Newspaper Page Text
Midweek Edition-December 30-31,2020
ForsythNews.com | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | 3A
'Anyone who has sat on [Ga.]
400 or 85 during rush hour [traf
fic] knows that not only do we
need to think about the capacity
of roads.'
-Carolyn Bourdeaux
Georgia's 7th Congressional District
FROM 1A
Bourdeaux
community,” Bourdeaux recent
ly told Forsyth County News.
She is replacing incumbent
Republican Rep. Rob Woodall,
who has held the office since
2011 and did not seek re-elec
tion for a sixth term. Despite
the party differences,
Bourdeaux said so far, the tran
sition between the offices is
going smooth.
“We have reached out to Rep.
Woodall to work on transfers of
cases and casework, and he has
been very collegial about that
and very helpful,” she said. “I
want to make sure that nobody
slips through the cracks as we
have that transition, so that’s a
big piece of it.”
Bourdeaux, a professor at
Georgia State University, said
she has a history of bipartisan
ship dating back to her time
working at the Georgia Senate
Budget and Evaluation Office
and as a legislative aid for
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, who
previously served in the House
and wants to “bring that kind of
bipartisan and problem-solving
outlook to this current job.”
“I have talked a lot about
how I am interested in bringing
people together to solve prob
lems,” Bourdeaux said. “My
background, of course, is I have
worked with people from both
parties both when I was a legis
lative aid in Washington, I was
working for Ron Wyden, he
was a Democrat that had a
Republican sponsor on every
single piece of legislation that I
worked on. Then, I worked
with the Republican leadership
in Georgia to balance the bud
get.”
Since the election,
Bourdeaux has been working to
step into the new role and
recently attended orientation
for new members of Congress,
which she said involved a lot of
Zoom meetings to keep up with
social distancing.
Bourdeaux was also recently
assigned to the House
Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure, which she
said could help aid some of
Forsyth and Gwinnett’s traffic
woes.
“I think congestion, ensuring
that we have good ways of get
ting around the district are
incredibly important to eco
nomic development and to the
business community, that’s one
of the reasons it was one of my
top pics for a primary commit
tee,” she said.
“Anyone who has set on
[Ga.] 400 or [Int.] 85 during
rush hour [traffic] knows that
not only do we need to think
about the capacity of roads, but
certainly, in Gwinnett, there’s
been a lot of interest in thinking
about transit and where that is
appropriate. We want to work
with people on expanding alter
native ways of getting around.”
Along with the transportation
issues, Bourdeaux said she is
also working to join other com
mittees and caucuses and said
some of the issues she hopes to
focus on are eliminating
COVID-19, helping small busi
nesses and bolstering health
care.
“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 seri
ous health care issues that we
face in the 7th District,” she
said. “We pay extortionary
rates for health insurance. We
pay very high rates for pre
scription medications, and
despite paying an awful lot for
health care, we still have
120,000-plus people in the 7th
District without health insur
ance. That was the number
before the crisis, and now I
would not be surprised if it was
much higher as people have
lost their jobs and just don’t
have the money to pay for the
health coverage that is so
expensive here.”
With a newly-elected official
representing the district,
Bourdeaux said she is already
making plans to hold events to
meet the community and get
input on upcoming legislation.
“We are getting ready to put
together various events around
the district,” Bourdeaux said,
“and are working very hard on
outreach so we can collect and
understand what people’s needs
are and are able to carry the
banner of the people of the 7th
District in Washington.
'It's the person that stands between
the political side of government
and the operational side of govern
ment. When you've got the right
team in place, it's amazing what
can be accomplished. You can do
good things for the community.'
Rep. Kevin Tanner on his upcoming role
as Forsyth County Manager
FROM 1A
Tanner
meaningful bigger issues,”
Tanner said.
Speaking of the big issues he
worked on over the last eight
years, Tanner said that he and
other policymakers on both
sides of the aisle were able to
do good work with Georgia’s
Freight Fogistics Commission
and Mental Health Reform
Commission.
“I worked on things like
education and transportation
and mental health, and things
that I felt like would really
move us forward as a state,” he
said. “So I’m going to miss
that, I’m going to miss the pol
icy side of it.”
A lifelong resident of
Dawson County and with fami
ly ties to the north Georgia area
going back a century or more,
Tanner said that he has had a
front-row seat to the changes
that have swept through, bring
ing new people, business and
development.
Tanner said that he still
remembers when many roads
were dirt roads and the Dawson
County Sheriff’s Office had
just a handful of employees.
“We had two deputies on at
night and one deputy on during
the day and that was it. That
was all we had. We had 12
employees in the entire sher
iff’s office. The dispatcher was
also the jailer,” he said with a
laugh.
