It's Down to the Wire for BOC Chairman Candidates

The race for the next Gwinnett Chairman of the Board of Commissioners is heating up with only a week before elections. The four candidates are using every opportunity to make sure voters know where they stand on issues important to the county's 800,000-plus residents.

Despite the heavy rains that came into the area just at rush hour last week, nearly 80 people showed up to hear the four candidates vying for the vacated seat of Gwinnett County chairman. Will Costa, Larry Gause, Duane Kissel and Charlotte Nash spent nearly two hours answering questions from the audience.

Retired TV anchorman Wes Sarginson moderated the public forum at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Peachtree Corners Monday (Feb. 28) night. The upcoming special election was called when Charles Bannister, the former chairman, resigned last fall rather than face a grand jury probe over land deals.

Following Bannister's resignation and former District 4 commissioner Kevin Kenerly's indictment  shortly after on three counts including bribery relating to land deals, the resounding message from all four candidates was the need to restore the public's trust.

Of paramount concern was a way to avoid the backdoor land deals that lead to Kenerly's removal from office. Nash and Kissel both reiterated the importance of operating with honesty and integrity. Gause suggested the county create an "ethics board to hold people accountable," while Costa said that "if you work for government, you shouldn't be able to do land deals."

In the issue of privatizing Briscoe Field, both Nash and Kissel thought that expanding the airport was not in the best interest of those who lived nearby. "The airport is what it is," said Kissel. "[Expansion] is not good for the community." Kissel suggested that building a larger airport further north would be a better idea than trying to expand the Lawrenceville airport.

Costa said "the county should continue leasing it out." Gause wasn't in favor of privatizing the airport as it "means you lose control. Leasing is the best option," he said.

Topping the list of priorities for all four candidates was balancing the budget for this year and next and settling the service agreement dispute between the county and the cities. "The service agreement should not be sitting in court," said Kissel. "Everybody is losing with a service agreement not in place."

To get the county's budget back into the black, Costa suggest that the county "get out of the parks business and return them to the cities." He did not address the fact that many of the county's parks are not located within city limits of the county's 15 cities.

Kissel said the county should balance between its "needs and wants. We all want great parks and libraries," he said, but suggested these two areas would be a good place to cut to help balance the budget.

Nash, a former Gwinnett county administrator for 10 years, said that with her thorough knowledge of the county budgeting process, she knew "who to ask and where to cut."

Gause suggested that for future land acquisitions the county should hire an expert to "negotiate contracts" to help prevent county over-spending for land.

Voters who can't make it to the polls on Tuesday, March 15, may cast their ballots early at the Gwinnett County Voter Registration and Election office. The office is located at 455 Grayson Highway, Suite 200, in Lawrenceville. The election office hours are 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday.