The Nov. 5 election is just weeks away, with several local and state seats on the ballot, including three county commission seats in Gwinnett County.
Gwinnett County Commission Chair Nicole Love Hendrickson (D) faces a Republican challenger in her bid for re-election.
John Sabic recently spoke to AccessWDUN about his campaign and changes he would like to make within the county. Sabic said that should he be elected, he plans to focus on lowering property taxes and increasing police presence in the area.
“We are spending a lot of money and we are taxing our people,” Sabic said. “But the money is not spent where it’s supposed to be spent, which is our police force. It's depleted. We have under 800 police officers for 1 million people in this county, so we will have to add, for the short term, 200 police officers more, hopefully [in the] first year.”
Sabic said as he has been on the campaign trail since September of 2023, residents have expressed their concerns about crime rates in the area. He emphasized he aims to represent the interests of the people in his community.
“We will work on the tangible result,” He said. “We will work for Gwinnett County residents. I know who I work for. I know who I will be elected to serve. We will tackle these issues.”
Sabic moved to Gwinnett County from the former Yugoslavia in 1998. He has a background in the Architecture and Engineering field and has served in several project and Operation Management Positions, according to his campaign website.
Hendrickson was elected as Gwinnett County Chairwoman in 2020. Her campaign website states her priorities in her run for re-election include housing stability within the area.
“As Chair of the Atlanta Regional Commission's inaugural Local Leaders Housing Action Committee, Nicole led regional conversations on the landscape of housing affordability across the 11-county region,” her website said. “After the culmination of the county’s first comprehensive housing study, Nicole led the strategic direction for the county to address land use and zoning updates, reducing development barriers around affordability, incentivizing smart growth and development, and preserving our naturally occurring affordable housing.”
Hendrickson did not respond to requests for interview by AccessWDUN.
Her website also said she plans to focus on sustainability and efficiency within the county.
Hendrickson joined Gwinnett County Government in 2015 as the founding Director of the County’s Community Outreach program.
County Commission seats for Districts 1 and 3 are also on the ballot. Democrat Kirkland Dion Carden faces Republican challenger Tim Le in District 1. Meanwhile, incumbent Jasper Watkins, III (D) will run against Republican Bobby Howard to represent District 3.
