Politics & Government

Duluth Mayor Launches Re-Election Campaign

Loyal supporters and life-long friends turn out for campaign fundraiser at Payne-Corley House

Loyal supporters and life-long friends gathered at the Payne-Corley House Thursday (June 16) evening for a campaign fundraiser launching Mayor Nancy Harris’ re-election bid.

Harris, who served 17 years as a principal before retiring and running for mayor, is  seeking her second term as mayor in the November city election. Her last post as principal was at B.B. Harris Elementary School named for her father, a respected educator who served as principal of Duluth schools and superintendent of Gwinnett County schools. A hometown girl, Nancy was raised on a horse farm and attended Duluth schools. “I really love Duluth,” she said. “It’s like my third child.”

Matt Reeves, a Duluth attorney and treasurer of Harris’ re-election campaign, welcomed invited guests and potential campaign contributors. “You’re in good company supporting Nancy,” he said.

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“We want her to be in office another years,” Reeves said. He noted that Harris currently serves as vice chairman of the Gwinnett Municipal Association, which includes 14 cities. “If Nancy is re-elected mayor,” he said, “she will be elected chairman of this important group.”  Reeves later reported that the event had raised $5,000 for Harris’ campaign chest.

The host committee for the fundraiser was composed of Gary and Lauren Gary, Chung and Sandra Lee, Matt and Suzette Reeves, Vicki and Ronnie Frost, and Harry and Joy Andrews. The Payne-Corley House is operated as a special events facility by Chef Michael Ganley, a former Ritz-Carlton executive chef, and his wife Krista, who is from Duluth. They also own Park Café on the Town Green. Harris thanked them for their hospitality before speaking briefly about city accomplishments during her term.

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“This was the perfect place to have it because this is a part of my history -- this house. And I remember so well when the Corleys lived here, and we would come over and visit with them, and we made homemade ice cream out on that really great front porch. To come back here to this spot really means a lot to me,” she said.

“In spite of the economy falling in 2008, we’ve continued to move forward,” Harris said. The mayor mentioned several SPLOST-funded city projects including expanding Rogers Bridge Park and installing sidewalks around the city. “We’ve also been doing a lot of resurfacing projects,” she said. “We have master plan for that horrible-looking Buford Highway Corridor. The No. 1 thing I heard when I ran four years ago was ‘Please clean up the Buford Highway Corridor.’” The corridor is going to be a TAD, a tax allocation district,” she said. Implementation of the TAD will fund improvements and encourage redevelopment along the corridor.

Harris said she was most proud of increased citizen involvement in city government. She cited formation of a Korean Task Force, Mayor’s Advisory Council, and Citizens Budget Committee. “We have just involved a lot more people. We have a lot of really intelligent people in Duluth that want to be involved in the decision-making,” she said.

Community leaders Kathryn Willis and her daughter Kay Montgomery talked about the long friendship between themselves and their families. “We probably played in the crib together,” Montgomery said. They both attended Duluth schools and graduated from Duluth High School. “We were best friends growing up. “

“Nancy followed in her father’s leadership role in the community and politics,” Montgomery said. She pointed out that Harris founded the Duluth Fine Arts League two years ago and serves as its president. “Nancy’s a true leader,” Montgomery said. “She has great vision, and people follow her.”

“I’ve known Nancy all her life,” said Willis. “We were great friends of her parents Jewell and B.B.,” who were leaders in the community, not just the school system, she said. “At my age,” commented Willis, who just celebrated her 80th birthday with a party on the Town Green, “you look to background and breeding. Nancy has it.”

Willis remarked that Harris attends so many meetings that’s it’s difficult for her to find time just to have fun. “Nancy’s active in a lot of Duluth civic groups,” Willis said. She also comes to the Duluth Downtown Development Authority meetings and supports Gwinnett Medical Center, Peachtree Christian Hospice and Rainbow Village, among others. “I invite her to social things, but she turns me down,” Willis said. “She has a meeting almost every night.”

State Rep. Brooks Coleman, who was hired after college by Nancy’s father to teach at B.B. Harris Elementary School, taught her in the fifth grade. “She exhibited great leadership skills,” Coleman said. “She was very involved and questioned everything I did. She was the superintendent’s daughter, but she never used it.”

As mayor, Coleman said, Harris has “done a good job. She’s been visible, worked hard and been very influential.” She initiated visits by Gwinnett mayors to the Georgia General Assembly to talk about issues with legislators, he said. “Nancy is respected by her peers. Everyone looks to her and respects her.”

“I think it’s important that we take care of her and keep her in office,” Coleman said. “I can’t imagine anyone having the guts to run against her,” he added.


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