CorinthHills.org

Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter said he won’t pursue criminal charges against any of the deputies involved in the Charles Bannister DUI arrest because there is no reason to suspect that Bannister was the victim of entrapment. Porter said “the idea to consume alcohol and operate a vehicle did not come from a law enforcement agency.”

“The Chairman has to explain why he was drinking alcohol and driving a county car,” Porter said. “And the Sheriff has to explain why he expended so many resources on a DUI case. But that’s not my explanation to give.”

Bannister declined to comment at a commission meeting Tuesday.

The GBI report had a few revelations. For one, Bannister is no tee-totaler. He admitted to GBI investigators that he did have “a little better than two beers” that night.

• AJC

One Response To “Gwinnett DA Won’t File Charges In Bannister Case”

1. Admin Says:
   August 18th, 2010 at 12:43 PM

   This smells from every angle.

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Gwinnett County is repossessing Collins Hill Golf Course which is currently 1.8 million dollars in debt. Charles Bannister states that the $1.8 million will be paid from existing tax reserve funds.

The course was originally purchased by the county in 1988 for $3.4 million because local golfers whined that it was too inconvenient to drive elsewhere to play. It was a controversial decision even way back then, but the board of commissioners said it was a great deal.

The story then becomes somewhat convoluted and mired in minutia,… the AJC does a great job of detailing the timeline of events, just suffice it to say that the property has never made money and continues to hemorrhage cash, but now the county taxpayers are on the hook for its medical and rehab bill.

• Gwinnett to repossess golf course, pay its $1.8 million debt - AJC

2 Responses To “Gwinnett Repos Golf Course And $1.8M In Debt”

1. BG Says:
   August 17th, 2010 at 10:04 AM

   Gwinnett County is becoming quite the sports Mecca. We should all go play a round of golf, then take in a Gwinnett Braves game and finish by taking a swim in the debt that all of this foolishness has created.

2. j.q.public Says:
   August 18th, 2010 at 12:45 PM

   Meanwhile my property tax assessment remains obscenely high.

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Gwinnett County Commission Chairman Charles Bannister was arrested Monday night by a Gwinnett County Sheriff’s deputy on the suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. He reportedly failed a field sobriety test administered by the deputy on scene.

6 Responses To “Bannister Arrested on Suspicion of DUI”

1. Admin Says:
   June 29th, 2010 at 11:40 AM

   According to reports, Bannister blew a .000 on the breathalizer, but submitted blood for testing. Results are pending.

2. bwilson Says:
   June 29th, 2010 at 12:10 PM

   Can you imagine the copious amount of egg on Butch Conway’s face if those blood results come back under limit?

3. Admin Says:
   July 1st, 2010 at 10:39 AM

   Bannister’s blood test results have returned negative as reported by his attorney.

4. bwilson Says:
   July 2nd, 2010 at 7:09 AM

   Boy this raises a stink that will take years to clear, not only between Bannister and Conway, but all of the doubt cast upon the sheriffs office in general as well as the DUI testing process.

5. j.q.public Says:
   July 4th, 2010 at 7:42 AM

   The gang who couldn’t shoot straight arrested the leader of the gang who couldn’t legislate straight. Holy sh*t! The will live on forever in Gwinnett political folklore. I hope everyone realizes that in spite of the fact that Bannister ADMITS to drinking at least two beers and driving a county vehicle that you and I bought, that he now will be more empowered and emboldened in his means of governance.

   Look up “cluster f—” in the dictionary and see if it doesn’t provide this stunt as an example.

   But at least the GBI is investigating, whatever that is supposed to accomplish.

6. Gwinnett Recall Committee Says:
   July 19th, 2010 at 6:39 PM

   Citizens of Gwinnett,

   My sympathies to Mr. Bannister and his family for his poor judgement related to these actions.

   My sympathies and support to Mr. Cummings for having the courage to do the right things when concerned citizens witnessed a criminal act and then acted to protect Mr. Bannnister and any innocent person he might have injured.

