District 3 Commission Candidates List Priorities

Next month, voters in Gwinnett County District 3 will decide if  Mike Beaudreau, Tommy Hunter, Mike Korom or Jerry Oberholtzer will serve as the area's next county commissioner.

Patch asked each of the candidates to answer a series of questions relating to current political issues. The questionnaires were based in part on questions submitted by readers. Patch did not limit the length of the responses. Each candidate's answers are presented unedited and in their entirety.

Candidate:  Mike Beaudreau
Occupation:  national accounts manager
Campaign website:  www.mikebeaudreau.com
Campaign Facebook page:  Mike Beaudreau
Campaign Twitter account: @MikeBeaudreau

2.) If elected, what will be your top priority?

My top priority is to promote economic development and job growth.   The recent downturn dealt a major blow to the county’s economy, from which we have not fully recovered.  The loss of jobs has meant that homeowners now make up too high a portion of the county’s tax base.

By bringing in more companies with high paying jobs, we can broaden the tax base and make way for reduced taxes.

Candidate:  Tommy Hunter
Occupation:  civil engineer
Campaign website:  www.ElectTommy.com
Campaign Facebook page:  Elect Tommy Hunter

2.) If elected, what will be your top priority?

My top priority will be addressing the issues which will affect the well being of our residents for years to come. A major issue is our source of drinking water.   Currently we have redundant systems for the treatment and distribution of drinking water, but only a single source under the control of the Federal government and challenged by our downstream neighbors.  In 2008, I was part of the County's Reservoir Study Committee. We used the opportunity of this committee to look at options for diversifying the County's water source and looked for ways to produce supplemental water sources to guard against future droughts and to supplement our withdrawals from Lake Lanier. We produced a report with several options--not nailing down any particular one--for County planners to look at. I believe that all possibilities should be looked at before any are discounted. To my knowledge, that report has never been acted upon, and it is time we have someone on the commission that understands the importance of a secure water source and will get the process moving now, before it is too late.   

Candidate:  Mike Korom
Occupation:  independent contractor
Campaign website:  www.mikekorom.com
Campaign Facebook page:  Elect Mike Korom

2.) If elected, what will be your top priority?

My two top priorities will be to established a broader range of reaching out to constituents to hear their concerns.  This will include town hall meetings,  virtual townhall meetings, video conferencing and whatever it takes to make sure the citizens are heard.  My second priority will be to dive into the county budget and break it down on every line to find anything else we can cut to ensure a strong county operating staff and employees as well as a strong police and emergency response service. 

Candidate:  Jerry Oberholtzer
Occupation:  former mayor of Snellville
Campaign website:  www.JerryOberholtzer.com
Campaign Facebook page:  Jerry Oberholtzer

2.) If elected, what will be your top priority?

a. Open, honest and ethical government. You simply cannot expect honesty and integrity unless you elect people of character with a devotion to public service. 

b. Strengthen our Police. In a recent lawsuit between the county and the cities, the judge ruled that there is a serious manpower shortage in the county’s police department.  I will work to increase the strength of our police force without further burden on the tax payers.

c. Job Growth. We need to bring high paying, high-tech jobs to Gwinnett. I’ll do this by creating a pro-business atmosphere with low taxes and sound infrastructure dedicated to prosperity and growth.  I will do so while protecting our neighborhoods and communities to the fullest extent.