49,936 to 41,985, a difference of 7,951. Only 16.7 percent of those registered actually voted in the referendum.
BRACK: Transit question is Gwinnett’s most important vote of recent years
By Elliott Brack | Yes, we know. We’ve virtually omitted several subjects on which we could have been writing lately in favor of comments of different kinds about the transit question. We’ve done this since we think the transit question is the most important vote that Gwinnett has taken in the last 30 years.
BRACK: How the Boston subway helped me keep warm back in the 1970s
By Elliott Brack | Sometimes decisions made years before can benefit you. Here’s how one helped me stay warm on a freezing week in May. The location was Boston, Mass. It was mid-May in the late 1970s. Before leaving Gwinnett, where it was already warm, I wondered about what type of clothing I should take, and besides a sport coat opted for a light jacket.
BRACK: Transit approval could mean more buses, routes and frequency soon
By Elliott Brack | If more transit options are approved in Gwinnett on March 19, what you will see soon in Gwinnett will be more buses, more routes and more frequency of bus service. All will be a major improvement in public transit in the county.
We talked with Karen Winger, head of the Transit Division of the Gwinnett Department of Transportation, to understand these expanded local bus routes.
BRACK: Gwinnett Republican Party mighty silent on upcoming transit vote
By Elliott Brack | Is the Gwinnett Republican Party vital in this county any more? Have they given up?
Since 1984, no matter where you stand, you have to give the Republican Party good grades for helping its candidates win office. In many instances, the Republicans recruited potential candidates and readied them for service. As a result, the party kept seeing their candidates win races. They were ready to serve. Many of those that the party brought along are still serving in political offices of the county today.
BRACK: Do you turn off the “lights” when you leave a room?
By Elliott Brack | Most of us have everyday habits, some good, some bad.
Some of those habits go back to childhood, and can be beneficial to us now.
For instance, back in the late 1930s, when the Rural Electrification Administration was beginning to loan the funds for the wiring of rural America, many of those first homes merely had “lights,” to provide illumination for a single room.
Gwinnett Forum | Nov. 22, 2024
“We are born charming, fresh and spontaneous and must be civilized before we are fit to participate in society.”
– Etiquette Authority Judith Martin (1938 – ), also known as Miss Manners.
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.
Our underwriters
Recent Full Issues
Award
Follow Us