   My sympathies and support to the witnesses who had the courage to act when seeing a criminal act being committed by someone that might endanger our fellow citizens. Most people just do not wish to get involved because it might mean they have to decide where their principles really lie.

   I find it very interesting that while we buy into thousands of Georgians being convicted for DUI and have drank far less without anyone willing to witness their actions and being convicted. That we now believe that 0.00 trumps five witnesses; two of whom are trained law enforcement officers and that this 0.00 whether by breathalyzer or blood analysis now exonerates the suspect. When will we be re-instating all the Gwinnett County employees,with back pay, who were teriminated because of the zero tolerance policy? Who were the other persons drinking with Bannister, which he confessed, that night and what was on their tabs? When you get those answers and the statements of the other witnesses, please let me know by sending me a message at www.gwntrecall.com.

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When: Saturday, June 12, 2010 11:00AM
Where: Outside the old courthouse in downtown Lawrenceville - 185 East Crogan Street
Organizers: Four Corners Tea Party, Freedom Works, Gwinnett Citizens for Responsible Government

Organizers of this event intend to demand that commissioners reconsider the plan that will bill 185,000 households in unincorporated Gwinnett $321 each for 18 months of trash service paid in advance. This bill will be included in property tax statements that go out later in July.

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More:
• Four Corners Tea Party Facebook page
• AJC article
• CorinthHills.org article archive

One Response To “New Garbage Plan Protest Planned”

1. fwy545 Says:
   June 12th, 2010 at 7:58 AM

   “unless the taxpayers wish to change their minds and replenish some of the lost funding we have encountered, the only option is to reduce spending, and that’s the direction we’re going.”
   - Charles Bannister (open letter to Gwinnett County)

   Translation: We, the BoC screwed up and got called on it. The legal system agreed with our accusers, so either pony up a tax increase to pay for our mistakes or go with this “new” plan, Constitutionality be damned.

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Friday marked the beginning of early voting in Gwinnett County which will continue through Friday, July 16th. Voters may cast their ballots for the July 20th primary.

Where and when:
The Gwinnett County Voter Registration and Elections Office
455 Grayson Highway
Lawrenceville, GA 30046
Monday through Friday 9 AM - 4:30 PM

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The following are links to Georgia elections information:

• Preliminary List of Qualified Candidates on the July 20, 2010 General Primary Election Ballot

Primary ballots specifically for the Corinth Hills area:
Precinct 049
LUCERNE BAPTIST CHURCH
4805 STONE MOUNTAIN HWY
LILBURN, GA 30047
• Republican Primary Ballot (PDF)
• Democrat Primary Ballot (PDF)

Others may retrieve their specific primary ballots by visiting the Georgia Secretary of State “My Voter Page (MVP)”.

• Application for absentee ballot (PDF)

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Federal, state, county and judicial offices that will be elected in 2010, as they apply to Gwinnett County.

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Dacula resident Randy DeVault filled his recall application last Friday, March 26th in an attempt to oust Gwinnett County Board of Commissioner chair Charles Bannister. His application had been signed by 153 residents surpassing the 100 required.

Now the application has to be verified by county election officials before this coming Friday. Bannister has until this Thursday to challenge the process in Gwinnett Superior Court. He has suggested that the bad economy should be the focus of citizen anger and not his leadership of the BoC.

If the application passes the scrutiny of the verification process, DeVault will then have 45 days in which to collect signatures from 30 percent of registered voters, approximately 125,000 people. If successful, the county elections office would then schedule a special election to put the recall to a vote.

DeVault has stated that he is establishing polling stations throughout the county and has commitments from more than 100 volunteers to gather the signatures required.

More:
GwntRecall.com

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Mike Beaudreau has decided not to run for the congressional seat being vacated by the retiring John Linder, but has instead thrown his support behind Representative Clay Cox.

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The county line:
The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners adopted a new solid waste ordinance for unincorporated Gwinnett County during the board’s business session on March 2, 2010. The ordinance as adopted will be posted as soon as possible.

