The last seven weeks have been eventful to say the least. In that time I’ve met with hundreds of citizens that have expressed concerns on topics such as animal welfare, SDS, airport commercialization, zoning issues, the trash plan and more.
I have campaigned at the New Lawrenceville event and paraded at Grayson Day. I will be at Snellville Days this weekend. I have spoken at several BOC and Citizen Review Committee meetings. The BOC meetings can be viewed at the Gwinnett County government website. (Here's a clip from the most recent BOC meeting.)
I’ve met with Chuck Warbington with the Gwinnett CID, Nick Masino and Jim Maran with the Chamber of Commerce, Chairman Charlotte Nash of the BOC, several council members from District 3 cities, many HOA board members, my pastor; Kevin Miller from Hebron Church, my campaign team and many more. Needless to say, very busy times.
As you can see in the image attached to this blog post, I have received the endorsement of Gwinnett Citizens for Responsible Government. This is a very significant endorsement as it embodies my vision for ethical government and highlights my dedication to limiting government intrusion. It can also be seen at my website at www.mikekorom.com.
At last night’s Citizens Review Committee, the panel voted against the expansion and commercialization of Briscoe Field. The two reports from two aviation consultants, Kinton Aviation Consultants and Boyd Group International, clearly showed an unlikely chance of success given current aviation and economic conditions. Now let’s see if the BOC heeds the advice of the CRC or if they choose to go their own way.
Commissioner Beaudreau’s vote will have significant political implications. If he votes against the CRC recommendation and in favor of expansion/commercialization it will likely be viewed as politics as usual in Gwinnett County. Given the recent history of shady land deals and questionable ethics from our previous commissioners (of which he is the last remaining) I believe a serious backlash will result come the July 31 primary.
Now let’s take a look at my vision for growth in Gwinnett County. It comes from what I call the "Learning to Learning 316 Corridor."
The Technology Association of Georgia recently released a survey showing the impact of Georgia’s technology businesses on the state. The economic impact was $113.1 billion in sales and contributed to 17 percent of Georgia’s Gross Domestic Product. The technology sector contributed to 253,000 jobs for Georgia workers. It’s time to bring more of that sector to Gwinnett County.
The “Learning to Learning 316 Corridor” is what I’m proposing if elected as your next Commissioner for District 3. This will not be another added government layer but a call to action to volunteers in Gwinnett County to improve our standing in the technology sector. This is a proposal of a volunteer committee of Gwinnett’s business leaders as well as representatives from Georgia Tech, Gwinnett Tech, Georgia Gwinnett College and UGA to facilitate technological start-ups and established technology related businesses to relocate to Gwinnett along the 316 Corridor from its start in Duluth to the Barrow County line and hopefully beyond all the way to Athens. With the colleges involved, the hope is to create a learning track with the local high schools that will lead students to a college degree within the S.T.E.M (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields. Working with the state and any possible hiring incentives, the plan is that the businesses located within the Corridor will hire these students to create long-term careers and valuable members of the community.
The 39 miles of Highway 316 is where we should attract the best and brightest of the technology world to locate their businesses or start-ups. A much talked about dream of the past should finally be brought to fruition. In doing so, we will create jobs here in Gwinnett and lead the metro Atlanta area for business development.
A couple of very important dates are coming soon. Thursday, June 14 will be our debate at the Stars and Strikes entertainment center. On Sunday, June 17 we will be holding a golf tournament fundraiser at The Trophy Club of Apalachee.
Kevin, we have THE most talented young people in the world. If we can harness that talent and keep it local our successful, positive growth is guaranteed.
How do you propose that your "volunteer committee of Gwinnett’s business leaders as well as representatives from Georgia Tech, Gwinnett Tech, Georgia Gwinnett College and UGA" would work with the existing economic development efforts of Partnership Gwinnett and the State?
Sincerely, District 3 Voter
Remember the water towers along 85 in Norcross that stated, “Gwinnett is Great, Success Lives Here”? Honestly, I think somewhere along the way, we lost track of what it truly means to have a successful county to live in. To me it’s a county that has a stable government with a minimum amount of debt, strong police, fire and emergency response units, good homes and a great place to educate our children. And it’s also a county to spend our money in and possibly find a job in. In the past few years, our county has become involved in questionable land deals from both the Gwinnett County Commission and Gwinnett School Board, a forced trash plan, a stadium heavy in debt, a disgraced former commission Chairman and Commissioner, a school superintendent who makes almost as much as the President of the United States but is the boss of teachers who have to take furlough days, taxpayer money spent on lawsuits dealing with cell towers and charter schools and ultimately the airport issue that was killed in 1994, or so we thought, and now is back from the dead for what looks like a plan to make a quick buck to cover up the many wrongs of Gwinnett without long term consideration.
It’s time we take a good hard look at what is desirable for Gwinnett and what is truly needed. The goal is to include all of Gwinnett; but doesn’t sacrifice one part of the county for another. It’s time we come together and work to make Gwinnett “greater.”
Professionally, I distribute automotive service equipment to car dealerships, tire stores, independent service centers, body shops and the like. Customers of mine in Gwinnett County alone include Hayes Chrysler, Grayson Tire, Joey Watkins Tire, Loganville Ford, Infiniti of Gwinnett, Hedrick’s Automotive, Acura Carland, Mall of Georgia Chrysler… you get the picture. I have hundreds of customers in Gwinnett County alone. I spent 10 years (1999- 2009) with American Tire Distributors Inc., a $2.5 billion a year national company. I was there number one sales rep each of the ten years. This provides a keen awareness of our Gwinnett County market and economy. I became an independent contractor in late 2009. Largely my customers have continued to do business with me. I sell the number one product line in our industry called Hunter Engineering. When you take your vehicle to be serviced for a wheel alignment, odds are it’s performed on a Hunter Alignment System. That system typically sells to the automotive shop for $50,000- $60,000. www.hunter.com to learn more. Prior to American Tire I worked for Matco Tools as a District Sales Manager and as a Market Development Manager with Southeast Regional Responsibilities (cont)
As stated in my previous posts I have been the president of the Apalachee Farms HOA for the past three years. We are a neighborhood of 600+ homes located in Dacula. Just out of curiosity, who are you supporting? I believe I match up favorably to my opponents. I’m willing to compare.
No more shady business deals with Waste Mgt companies. That cannot happen any more. The one good thing the previous commission (including Mike Boudreau) has done is open our eyes to exactly what levels the commission is willing to stoop (extremely low) and now, we are paying attention. Also, If I had it my way we would move to more a school choice mode of education rather than the expansion of government schools. Because my children hav e gone to Gwinnett County Public Schools, I have witnessed first hand the waste that goes on, so you cannot tell me that the Board cannot find ways to cut the budget without having to stick it to the teachers. I don't think much of an effort has been made to find areas in the budget by which to reduce it's size. No, instead they tell the teachers to do more while paying them less. Outstanding mgt of the school system.