Over Coffee

by Gay Wiley Shook gayshook@mindspring.com

July 6, 2004    In Gwinnett County, Georgia, our Primary Election is scheduled for July 20, 2004. That is the date upon which several of our election contests will be decided. I have decided to devote this cup of "Over Coffee" to some thoughts about candidates, their campaigns, and what we voters will do if some of these people manage to win elected office. Please keep in mind that my views are only those of an observant housewife who pays attention.     In the contest for U.S. Senate, in this suburban section of Georgia, I have observed a growing admiration for candidate Herman Cain. In casual conversation with folks, when posed the question of which candidate they favor between Congressman Johnny Isakson and Herman Cain, I was interested to hear that while all liked Isakson, all said they just might vote for Cain. Thinking back, there were probably six people all told involved in this curbstone straw poll that took place at different times, but what is the statistical probability that all of them would say roughly the same thing? This is a race, however, where I believe the taxpayers of Georgia cannot lose. All three men on my radar, Herman Cain, Congressman Mac Collins, and Congressman Johnny Isakson could do the job for us in Washington. Whichever of these Republican candidates wins in the Primary will probably also win in the November 2nd General Election. Pay some attention to this interesting race in the next two weeks!    Closer to home, the most important race is to select a chairman for the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners. Current Chairman Wayne Hill, who was re-elected to an unprecedented third term in 2000, is in the race asking voters for a fourth term. In my opinion, we must re-elect Chairman Hill to this job that is so crucial to our pocketbooks.    State Representative Charles Bannister is challenging Hill for the chairman's job. Most assuredly Bannister is a nice man with many years of public service, but he is closely connected to Billy McKinney and McKinney does not have a reputation for being a nice man. McKinney is purported to be a handler for District 3 Commissioner John Dunn, and voters over that way say they cannot wait to get rid of Dunn and his antics. When I directly asked Charles Bannister about his connection to Billy McKinney, Bannister blew me off with, "Oh, I've known Billy McKinney since he was 15." That, my friends, was not exactly the answer I was looking for, so my worry here remains unresolved.    District 1 Commissioner Marcia Neaton ex-Griggs is also challenging Chairman Hill for the chairman's job. Marcia is severely under-qualified to do this job and should not be considered a legitimate candidate. She has not served her constituents in District 1 well, (Duluth and Suwanee), and I believe she knew that she would definitely not be re-elected to that commission seat. So, basically, Marcia had nothing to lose by tossing her hat in the chairman's race. Homeowners who think they remember her as their advocate need to dig in and do a little more homework on that one.    Wayne Hill was elected to be chairman of the Gwinnett Board of Commissioners in 1993. During his watch, Gwinnett County received the coveted triple "Triple A" bond rating in 1997, which the county still enjoys. That means that all three bond-rating agencies (Fitch, Moody's, Standard & Poor) gave Gwinnett County the best investment grade rating for our General Obligation Bonds (muni's). This high rating allows the taxpayers of Gwinnett to save millions of dollars in debt service when the county goes to the market to sell municipal bonds. There are only about 15 other counties in the whole country that are rated triple Triple A. Without this important capability, taxpayers would be faced with far less county service that would cost far more. It is no small factor, by any means. Bond ratings are based on many criteria, one of which is county management. If we elect a ding-a-ling to the chairman's job, watch our bond ratings drop like a hot rock!     To any of you who think Wayne Hill should not have a fourth four-year term, I would say that he is still the best man for the job and we are lucky he wants it-in spite of the miserable miserly pay of $50K! Bannister and Neaton aren't the ones to replace Hill. If one of them was, I submit the theory that Wayne Hill would not be running. He told me during the last election cycle that he has worked too hard for Gwinnett to hand it over to just anybody. Gwinnett has achieved great strength during his terms of office. He has captured more greenspace for us than has any other county in the state, knowing full well that the window of opportunity for such setting aside of raw land is NOW, not ten years from now. We have an enviable infrastructure of water reclamation and distribution. Our taps flow with clean water and our toilets flush. Hill runs a clean operation with a highly professional county staff. We are not a Fulton or a DeKalb County, with a seemingly unending supply of incompetents working in government.    For those of you whining about the traffic and the immigrants that are all over the place, both are a result of the opportunity to be found in Gwinnett. The chance for opportunity is what drew us all. Shut off opportunity and watch the value of your home drop like that aforementioned hot rock. Wayne Hill understands the economics of good government; unfortunately, some of our citizens simply do not, if we are to judge by some of the letters to the editor in our local newspapers.    Let me make an observation about the District 1 Commissioner's race, where I do not have a vote. One cannot help but notice all of the George Thorndyke signs on every hill and knoll. One cannot help but notice that George Thorndyke is passing around money to non-profits like Midas himself, no doubt hoping to get great political mileage from the donations. One cannot help but notice that Duluth Mayor Shirley Lasseter has enthusiastically endorsed George Thorndyke, but her city council did not agree whatsoever and those folks have unanimously come out for Lorraine Green. One cannot help but notice that Lorraine Green did a much better job of the candidate interview that was published recently in the Gwinnett Daily Post. She won that comparison by a country mile. So, who is going to bring the District 1 commission seat home? Thoughtful voters will hold the key to this one. Voters without a clue may vote the signs.    My friends, thank you for considering all of the above. Gwinnett is the best county in all of Georgia by many measures. Gwinnett deserves the best. Voters must demand the best! We'll see, won't we? Hope all is well. 070604 Archives