Service will begin on July 1, 2010, giving residents and haulers time to transition to the new system. The new ordinance, which does not affect city residents, will provide a reliable, cost-effective, and environmentally-conscious solid waste management system and also will allow Gwinnett County to fulfill its requirements under state law. All homeowners will have access to services for the collection and disposal of household garbage, expanded recycling, white goods (household appliances), bulky wastes (mattresses, furniture, etc.), and yard trimmings.

The new ordinance sets five service districts and authorizes the County to enter into one or more service agreements with a private company or companies to provide residential garbage service with no more than one service provider within each district. Fees for residential waste services will be made payable to Gwinnett County and will be billed as a residential solid waste fee on the same bill as county taxes.

Approval of a new ordinance is the first required step in the process of implementing a new solid waste management plan. Details of the service areas, costs, and collection logistics will be made available as soon as they are finalized.

###

Mike Beaudreau was quoted in part as stating, “I don’t think it’s perfect…”

Don Collins, government contract manager for Waste Industries, told commissioners his company took it on faith that the county would follow the court’s order and draw up a new plan in a public, above-board manner, but that the plan showed officials worked behind closed doors to satisfy members of the first lawsuit.

…Isn’t that why a Gwinnett County special grand jury is investigating the board’s land deals?…

“Even as our federal lawsuit continues,” Collins said, “your vote today confirms our position before the court that the county’s illegal trash plan is marching forward.”

Local news outlets report that despite not being allowed to address the board before the vote, citizens were vocal in their opposition after the vote. It was also disclosed that a new recall effort was being launched targeting Chairman Bannister.

More:
• GwinnettCounty.com
• GDP
• AJC
• GwntRecall.com

3 Responses To “Garbage Adopted”

1. Admin Says:
   March 3rd, 2010 at 9:26 AM

   It’s my understanding that one of the overriding concerns that the board wanted to address for the citizens of Gwinnett was the traffic issues as it is effected by garbage haulers. For the life of me I don’t understand this. I find myself being delayed far more by postal trucks, UPS, FedEx and the worst offenders, school buses.

   There’s a project for Gwinnett County. Adopt a policy whereby school buses aren’t required to stop every 50 feet to pickup and offload kids. School systems all over this country, including GCPS, gripe about obese children… allow them to walk a few feet to and from the bus stop…

   That’s our opinion, we welcome yours…

2. j.q.public Says:
   March 5th, 2010 at 8:40 AM

   RINOs, republicans in name only. Republican mantra dictates smaller government and allowing the public to manage their own affairs in a free market society. Obama’s healthcare reform is an excellent example, republicans aren’t for it because it puts healthcare in the hands of government. BUT Gwinnett “republicans” believe that they should decide my waste disposal, how it’s paid for, how much it is and when I should pay it.

   Yeah, “republicans” they are.

3. fwy545 Says:
   March 9th, 2010 at 10:52 AM

   I do see garbage trucks from various services in our neighborhood on several days during the week, but they don’t take long to complete their business. I certainly don’t think that it’s worth relinquishing my right to chose my own waste disposal service in order to reduce this little bit of traffic. If you think about it, there will still be traffic to pickup all homes, and even more now that the county is mandating all residential homes be serviced. The only difference will be the number of days the truck will be in the neighborhood. The time spent in each neighborhood for each truck will actually increase.

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District 3 Gwinnett County Commissioner Mike Beaudreau is weighing an opportunity to succeed John Linder and his soon-to-be vacant U.S. congressional seat. Beaudreau plans to make a decision soon.

• MikeBeaudreau.com - Take the survey…

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Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners will again consider county mandated garbage collection. Even with lawsuits totaling in excess of $80 million still pending over the last board sanctioned solid waste plan, local media reports suggests that not much has changed in the new proposed plan. The biggest change is that Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful will not be the county appointed enforcer.

Points from the original plan still being considered:
• Service fee(s) to be included in county tax bill
• Expanded recycling
• Mandatory participation by all residents
• 5 zones to be established and serviced by one hauler

If approved, the plan is expected to take effect this July. The board will not allow public comment prior to the vote. Voting will take place at 10 AM tomorrow at the Gwinnett County Justice and Administration Center in Lawrenceville.

