In a county whose highest decision-making body has been dominated by the Republican Party for more than three decades, the commission chairman race for the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners represents tipping the balance of power in favor of the Democratic Party.
Democratic candidate Nicole Love Hendrickson’s campaign has gained momentum since securing the nomination post-runoff in August. Her growing list of endorsements includes current county commissioners, city council members and even former Georgia Governor Roy Barnes.
Meanwhile Republican candidate David Post has been waiting in the wings after a landslide win in the primary.
Although a historically conservative county, Gwinnett’s demographics have drastically shifted as Atlanta’s population drifts northward. As a result, diversity has been at the center of nearly every election, including the chairman’s race.
As the founding director of Gwinnett County’s first Community Outreach Program, Hendrickson knows a thing or two about bringing all parties to the table. As director, Hendrickson oversaw activities that allowed Gwinnett County’s diverse citizens to interact with local government officials.
Hendrickson said that one of her priorities, if elected, is to continue helping build a county that is more inclusive.
“I think it’s also important that we try to build a county that is welcoming and inclusive,” said Hendrickson. “That means fixing some of our policies that have historically created division and created that lack of belonging.”
Post also said that he supports diversity and inclusion in Gwinnett County. In his opinion, communication is key in resolving these issues.
“When we deal with the citizens of Gwinnett County, we’re gonna need some translators,” said Post. “We’re just going to have to get with the different groups, whether it takes a translator or somebody in their group who is bilingual, whatever it takes.”
Both candidates have also outlined their plans for boosting the economy of Gwinnett County.
While the county has been recognized nationwide as one of the best places to live and work, Post said that there are still some areas that could use some help. One of these places he named specifically is Gwinnett Place Mall.
With a background in business and law enforcement, Post said that his vision for that space would be to revitalize it into something that would be safe and excite the community.
“You have to start getting some excitement somewhere,” said Post. “There’s a lot of space there that could be used for some sort of skill training, you notice in the schools now we don’t have wood shops anymore…and there are a lot of people that could benefit from learning some of those skills right now.”
Hendrickson has also mentioned ways to teach community members work skills. One example she used was offering workforce training through partnerships with local government.
Hendrickson said that she is also focused on finding ways to boost the county’s economy to benefit those who are living in poverty. She said that her career as a social worker has helped her to see that there are still plenty of families in Gwinnett County below the poverty line.
“I think that given my social worker background, it gives me a neat perspective on how we address social welfare policy because ultimately it impacts economic development, it impacts growth and development [and] it impacts workforce development,” said Hendrickson.
Hendrickson said that “systematic policies” are partially to blame for the condition of these families. As a result, another issue that Hendrickson said she plans to address if elected is lack of transit.
Hendrickson said that she supports bringing the MARTA system to Gwinnett County.
“We are a very large county, the second most populous county in the state of Georgia and we need better connectivity, we need better mobility options and we just need options period for people who need to move throughout the county,” Hendrickson said.
But Post argued that the result of bringing MARTA to Gwinnett County would be an increase in taxes for citizens, something that he wants to avoid if elected chairman. He also said that MARTA is not justifiable in Gwinnett County anyway, since the majority of Gwinnett County citizens own a car and would not need to use the system.
“You can’t sacrifice most of the people in Gwinnett County for just a few,” said Post. “The best way is to make sure you do the best thing for the majority of the people in the county and that is not heavy rail.”
Post suggested expanding the existing microbus system as an alternative form of transportation instead of MARTA.
“I believe that we can use microbuses, if we use smaller buses with less pollution, they cost less [and] we can have more stops,” said Post. “If you use the microbuses, you can add them or subtract them as you wish, you can add stops and delete stops as you wish.”
For more than 50 years, Post has worked with businesses in management, security and personnel. He retired last year from his position as a reserve deputy with the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office, wrapping up a 47-year-long career in law enforcement.
Hendrickson has nearly two decades of public service under her belt, ranging from education, non-profit and government. She also worked eight years with the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services. She lives in Lilburn with her husband and young son.
The two candidates are set to face off in the general election on November 3.
