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Denmark junior Ethan Ashley and
South Forsyth sophomore Carmel
Yonas are the 2020 Forsyth County
News Runners of the Year. IB
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FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS
Midweek Edition-December 30-31,2020 FORSYTHNEWS.COM $1.00
GOVERNMENT
Bourdeaux: representing District 7 'an extraordinary honor
By Kelly Whitmire
kwhitmire@forsythnews.com
With the year that 2020 has been, many
are hoping for big changes in the new year.
One change for residents living in Georgia’s
7th Congressional District, which is made
up of the majority of Forsyth and Gwinnett
counties, will be a new member of Congress
from a new party taking office.
Carolyn Bourdeaux, a Democrat who won
the seat in the Nov. 5 general election over
Republican candidate Rich McCormick,
will be swom-in on Sunday, Jan. 3 and will
get to work the next day.
“It’s an extraordinary honor to be able to
represent people and be given a role where I
can help and hopefully be part of a coalition
and provide leadership in solving some of
the really pressing problems we face as a
SeeBOURDEAUX|3A
A critical issue that I ran on is
health care, and I am looking to
work with a coalition to address
some of the really serious health
care issues that we face
in the 7th District.'
-Carolyn Bourdeaux
Georgia's 7th Congressional District
'Make a small difference every day'
Ashlyn Yule Forsyth County News
Henry Borgerding, a senior at Pinecrest Academy, interviewed Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman
about how teens and college-aged students can be better leaders and help the community.
Boy Scout interviews Sheriff Ron Freeman for final
merit badge, learns lesson about grace and positivity
By Ashlyn Yule
ayule@forsythnews.com
Henry Borgerding first joined Cub Scouts as a
Webelo because his childhood friend invited him to join
his troop. Years later, as a senior at Pinecrest Academy,
Borgerding has completed hours of requirements to ful
fill different badge and project qualifications.
The last goal for him to accomplish is earning his
Eagle Scout rank, and to help him acquire his final
badge, Borgerding interviewed Forsyth County Sheriff
Ron Freeman about how teens and college-aged stu
dents can be better leaders and help the community.
Freeman began the interview, held on Wednesday,
Dec. 23, by explaining the background of crime in the
area and saying that Forsyth County has a very low
crime rate. The most common types of crimes accord
ing to Freeman are those related to substance abuse,
disorderly conduct such as petty theft and fighting, and
sexting, which can trigger very serious child pornogra
phy charges.
“Unfortunately, we see young men and women
engage in [sexting] and age becomes an issue, and that
then becomes a criminal act,” Freeman said. “We hope
to see that go away or certainly decrease, and education
is key for that.”
Freeman said education is one of the best ways to
prevent crimes from happening, especially sexting
among minors. He also explained that, regarding sub
stance abuse, there are two K-9 units that oversee the
See BADGE 2A
Alfred John set
to be sworn in
as District 2
commissioner
By Ashlyn Yule
ayule@forsythnews.com
Alfred John will be sworn in as the new
District 2 Commissioner on Tuesday, Dec.
29. He will join the BOC at its first meet
ing of 2021 on Thursday, Jan. 7.
John is replacing Dennis Brown, who
chose not to run for reelec
tion.
John’s professional
background includes
working in the human
resource tech space at a
company in Buckhead. For
the last three years, he has
been working on the
Zoning Board of Appeals,
or ZBA, hearing variances
and other appeals.
“[The ZBA] gave me a good transition
into the [Forsyth County] Board of
Commissioners,” John said.
John said he is excited to work with the
BOC along with the Forsyth County gov
ernment staff in the upcoming year, work
ing together to execute the visions of the
board and the county residents.
“We have a great amount of talent and
intellect on the current board of commis
sioners, and I’ve met with a number of
staff,” John said. “We’ve got some really
great talent there as well. So I want to
work with them on a number of finishes
that are coming up in District 2.”
Being a south Forsyth resident, John
plans to bring his passion for helping the
people of District 2 and Forsyth County to
his term. He plans to oversee and contrib
ute to projects like the widening of Old
Atlanta and McGinnis Ferry roads and the
Ronald Reagan extension, saying he
“[wants] to be sure that ... all goes along
See JOHN 12A
7 believe that I can contribute
to the current trajectory in
Forsyth County of smart
growth and join also with the
current commissioners in
focusing on growing our
commercial base.'
-Alfred John
Incoming District 2 commissioner
John
'THE HONOR OF MY LIFE'
Rep. Kevin Tanner reflects on time representing District 9
By Alexander Popp
FCN regional staff
Sitting behind the desk of his tiny office
in downtown Dawsonville on a morning in
early December, Rep. Kevin Tanner
reflected that throughout his time in the
general assembly, he was proud to rise
above politics and focus on policy.
But after four terms serving Georgia
House District 9, which encompasses
Dawson and Lumpkin counties and part of
northern Forsyth County, and an unsuc
cessful bid for Georgia’s District 9
Congressional seat, Tanner will step out of
the world of politics this January and says
he has no plans to return.
“The last four terms in the general
assembly have really been the time of my
life, in a lot of ways it’s been challeng
ing, but I’ve been able to do what I want
ed to do, and that was to work on some
See TANNER 13A
State Rep. Kevin
Tanner will leave
the Georgia House
of Representatives
in January after 4
terms serving
Georgia's 9th
District.
Alexander Popp
FCN regional staff
48/43
Forecast! 2A
Former Braves
pitcher, Hall of
Famer Phil Niekro
remembered for
his heart for
children. 8A
90994
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Volume 111, Number 117
© 2020, Forsyth County News
Cumming, Georgia