One Response To “County Mandated Garbage - AGAIN…”

1. Admin Says:
   March 2nd, 2010 at 2:38 PM

   Gwinnett County’s Solid Waste Information Center is open for callers Monday through Friday between 7:00am and 7:00pm, 770.822.7141.

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U.S. Representative John Linder (R) made a surprising announcement today stating that he will not seek re-election this November. Linder has represented the 7th congressional district which comprises much of Gwinnett County since 1992.

Possible candidates mentioned to replace Linder include State Senator Don Balfour, State Representative Clay Cox and former Braves pitcher John Smoltz.

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Representative Clay Cox
Georgia’s 102nd District (Lilburn, Snellville, Mountain Park, Norcross)

Dear Friends:

As you may have heard, the Georgia Legislature has taken a two week recess to allow various committees of the house and senate to work jointly on the budget. This unusual action was determined to be necessary, and I agree, by the Speaker and Lt. Governor as we come to grips with cutting an additional $1 billion from our projected spending in the upcoming fiscal year.

Just to give some perspective, when I was first elected in 2004, the state budget was nearly $24 billion dollars. That number has steadily declined each year as we have cut government spending – some by policy driven choice, but most by necessity of declining tax revenues. Below is a summary of what we are facing:

What is the total state 2011 Budget?

It is about $18 billion. This year, the Georgia General Assembly has discretion over $16 billion in the General budget. This excludes $2 billion in (the bulk of) motor fuel taxes, all lottery funds and the Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund, which are dedicated by state constitution to specific appropriation purposes.

What is the shortfall that will need to be addressed in the proposed 2011 Budget?

Projections put it at $1 billion or more. It about equals the Everything Else category listed below.

How is the proposed 2011 General budget allocated?

• 44% ($7 billion)
K-12 - 1.6 million students; 160,000 teachers

• 14% ($2.2 billion)
Community Health - Medicaid, Peach Care, state health benefit plan, county public health departments

• 12% ($1.9 billion)
Regents - 300,000 students; 35 colleges and universities

• 8% ($1.2 billion)
Debt Sinking Fund - Bond payments

• 6% ($1 billion)
Corrections - 54,000 inmates; 37 prisons

• 5% ($800 million)
Behavioral Health - Including 7 state-run mental health hospitals, Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities

• 3% ($500 million)
Human Services - Including Child Welfare, TANF, Aging, Adoption, Foster Care Services

• 2% ($320 million)
Technical Colleges - 160,000 students; 65 colleges and branches

• 6% ($1.1 billion)
Everything Else*

*Everything Else totals just over $1 billion in the budget. It covers 40 agencies and all branches of government, such as Public Safety; Juvenile Justice; Judicial System; Governor’s Office, Senate and House; Teachers Retirement; Driver Services; Pardon and Paroles; and Revenue Department.

Thanks for your support. If I can be of service to you please let me know.

Representative Clay Cox
401 State Capitol
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
(404) 463-7853
clay.cox@house.ga.gov

Source: Direct e-mail from Clay Cox’s office

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During today’s State of the County address, commission chair Charles Bannister called for a one cent sales tax increase. Bannister stated that should voters approve the new penny tax, it would generate approximately 150 million dollars in new revenue with 35 percent coming from non-Gwinnett shoppers.

Bannister is looking to put the penny sales tax on the ballot this November.

2 Responses To “Bannister Asking For More Tax Revenue”

1. fwy545 Says:
   February 12th, 2010 at 7:44 AM

   Purdue wants a one cent sales tax increase for the state so if both initiatives make it to the ballot and pass Gwinnett will be up to 8%.

2. BG Says:
   February 16th, 2010 at 8:33 PM

   Not to mention the 21% increase in Gwinnett property tax and the abolishment of the Georgia homestead exemption. How does the government expect its citizenry to get ahead?

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