Final City Council Candidate Forum Draws Large Turnout

It was another historic night for the citizens of the new city of Peachtree Corners. The final of three city council candidate forums was held at on Monday night where over 400 came to meet and hear the Post 3 candidates for the first time.

The Post 3 candidates include, , and . Also returning were the at-large candidates for Posts 4, 5 and 6 at the sponsored event. Before the forum began at 7:30 p.m., candidates and citizens had the chance to mix and meet.

Gwinnett Superior Court Judge Warren Davis was the moderator for the evening. Davis, a Peachtree Corners resident for the past 21 years has spent 28 years serving on the bench for the county. He is also a former Gwinnett Police Officer who patrolled the community long before all of the roads were even paved.

"We're making history here," said Davis addressing the candidates and group of citizens. Observing the large, enthusiastic group that had gathered to hear the candidates Davis observed, "Government," he said, "works best when citizens participate."

As in the previous forums, each of the candidates were given three minutes to introduce themselves followed by questions that had been submitted by the audience before the forum began.

Post 3 candidates, Alex Wright, David Proud and Scott Ehrlich outlined their strengths as candidates.

Wright spoke of his leadership and business experience and his committment to the city. "I had a passion for Peachtree Corners even before it was a city," said Wright, siting his pro-city blogs that were posted on Peachtree Corners Patch and often brought heated debates with those who were opposed to cityhood.

Proud pointed to his involvement and leadership in the subdivision where he lives in getting much needed road work done and said he would use that same effort and committment as a council member for the new city.

Ehrlich, also a proponent of cityhood pointed to his early involvement with the UPCCA. Ehrlich who was instrumental in rebuilding the UPCCA website and putting in place an email program to use for communication. 

As in the past forums, those attending were asked to submit questions for the candidates. The questions ranged from:

• What qualifications should a city manager have
• Their position on city taxes and how they should be spent
• Their vision for an ethics policy for the new city council
• How do they plan on being accessable to the citizens if they are elected.
• What were their ideas on how to increase home values over the next few years
• What were their plans for waste collection
• Their position on code enforcement
• Do you want a tree ordinance
• Do you think high rises should be permitted

The Post 3 forum brought in the largest number of Peachtree Corners voters, the Post 2 forum had some 300 attending and Post 1 around 200. But what the forums did prove is that this is a community of interested and engaged voters.

Mike Mason, the city's future mayor and his wife Debbie attended Monday's forum, they also attended the Post 1 and Post 2 forums. Gwinnett County District 2 Commissioner Lynette Howard also attended.

Also at the final forum was former Norcross mayor, Lillian Webb, who offered her endorsement in favor of cityhood for the Peachtree Corners and Mark Williams who is running for State Representative in the Republican primary. Williams is a co-owner and operator of Printing Trade Company in Norcross.