Suwanee Council Member To Seek Gwinnett Commission Post

Suwanee City Council member Jace Brooks announced Friday that he will seek election to the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners in 2012. He would be running for the District 1 post currently held by first-term Commissioner Shirley Lasseter of Duluth.

Brooks has been a member of the Suwanee City Council since 2002; as the current Mayor Pro Tem, he presides over government meetings when Mayor Dave Williams is absent.

Brooks' current term in Suwanee ends in 2013. If Brooks indeed qualifies to run for the Gwinnett office, he would resign the Suwanee post and a special election would be held, according to Suwanee City Manager Marty Allen.

The Gwinnett election would be Nov. 6, 2012, according to the county website.

Brooks said he intends to bring to the county commission position the same qualities and philosophy that have kept Suwanee growing and on a firm financial footing throughout the current recession.  

 “Those include greater budgeting and financial discipline, enhanced operating efficiencies for all departments, and economic development and tax policies designed to expand the county’s tax base, and thereby reduce the tax burden on individuals and families, and most importantly, trust in government," he said in a news release.

Suwanee's city finances have fared better during the recession than those of many municipalities. The city twice has reduced its millage (tax) rate in recent years, and its bond rating recently received an upgrade to AA+ from AA by Fitch, a leading rating service. Standard and Poor also upgraded Suwanee from AA- to AA in April.

Gwinnett County's government has had serious financial challenges in recent years. Currently, the county is facing a $30 million financial shortfall as it prepares its 2012 budget, largely due to the shrinking tax digest.

Newly redistricted District 1 includes all of Suwanee, Sugar Hill and Duluth, as well as parts of Buford, Norcross and Lawrenceville. 

“The county is facing many challenges as the tax digest continues to shrink. It will take experience and vision to address these challenges," Brooks said. "I will take my experience and vision from Suwanee City Council to the County Commission.”

While serving on Suwanee City Council, Brooks supported conservative efforts that created hundreds of high-paying private sector jobs, reduced crime, and added hundreds of acres of green space, all while reducing property taxes on citizens and businesses by 6 percent.

Brooks also is Suwanee's liaison with the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau, putting him in the loop on matters about the Gwinnett Arena, Coolray Field and the county's hospitality industry.

Brooks is a financial advisor who has an MBA in marketing from Georgia State and a BS in finance from Louisiana Tech. He is married with two children.