Mayor Nick Masino and Dawson County Chief Deputy Kevin Tanner are the only northeast Georgians on this year's "40 under 40" list which spotlights 40 Georgians under 40 years of age.
About Mayor Masino, who took office in 2000, the state business publication says "working at what, to some, seemed a frenetic pace, Masino quickly produced a lightning series of community improvements that have landed the little Gwinnett County town on several lists of best places to live. He harnessed his vibrant energy to lead in the creation of the new mixed-use Town Center, a village bristling with life day and night. Masino also took the lead in creating four new parks, acquiring hundreds of acres of greenspace and bringing citizens and their opinions into government planning."
Masino is not seek re-election this year and is now serving as vice president of economic development for the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce.
Of deputy Tanner, Georgia Trend says "Maj. Tanner has been Dawson County's chief deputy/undersheriff since January 1998, handling daily operations for a 120-man department. It isn't what his father had in mind."
The magazine quotes Tanner as saying "my dad is a businessman, who grew up kind of poor, the oldest of seven children, and he went into business and did well. My dad said 'You need to go be a banker,' but it's not something I could do. I wanted to look back on life and see that I made some kind of difference. I just fell in love with law enforcement."
Maj. Tanner, however, is a founding partner of First Citizens Bank of Georgia.
To see the entire "40 Under 40" list, click on the link below.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2007/10/85228