It Was Standing Room Only at the City's 2nd Candidate Forum

It was another big night for Peachtree Corners citizens as more than 300 gathered to meet the two Post 2 candidates running for the city's first city council.

The candidates and took the hot seat Tuesday night, and returning for a second round were the 10 at-large candidates for Posts 4, 5 and 6.

The room quickly filled up and soon there was standing room only at the Fellowship Hall of were the forum, hosted by the (UPCCA), was held.

Gay Shook, UPCCA's Vice President of Programs was delighted to see the large turn out which she said shows that the Peachtree Corners citizens are very involved and interested in their new city.

"The secret to having a great city is to have a lot of people who vote," said Shook. "We want the people in Gwinnett to say, 'Wow, those people really get out and vote in Peachtree Corners.'"

First up were the two Post 2 candidates, with Bert Nasuti, the former County Commissioner for District 2, serving as moderator.

"Thank all of your for coming," said Nasuti, who is also a long time resident of Peachtree Corners. "This whole process is as American as apple pie. It's great to see so many here tonight."

Mike Mason, the city's future mayor, spoke briefly before the forum began. "The most frequent question I get," he said, "is 'What are you going to do first?'" First is electing the six candidates then it will be the council's task to set up the city legally said Mason.

The format was the same as Monday night, each of the candidates was allowed three minutes to introduce themselves followed by questions submitted by the audience.

There seemed to be a lot fewer nervous jitters, especially for those candidates who returned for a second round of questioning.

Lowe said that when he and his wife began searching for a home to buy they chose Peachtree Corners as they recognized it as a great place to live and raise a family. Now, said Lowe, he and his wife "have a vested interest" in the community as they now have four daughters to raise and he wants to be a part of shaping the city's future.

Stephen Peet, a Senior Project Manager for AT&T, said he's been active in the Peachtree Corners community serving a volunteer for the past 22 years in various capacities while raising his four children and now would like to "serve Peachtree Corners."

All 12 candidates, were then asked a series of questions ranging from "Do you think the city should expand its services from the current three outlined in the city charter" to "How would you attract more local businesses," and even, "What's your basic political philosophy."

Though the responses varied, the common theme was the interest and excitement in being part of building a new city from the ground up.

The at-large candidates in attendance Tuesday were:

Post 4: Jeanne Aulbach, Robert Byars, Gloria Rucks

Post 5: Lorri Christopher, Brent Johnson, Gray Terry

Post 6: Raymond Cobb, Weare Gratwick, David Leader, Brian Stickney

The final Peachtree Candidate Forum will be held Monday, Feb. 6, 2012 at Christ the King Lutheran Church from 7:30 - 9 p.m.  The candidates will be available to meet and greet residents starting at 7:00 p.m.