An Open Letter to Ms. Nancy Stanbery-Kellam

I was again disappointed at the lack of professionalism I saw at the September 22, 2009 Library Board of Trustee meeting. Once again under your leadership, the board chose the easy way out. Yes you suggested a compromise--making a computer lab out of a thriving library branch at Dacula. Oh, yes, you are going to call it a library. But as the poet said, "A rose by any other name is just as sweet." No a computer lab is not what we paid for, voted for, lobbied for, and supported with our time, effort and sweat. A computer lab is no substitute for a full service library. We need and want the full range of services that you and the board have denied us.

Your continuing reference to over 200 years of experience in library matters in the meeting was offensive. Yes, we want to hire good people, but we have high expectations for those people. I was struck by the experiences of those in the audience whose opinions were actually denigrated. That experience level, conservatively, would have been over a 1000 years experience--maybe not in library science--but in good old common sense. Those folks understand that the likelihood of every reopening a full service library in any one of the computer labs is practically nil, notwithstanding the board's statements to the contrary.

It appears to me that you have been less than candid with the public. In an email (July 12, 2009) to Phil Hoskins at county government you make the statement, "While we would hate to have to close one branch (my comment i.e. DAC vs HML), this seems to be the best solution. But we need to know that the county will support us if we do this!" Mr. Hoskins replied three days later, "I'm not aware of any concerns."

Obviously, the board's claim to be non-political is sheer nonsense. You failed to mention to Board Member Saxton that this action was underway, and you hid it from the District Commissioner Beaudreau. I am assuming that you, Rhonda Boyd, and others met with Chairman Bannister, Jock Connell, and Phil Hoskins on July 20, 2009 to discuss the opening of Hamilton Mill. Ms. Boyd's email of July 15, 2009, to Mr. Hoskins stated "We have some ideas about how we could accomplish that (and why we think it would be a good solution), and we want to make sure there are no objections before we speak with Commissioner Beaudreau and his Library Board member, Phillip Saxton."So much for your board's claims. You obviously had at least a tacit understanding that your appointing authority had county political support for this move. Only a great outcry, maintains the Dacula branch and others from complete closure. I guess you learned to at least make an attempt to reach out to local leaders in other areas slated for the computer lab designation. You didn't show me or any leadership in your Dacula service area that courtesy.

How can we in the areas to be discriminated against trust your judgment any longer?

Rally Saving Dacula's Library

I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who attended the rally to save the Dacula library. Nearly 500 community residents--men, women, boys and girls--responded to the grassroots call of the Dacula Business Association to rally for keeping our library branch open. The intent of the rally is to call attention to the need to seek system-wide solutions to system-wide problems, and to keep all library branches open including the not-yet-open Hamilton Mill branch. I think you sent the proper message to the Library Board of Trustees and to the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners.

You send a powerful message by coming out on a rainy Saturday to show your support for the library system and the Dacula branch in particular. You and nearly 6,000 others have joined the FaceBook group dedicated to this citizen protest, and more than 2,000 have signed the petitions to keep the Dacula branch open. You are to be congratulated.

As you may know, the Business Association has received documents under the Freedom of Information Act that shows the some Library Board members and library staff have been discussing the Dacula closure and two more branch closures at least since July 2009, having private meetings with the Commission Chairman, the library board Chairman, and other Gwinnett County staff members trying to garner Commission support for this closure(s). And at the same time keeping those discussions from the public--and what is worse--from the District Commissioner, Mike Beaudreau, and the District Library Board member, Phillip Saxton. Those documents show that the Dacula branch is to be permanently closed on November 14, 2009, and that they plan to close both the Buford branch and the Snellville branch on February 27, 2010. I call on the citizens of Buford and Snellville to join with the Dacula community to resist these closures.

Please plan to be at the Library Board meeting at 6:30 PM on September 22, 2009 at the Five Forks branch to show your support of finding system-wide solutions to system-wide problems. So far Commissioners Beaudreau, Nasuti, and Kenerly have expressed their desires for the Library Board to find solutions that do not result in any library branch closures. They know as I do that once you close a library it probably will never reopen!

Keep the pressure on. Save the Dacula branch, and in doing so, you may also save the library branch that you use!

Judge holds off sanction in Service Delivery Dispute

The judge hearing the service delivery strategy dispute with the County and the 15 municipalities has ruled that sanctions will not be applied during the settlement dispute. This is a good thing for the residents of Cities and Gwinnett County. The sanctions provision in the Service Delivery law are designed to force parties to the table and get to a service delivery agreement sooner than later. So I guess the question that citizens ought to be asking is, "Why would the County want to enter into an agreement when there is no penalty for not doing so?"

In the meantime, Gwinnett County will continue to extract from every county resident living in Dacula $18.51 per year for services not delivered to those residents. In Lawrenceville, the County receives $84.57 per person for undelivered services. And so it goes for every City resident throughout Gwinnett County. The amounts are different, but the principle is the same. Gwinnett County collects tax money for services it does not provide. Extra money in the County's pocket, unconstitutional taking from your pocket.

Over a yearly period, this means that Dacula residents pay Gwinnett County an extra $85,000 per year, and Lawrenceville residents pay an extra $2,250,000 per year for nothing except saying we live in Gwinnett County. The Service Delivery law was designed to keep these duplicative costs from occurring by requiring a Service Delivery agreement between Cities and County governments.