“I’ve been able to have a
front-row seat, specifically for
Dawson County, to see it com
pletely change and it’s been
exciting,” he added. “As far as
the district as a whole goes, it
just continues to grow.”
But beyond all the physical
changes to northeast Georgia,
Tanner says that since he took
office he has seen a dramatic
change to the field of politics,
which he attributes to social
media.
“Social media has changed
the nature of politics,” he said.
“It’s good, because it allows an
elected official to push out
information directly to constitu
ents, but it’s challenging
because there’s no filter on facts
versus fiction.”
With the challenges of devel
opment and misinformation on
social media in mind, Tanner
said despite his departure from
the general assembly, the peo
ple of Georgia and District 9 are
in good hands.
For Will Wade, who will take
over the District 9 seat come
January, Tanner had one key
piece of advice, “stay true to
who you are” and don’t focus
on getting reelected.
“I’ve known Will a long time,
I’ve watched Will on the school
board and as a leader in civic
organizations locally and
involved in the banking field, so
I know Will to be a man of
integrity and I think [he] will do
a great job for us,” he said.
But even though Tanner is
stepping out of the world of
politics, it doesn’t mean he’s
retiring. Fast week Tanner was
named Forsyth County
Manager.
It’s a role that Tanner knows
well and loves, having spent
five years as the Dawson
County Manager prior to his
stint as District 9
Representative.
The role of Forsyth County
Manager would blend his love
for policymaking with an ability
to take immediate action to
solve problems in a community,
according to Tanner.
“It’s the person that stands
between the political side of
government and the operational
side of government,” he said.
“When you’ve got the right
team in place, it’s amazing what
can be accomplished. You can
do good things for the commu
nity.”
“I like a challenge and I’m
excited about the challenge,” he
said.
To the Dawson County resi
dents that have supported him
over the last decade, Tanner
shared a message of admiration.
“It’s been the honor of my
life to serve and represent them
in Atlanta,” he said, “and even
though I won’t be in the role of
being their state representative
after the second Monday in
January, my door will always be
open to them.”
City of Cumming, Georgia
Report on Projects Funded Through Special Local Option Sales Tax
Special Option Sales Tax # 5
Project
Original Estimated Cost
Current Estimated Cost
Amounts Expended in
Prior Periods (Through
November 30, 2019)
Amounts Expended in
Twelve Months-December
1, 2019 Through
November 30, 2020
Total Amounts Expended
Street Improvements
$ 12,600,000 $
20,900,000 S
20,613,038
$
20,613,038
Historical Preservation
2,300,000
2,300,000
2,560,777
2,560,777
Aquatic Facility
6,000,000
6,000,000
6,000,000
6,000,000
Greenspace Restoration
3,100,000
3,100,000
2,672,243
2,672,243
$ 24,000,000 $
32,300,000 S
31,846,058 $
$
31,846,058
Revised cost estimates on street improvements have been funded through an agreement with Forsyth County. Collection of tax expired June 30, 2008 and there were no surplus funds.
Special Option Sales Tax # 7
Project
Roads, Streets Bridges, Sidewalks and
Street Lamps
Park and Recreation
Raw Water Intake Generator
Original Estimated Cost
Current Estimated Cost
Amounts Expended in
Prior Periods (Through
November 30, 2019)
Amounts Expended in
Twelve Months-December
1, 2019 Through
November 30, 2020
Total Amounts Expended
$
10,500,000
2,000,000
1,000,000
$ 12,081,627
2,301,262
1,000,000
$
5,323,858 3,371,203
69,889 124,122
1,000,000
$ 8,695,061
194,011
1,000,000
13,500,000
15,382,889 S
6,393,747 $
3,495,325 $
9,889,072
Various street improvement and recreation projects are in progress at November 30, 2019. Completion of projects is contingent on the amount of funds collected under the tax which began
July 1, 2013 and expired June 30, 2019. It is not anticipated that there will be any surplus funds. A pedestrian bridge that was classified as recreation in a prior period
has been correctly reclassified under Roads, Streets, Bridges, Sidewalks and Street Lamps.
Special Option Sales Tax # 8
Project
Roads, Streets Bridges, Sidewalks and
Street Lamps
Dobbs Creek Recreation Center
Original Estimated Cost
Current Estimated Cost
Amounts Expended in
Prior Periods (Through
November 30, 2019)
Amounts Expended in
Twelve Months-December
1, 2019 Through
November 30, 2020
Total Amounts Expended
$
13,494,000 $ 13,494,000
1,000,000 1,000,000
$
341,476
341,476
S 14,494,000 $ 14,494,000
341,476 $ 341,476
Completion of projects is contingent on the amount of funds collected under the tax which began July 1, 2019 and expires June 30, 2025. Its is not anticipated that there will be
any surplus funds.