COMMUNITY EVENTS

Election News from Gwinnett

Special Election Voting Information

Note that no voting will take place on Monday, November 2. If you did not vote early or absentee, you must cast your ballot on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3 at your voting precinct. For more information, visit the Elections webpage or call 678.226.7210.
 

Vote November 3rd between the hours of 7:00 am and 7:00 pm at your regular poling place in a special election to decide whether or not to continue the current E-SPLOST for education. (Yes, we have already been paying a little extra to fund our nationally acclaimed school system. For more on national awards, go to Gwinnett Daily Post LINK.)

See below for information gathered by Parkview High School Newsletter Panther Pause .

GCPS Plan for 2017-2020

To learn even more, an informational pamphlet from GCPS is provided.   CLICK HERE

City of Lilburn Special Election Tues. Nov. 3rd

Lilburn has only one contested race to decide: that of Post 1 held by Council Member Teresa Czyz.

Registered city voters may vote in the special city election today until 4:30 pm at City Hall, and Tuesday, Nov. 3 from 7 am until 7 pm.

Learn More About the Candidates

LCP sent a questionnaire to each of the Post 1 candidates: Brian Burchik, Teresa Czyz, and Michelle West. The questions and their unedited responses are below.

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Brian Burchik, Self-employed – founder of Live Fully, LLC

What are your qualifications for serving as City Council Member? (75 words)

My background (grew up in Lilburn) and professional life has uniquely positioned me for serving in city council. For 8 years, I served as a pastor, which involved organizational leadership & vision setting, creating events that cultivate community, and recruiting/training over one hundred adult volunteers to serve over 400 students. Now, as an entrepreneur, I understand the importance of small business, while engaging in the community, such as starting a running club, creating Lilburn merchandise, and recruiting numerous families to Lilburn.

Why do you want to hold the office? (100)

I desire to hold office because I want to represent the next generation of Lilburn families that will work to build Lilburn’s best future possible. As a city, Lilburn’s potential is incredible, but we need a representative in the council that can share and voice the vision of the next generation that is raising families and thinking through what kind of city they want their kids to experience and love. Additionally, I hope to help increase social/business life in the downtown area, champion entrepreneurship in our town so that people start their businesses here, and to cultivate city pride in its residents. I’m also very passionate about seeing all schools thrive that are located in Lilburn.

What do you consider Lilburn’s strengths to be and how should they be utilized? (200)
 

I believe Lilburn is a family-oriented community that has proven to be an incredible place to raise kids and build a life. This strength needs to continue to grow. Lilburn also has a charm and small town feel, which is increasingly becoming the very thing that people are seeking to be a part of. Our downtown area has the potential to be a walkable community where people, young and old, can reclaim the “small town” way that is a more connected and holistic way of living. Maintaining the charm of Lilburn while embracing growth and development is of the utmost importance.

Another strength of Lilburn is its diversity, both in terms of ethnicity as well as age. We must continue to embrace and celebrate all the different cultures here. Also, I believe that the different age demographics need each other. Young millenials that are just starting to build their lives and grow their families need the support, wisdom, and grounding that comes from being in relationship with more seasoned adults, such as empty nesters or retirees. And those empty nesters can find incredible purpose and significance in coming alongside the next generation. To cultivate unity in our diversity will make Lilburn an incredibly unique place to live.

What do you consider major issues in Lilburn and how do you propose addressing them? (200)

Lilburn’s Next Generation

I will continue working to attract the next generation of adults and families to put down roots in Lilburn and join in building its best future possible. Every great organization, whether a business, a school, or more broadly an entire city must pass the baton from one generation to the next so that the community can continue to flourish.

Champion the Entrepreneurial Spirit

As a small business owner, I am passionate about fostering an entrepreneurial spirit in our city. Specifically, I will champion efforts to bring a small business incubator to Lilburn that will offer workspace opportunity and encourage collaboration for current entrepreneurs and future start-ups that will positively impact our city. Rather than ambitious entrepreneurs feeling like they have to leave Lilburn to go to larger cities, I want to change the perspective so they see Lilburn as a place to develop their businesses.

Increase Social Life in Downtown

Every great community has places for people to gather and connect, and our city has a unique opportunity to establish new restaurants and a coffee shop in the walk-able downtown area. I will work to bring high quality businesses here, as well as supporting development in our beautiful park so that our downtown is an increasingly attractive place for people to live and visit.

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Teresa A. Czyz, Georgia Transmission Corporation - Electrical Engineer

What are your qualifications for serving as City Council Member? (75 words)

I currently serve on City Council, so I have the knowledge and experience to understand what it takes to serve you.

I’ve lived in Lilburn for 13 years and have been involved in the community by organizing NNO for 4 years, serving on Lilburn’s Alcohol Review Board and Planning Commission and by also serving on boards of SafetySmart Liburn and the Lilburn Community Garden.

Please check my website, www.teresa4council.com, for more information about my qualifications.

Why do you want to hold the office? (100)

It’s simple, because I really do care about the people of this community.  I believe the safety of our residents is a priority, as is a good quality of life.

