Politics & Government

Beaudreau Calls Airport Proposal Delay 'Borderline Insubordination'

District 3 commissioner voices displeasure over county failure to issue a request for proposals for the privatization of Briscoe Field.

Tuesday night, District 3 Commissioner Mike Beaudreau once again voted in favor of issuing a request for proposals (RFP) for the privatization of Briscoe Field according to a report in the Gwinnett Daily Post. The decision, accompanied by allegations of violating Georgia’s sunshine laws, was reportedly made as a behind-the-scenes "consensus" decision and without the involvement of .

The Gwinnett Daily Post further reports that Beaudreau, who along with District 1 Commissioner Shirley Lasseter and District 2 Commissioner Lynette Howard , described the lack of action by county staff over the summer to prepare an RFP as “borderline insubordination."

The May vote followed a motion by District 4 Commissioner John Heard to eliminate commercialization as an option for Briscoe Field. Beaudreau proposed a substitute motion to direct staff to issue a request for proposals (RFPs) for privatization that could include commercialization. In making the proposal, Beaudreau said commissioners were elected to make the difficult decisions and needed to move forward with the RFPs for the benefit of the county.

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“The citizens have spoken and they would like a decision,” Beaudreau said during the May meeting. “This is the right thing to do for the citizens.”

Not all of Beaudreau’s constituents agreed however. During his June 11 constituent meeting, saying he wanted more information.

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“There’s so much misinformation going on right now,” Beaudreau said at his constituent meeting. “I’m in favor of seeing facts before I make decisions about things instead of just some people that are yelling and screaming about something.”

Beaudreau also added that .

“We’ll see what offers we get and then we can talk about fact versus fiction,” Beaudreau said in June.

According to the Gwinnett Daily Post report, Tuesday night's vote by the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners means the county will follow the speediest option available for the potential privatization of Briscoe Field.

For more on Tuesday night's meeting, by Citizens for a Better Gwinnett board member and Dacula Patch blogger Jim Regan.


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