By Jim Simpson
Gwinnett County voters put the brakes on the transit referendum that would have brought MARTA buses deep into the county and rail service to Norcross. As proponents gathered on Tuesday night hoping to celebrate a close win, election officials were tallying scads of early and election-day votes.
Of the 91,921 votes cast, 49,936 were opposed while 41,985 were in favor. Most “yes” votes were from precincts near the I-85 corridor and along Peachtree Industrial Blvd., as well as the southern tip of the county.
Gwinnett County Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash admitted that the opposition “did a better job of getting their message out than we did.” Surprising, since business leaders and pro-transit groups Go Gwinnett and New Georgia Project Action Fund spent over $750,000, including slick direct-mail campaigns, roadside signage and paid canvassers, while opponents reached out mainly through social media posts and small alternative media outlets.
“MARTA lost this vote years ago by the way they’ve conducted their business over decades,” said Joe Newton, who administers the No MARTA in Gwinnett Facebook page. Newton was alluding to MARTA’s past financial difficulties, as well as a former department administrator and two other employees receiving prison sentences for their part in a false-invoice scheme costing taxpayers $520,000 for maintenance work that was never actually performed.
Go Gwinnett spokesperson Paige Havens told Fox5 News, “This is an opportunity for us to change the lay of the land for Gwinnett County.” A majority of Gwinnett voters evidently prefer the land just as it is. Others see the need for improvement in transit availability and traffic reduction.
“I believe that a public transport system expansion would have been beneficial to the community and the metro region,” said Adam Klein, a local singer-songwriter who voted in favor of the measure. “Over time it would help to reduce traffic congestion. Ease of access is critical to a flourishing community.”
Heather Hayes agreed with Klein. “If we really want to be part of the next generation and be that beacon of the South, then we have to have transit.”
“The money they’re trying to raise,” said transit opponent Michael Beck, “could be used in a much better way than four miles of rail and extending our bus services. We feel that we could do a better job on our own.” No one has elaborated on a better plan, so exactly what that “better job” entails remains a mystery for now.
The 41,985 voters who might need a stiff drink after this campaign can order one an hour earlier on Sundays. The so-called ‘Brunch Bill’ allows properly licensed local restaurants to serve alcohol at 11 a.m. on Sundays, instead of the current time of 12:30 p.m. The measure passed overwhelmingly with 69% of voters in Lawrenceville in favor of getting their Sunday mimosa or bloody mary fixes earlier. The same measure also passed in Sugar Hill, Snellville and Grayson, and will become effective April 1.
