Special Election Set for Tuesday

The special election to fill the unexpired portion of former Gwinnett County Chairman Charles Bannister’s term is scheduled for Tuesday, March 15.

Gwinnett County voters will head to the polls to decide which of the four candidates – – will get the job.

For more on the candidates, view these Patch articles:

• - Charlotte Nash discusses why she decided to enter the race for commission chair.

• - Patch asked each of the candidates to share information about his or her background

• - In part two of a six part series, Patch asked each of the candidates to identify the three biggest issues facing the county.

• -Patch asked each of the candidates if he or she supported the privatization of Briscoe Field. While some candidates supported privatization and even expansion of the airport, not all candidates felt the county should relinquish control. One of the candidates later changed his position regarding Briscoe Field.

• -Patch asked each of the candidates if he or she favored modifying or repealing the county trash plan. Though conceding repeal of the trash plan would be difficult at this point due to contractual obligations, several candidates expressed displeasure with the way the trash plan was implemented.

• - Gwinnett County’s 2011 budget included subsidy cuts and a 15 percent reduction in library funding. Officials project the tax digest will shrink another nine percent this year and expect further revenue declines on 2012. Each of the candidates expressed opposition to a property tax increase, but offered varying opinions regarding how best to address the county's budget woes.

• - Patch asked each of the candidates for chair of the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners if he or she favored the imposition of a 1 percent sales tax to fund transportation project.

• - TSPLOST, service levels were among topics discussed at a January GOP forum. Patch was there and has written and video coverage.

•  More than 125 people gathered at The Bridge Community Church in Buford for a Feb. 15 candidate forum sponsored by the Alliance of Concerned Citizens of Old Peachtree (ACCOP). While the candidates were quizzed on a number of topics, a significant portion of time was spent fielding questions regarding the potential privatization and expansion of Briscoe Field.