Mike Beaudreau: Still Dedicated, Still Determined, Still Effective

District 3 Commissioner Mike Beaudreau has sat on the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners for eight years. In those eight years he has remained true to fiscal Conservatism. Gwinnett County has maintained its Triple Bond rating and both Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s have given Gwinnett County top accolades for having plenty in financial reserves, for maintaining a Conservative budget and for carefully and diligently overseeing that budget.

His website, mikebeaudreau.com says that as a result of Mike’s efforts, Gwinnett has the lowest unemployment rate of the core metro Atlanta counties. It seems that Commissioner Mike Beaudreau has accomplished quite a lot in his eight short years:

• Mike spearheaded an initiative to allow taxpayers to go to the county website to see exactly what their individual property taxes pay for.
• County Commission meetings are now broadcast live on Gwinnett TV, and are streamed over the Internet.
• Mike brought in county Transportation department officials and outside consultants for a special meeting with homeowners affected by the Sugarloaf Parkway extension so they could get their questions answered prior to the county's approval of the project.
• A new section of the county's website offers information for homeowner's associations.
• Mike has attended over 200 community meetings and festivals to gather constituents’ input and feedback.
• Mike accomplished his goal of getting comprehensive ethics reform passed in 2011, including greater disclosure and transparency requirements for county government.

Mike Beaudreau is running against Tommy Hunter in the runoff for Gwinnett County Commissioner from District 3 on August 21st. Hunter is from Buford and is an engineering consultant and businessman who serves on the Municipal-Gwinnett County Planning Commission as the Commission's representative on the Development Advisory Committee.

Beaudreau took 47.3% of the vote in the July 31st Primary but needed a 50+1% to win the race outright. Taking such a large percentage of the overall vote in a four-man race was still quite impressive and he garnered more than twice what his runoff opponent Hunter received. Such a margin shows that Beaudreau has quite a following of loyal supporters.

As 3rd District Commissioner, Mike Beaudreau has made the tough choices, the hard decisions, acting in what he considered the best financial interests of the county. Have there been unpopular decisions? Most definitely! As he remarked in a Runoff Forum on August 15th, “ It hasn’t made everybody happy but that’s not really my job. “

When questioned by the Forum's moderator, 11 Alive’s Doug Richards, Beaudreau went on,” My job is a responsibility to the county as a whole-to provide for a sounder financial future. It’s not over, folks. It’s going to be a long process, down the road. But I have proven that I have the knowledge and ability to make those necessary financial decisions without backing down to pressure from special interest groups. I have the track record for getting things done and for keeping Gwinnett County on track for both financial recovery and economic success.”

In reference to a blatantly negative campaign flier mailed and website launched prior to the July 31st Primary, Mike Beaudreau pointed out at Thursday night’s forum that an opponent in his race had launched what is one of the nastiest, ugliest campaign smears in recent memory in Gwinnett County.

The Commissioner said that he had answered all the questions of the grand jury, which investigated the land deal debacles that brought down several previous Commissioners. Let us not forget that it was Mike Beaudreau who exposed the land deals by paying for independent appraisals of those properties. And also let us not forget how he battled with Charles Bannister because of it!

He said that he is committed to continuing to work with Chairman Charlotte Nash to ensure that ethics is restored to Gwinnett County government.” We didn’t respond to any of the negativity. We didn’t go there and we’re not going there”, Beaudreau said.

“We are moving on to those critical issues that affect the future of the county and its residents. We are sticking to what is important, to my accomplishments on keeping Gwinnet’s budget and costs down and to getting our word out to voters on a personal basis."

Contrary to what his opponents would have had you believe throughout this race, the 3rd District Commissioner does not shy away from the public in any way, shape or form. In fact, he has held District forums for 85 Saturdays in the last seven years! His regular meetings with constituents portray a different picture of him from that painted by his runoff opponent, who says District 3 deserves a Commissioner who listens to them and engages them.

One might argue that Mike Beaudreau is never one to shy away from voicing his thoughts or afraid to engage anyone in his district in conversation and share that opinion. He talks to folks at their front door with the same candor, resolve and confidence as he talks at a political forum at the courthouse, over coffee in a Chick-Fil-A, or across the pew at church.

In campaigning, the 3rd Commissioner devoted most of his time going door to door- he has spent long, tiring hours and many, many weekends walking District 3 subdivisions and residential roads. Mike Beaudreau has knocked on 4500+ doors in as many months, as he makes every effort to meet and greet voters one on one and learn their concerns and talk to them about why he should be returned to office and what he wants to do for Gwinnett County!

Not everyone may agree with his decisions, or even like the way he presents them, but Commissioner Mike Beaudreau most certainly does has integrity and absolutely no one can look at his job performance and say he hasn’t been tireless! He has worked very hard at doing what he truly feels is the best for the county.

His opponent, Tommy Hunter, says he is running because he has real world experience and cares about his home county-well, I submit that Mike Beaudreau has as much if not more ‘real world experience’, having not only worked for a number of years at Ricoh Corp as a senior account executive but having spend the last eight years in the trenches of Gwinnett County government where he has made important strides to making and keeping Gwinnett's financial picture a rosy one. His relentless dedication most assuredly points to a man who does care about this county!

Having such documented successes as a Gwinnett County Commissioner as Beaudreau has had while being surrounded by divisive circumstances speaks volumes about him. He is truly the dedicated public servant. And one, who has, in his own words from Thursday night’s forum, “the backbone to get the tough job done.”