I want to hold the office to advocate for body cameras for the police, to bring a K-9 unit to the city, to install a Tornado Warning System for our residents, to support expansion of the trails and continuation of park events.

Finally, I want to serve because the people of Lilburn deserve representatives that will help them, speak for them, and protect them in an honorable and trustworthy way.

What do you consider Lilburn’s strengths to be and how should they be utilized? (200)

I believe that one of Lilburn’s greatest strengths is our low crime rate.  The Lilburn Police Department (LPD), clearly, one of the finest police departments in the Greater Atlanta area, has done an excellent job in building relationships with neighborhoods and businesses.  I believe that they should continue to expand and maintain neighborhood and business watches by using organizations like SafetySmart Lilburn and the Lilburn Citizens Police Academy Partnership.  Communication between watches is the key and if we can use the LPD as the “center of the wheel” to send out important information to our watch leaders, this will continue to make Lilburn one of the safest places to live.

A strength also lies with the many different kind of people who call this city home.  We all share similar goals:  a safe neighborhood, good schools, a home where we feel secure and a community that cares.  There are opportunities to attend ethnic festivals and events throughout Lilburn.  We have our own International Festival, which celebrates the uniqueness of our community.   I would hope that we use this cultural diversity to learn from one another and about one another.

What do you consider major issues in Lilburn and how do you propose addressing them? (200)

The biggest issue that needs to be addressed is the mistrust that many citizens feel toward city government.  Many people, who I have talked to, feel disenfranchised, feel like decisions are being made with no due consideration given to them as taxpayers.  We should give our residents the chance to express their concerns and ask questions prior to making decisions that could impact their taxes and their neighborhoods.  They deserve to know what’s going on and we need to be willing to listen.  It’s perceived that “minds are already made up”.  That we don’t care what they think.  And honestly, I believe that if we have good justification for what we are doing, then we should be able to communicate our position and should be able to adequately address their questions and concerns.  Realistically, we won’t win over everyone, but I believe that the majority of people will at least appreciate that we were open and honest and gave them a chance to voice their questions and concerns.  We need to improve communication and build trust between our citizens and their government.  And, I believe, it all starts with allowing our residents, our taxpayers the chance to express their voice.

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Michelle West, M West Legal, LLC, State Bar of Georgia - Attorney

What are your qualifications for serving as City Council Member? (75 words)

I have participated in numerous city, county, community and professional leadership programs and boards over the past several years.   This experience, coupled with being an attorney and certified mediator, has served to prepare me for the position I seek on the Council.  I direct you to my website www.michelleforlilburn.com to see a complete list of my qualifications since I am limited here in my response.

Why do you want to hold the office? (100)

Practically speaking, I am passionate about being of service and championing the rights and voices of people whether it is through my profession or in a service oriented community position.  I believe in Lilburn’s potential.  I seek to use my qualifications, mentioned above and more specifically at www.michelleforlilburn.com , to assist the Council in its improvement of our great city.  My keen sense of collaboration, negotiation, relationship-building and inquiry are some of my many traits that would add value to our Council.  I have a fresh perspective and am willing to look at all issues with the community’s interests at the center of any decision.

What do you consider Lilburn’s strengths to be and how should they be utilized? (200)

Lilburn’s strengths are its small town charm, schools, geographic location, public safety and sense of community.  Although growth is inevitable, these strengths can be leveraged to bring in responsible and calculated development.  Lilburn has a unique quaint atmosphere, which sets it apart from many cities in Gwinnett County.  Its geographic location makes it easily accessible to Atlanta and the greater metro area while maintaining a somewhat small town feel.  This characteristic should be considered when ensuring that all development is in line with the balanced interests of the residents and business.  Lilburn should play up these strengths to bring in reasonable development that will serve to bolster our community and tax base.  Since we are a bedroom community that many northern city residents have to pass to reach their destination we should ensure that we have businesses that both our residents and non-residents would want to frequent, as another means of raising revenue for our city businesses and city alike.  Our great schools and public safety can also be utilized to demonstrate that there is value in continued investment our community, which is furthered bolstered by great our sense of community.

What do you consider major issues in Lilburn and how do you propose addressing them? (200)

One of Lilburn’s major issues, based on resident feedback, is traffic/ congestion.  I agree with the saying that “we are not in traffic, we are traffic.”  As further development continues traffic and congestion will likely increase.  It would be premature to propose how I would address this issue considering I do not currently have all the facts.  However, given what I do know at this time, I would propose doing research through the Department of Transportation on all high traffic areas, the numbers of cars present daily and the existence of accidents that have occurred at the most prominent intersections or roadways.  I would then propose collaboration with the county in establishing a method of combatting this trend.  Although an intersection may be a non-city street, many times it is close enough to the city to affect its residents.  Just because a road is a not a city road, we must still keep a dialogue going with the county so that traffic does not continue to adversely impact the quality of life for all citizens.  Another option would be to make our city a more walkable community, working with our Community Improvement District and working to obtain necessary funding to implement suggestions for improvements on the Lawrenceville Highway corridor.