It should be made clear that the Cities of Gwinnett County will not benefit by an agreement that outlaws such double dipping by Gwinnett County. Rather any savings will go directly into the taxpayers' pockets.

I leave it to you, the taxpaying citizens of the municipalities of Gwinnett County, to determine what is fair, moral, legal and constitutional.

Elect Jimmy Wilbanks Mayor

Elect Jimmy Wilbanks
Mayor
November 3, 2009

RESPECTING THE PAST,
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Dear Dacula Voter:

Every day I am humbled to serve as your Mayor. I appreciate your trust and support. I am running for re-election on November 3, 2009. We are living in a tough economic cycle, something that many have never seen before. The person you elect as Mayor will have a major impact during these critical times. You will need a Mayor who is a fiscal conservative, someone who is a believer in private property rights, and someone who will fight for your tax-payer rights. How can you as a voter determine which candidate might be better for the City in this critical period? I can think of only one criterion: the records of the candidates and the experience of each. Please consider some of the accomplishments of the City during my past four years as your Mayor:

• Quality of Life Improvements
o Additional work at Maple Creek Park
o McMillan Road and Broad Street SPLOST improvements
o Dacula High School Field House
o Hebron Christian Technology Building/Athletic Fields
o Romanian Orthodox Church

• Safety Improvements
o Additional street lighting
o Additional sidewalks
o Additional Marshal

• Tax Rate Improvements
o Lowered/kept the same tax rate for four years
o 2030 Comprehensive Plan

• Community Development/Economic Development (2006 – 2009)
o 24hr Tan
o Anytime Fitness
o Apalachee River Animal Hospital
o AutoZone
o Beef ‘O Brady Restaurant
o Cornerstone Cleaners
o Dacula Dental Associates
o Dacula Dogs Restaurant
o Dacula High School Field House
o Delicious Desserts Bakery
o Dentistry At Cornerstone (coming)
o Edward Jones Investments
o El Jinete Restaurant
o Handy Ace Hardware
o Harvest Table Restaurant
o Hebron Christian Technology Building/Athletic Fields
o KFC/Taco Bell Restaurant
o Luigi’s Pizza
o McDonald’s
o Melissa Berry Dance Studio
o Nail Technique
o Quiznos
o Rice Station Restaurant
o Romanian Orthodox Church
o Ronin Muay Thai
o Scoops
o Sears
o Sherwin Williams
o Sonic Restaurant
o Southern Fried Chicken
o Sprint (coming)
o State Farm Agency
o Sugar Island Jerk (coming)
o Sun Trust Bank
o The Flower Pot
o Walgreens
o World’s Delights & Coffee


Naturally, I have not done all these things alone! Our dedicated staff and the City Council deserve praise for our continuing development and municipal improvements. While not every thing has gone according to our vision, it is the job of the Mayor to help create the vision for the City and make sure it stays on track. I ask you to help me continue our vision—a vision of the place we call home, as a safe, family-friendly, and progressive City.

Please use your influence, cast your vote and support Jimmy Wilbanks for Mayor on November 3, 2009 at the Dacula City Hall. Elect a person who has demonstrated experience and success.

Please call or contact me at any time: jimwilba@mindspring.com or 770.560.0867.
Paid for by Jimmy Wilbanks.

Dacula Library Closing Decision Energizes Community

The Gwinnett County Library Board of Trustees recent decision to close the Dacula Branch has energized a grassroots movement to keep the branch library open. The movement is dedicated to finding system-wide solutions to system-wide problems--not a solution based on a single location. The Dacula Business Association and other community groups and citizens are the leaders of this movement, and they have the full support of the Mayor and City Council of the City of Dacula. The Council and I want to see a system-wide solution that allows the Hamilton Mill Branch to open and also keeps all Branches open, including Dacula.

I encourage you to visit to visit the web site, http://www.savedaculalibrary.com, to see some ways that you as an individual or community group might oppose the Library Board's decision to close the Dacula Branch.

The following meetings are scheduled, and I encourage you to attend.

September 1, 2009
Informational Meeting
Dacula First United Methodist Church on Fence Road
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM, drop in at your convenience
Exchange ideas, receive information and network with your neighbors

September 15, 2009
Dacula City Hall
Dacula Business Association meeting
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Regular meeting of the DBA

September 19, 2009
Rally for the Library
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
March from Hebron Church down Dacula Road to Library

September 22, 2009
Library Board Meeting
Scheduled for the Five Forks Trickum Branch Location
6:30 PM
Regular Library Board Meeting. I have been in the meeting room and it can hold only about 60-65 people. Look for this meeting place to be rescheduled.

Library Board Votes to Close Dacula Branch

At a special called meeting, with a surprise change to the agenda, the Gwinnett County Library Board voted to close the Dacula Branch today. I have no further information at this time. The City Council, Commissioner Beaudreau and I will be meeting with the Board as soon as possible to discuss this matter, seek other alternative measures and to let our anger over this issue be known. The Dacula Branch opened about 3 years ago and has served the City and District 3 well.

Dacula Park Swimming Pool

Hmm??, so the Gwinnett County budget needs to be cut. Every other pool at a community park in Gwinnett has to give up a day.

But Dacula's pool is to be closed permanently.

What do you think?