Candidates for Gwinnett BOC Chair Discuss Backgrounds

n just a few weeks, voting for the next chair of the Gwinnett Board of Commissioners will get underway.

Though the special election to fill former Gwinnett County chairman Charles Bannister's unexpired term is not until March 15, absentee voting begins Feb. 14.

Four candidates – Charlotte Nash of Dacula, Larry Gause of Tucker, Gerald Duane Kissel of Snellville and Will Costa of Lilburn – remain in the running. Two other candidates,  and Timothy Swiney, withdrew from the race last month.

The winner of the March special election will assume responsibility for managing . The new chair must also deal with .

Patch asked each of the candidates to share information about his or her background and to answer a series of questions relating to current political issues. Patch did not limit the length of the responses. Each day this week, we'll present a different topic with the candidates’ unedited responses.

Today, we introduce the candidates, in alphabetical order, in their own words:

WILL COSTA

Current hometown: Lilburn

Describe your background: Employed with his family owned food manufacturing company for the past 27 plus years. 

Political activist for the past 12 plus years working on legislative issues at the GA legislative body.  

I am a big supporter of local control ( city governments) and the over all notion that the best government is the one that is closest to you. 

LARRY GAUSE

Current hometown:  Tucker

Describe your background: I am a son, a brother, a husband, and a father who loves his God and his country and believes in the values our forefathers laid out for us. I was born and raised in Bradenton, Florida. Bradenton is on the gorgeous Gulf Coast about 45 minutes south of Tampa. I am a graduate of Florida State University where I received a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and Management. Upon graduation from Florida State, I worked for several years in residential lending for a local bank. This was during the Carter administration and interest rates were over 13.5% fixed so the number of people who met the debt to income ratios were few. It was during this time that Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARMs) came into existence as Congress began pushing for everyone to own a home. I supplemented my income by bartending and waiting tables. This led to a position managing a 545 seat restaurant. I enjoyed interacting with patrons and employees alike. I soon felt the call to serve my country.

I joined the United States Navy and entered into Officer Candidate School. I spent almost ten years as an Officer in the Navy during which I served in both Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In Desert Shield, I participated in landings operations in order to learn the layout of the land and prepare for conflict. In Desert Storm, I was Helicopter Control Officer and I coordinated crews to launch helicopter maneuvers for assaults. Later I served in Operation Restore Hope off the coast of Somalia. You may be familiar with this operation as it was the backdrop for the events that occurred in the movie “Black Hawk Down.” I was the Officer of the Deck on the lead ship for the pre-dawn assault which was followed by special boat officer to secure the harbor in Somalia.

I was Chief Aide to an Admiral and an Operations Officer. Both of these assignments required accuracy and attention to detail.  As the Operations Officer, it was my duty to plan, prepare, and execute drills and operations to train soldiers for combat. The logistics of coordinating the duties and activities of 300 sailors and 500 marines into organized operations left little to no room for error. I coordinated all the ship’s communications with other ships and ports.

My final assignments were Navigator and Executive Officer (XO) of both the USS Dexterous and of the USS Warrior.   As second in command, you are responsible for coordinating all communication, reports, and activities of all departments on the ship. With each tour of military duty, you take on more responsibility and accountability – neither of which you can ever relieve yourself just because the going gets tough. You persevere, hunker down, and do your job - whether it is standing watch at midnight off the coast of Kuwait, conducting special boat operations to secure a harbor, or consoling a sailor who is having a difficult time being away from loved ones. Serving in the United States military builds one’s character and moral fortitude. When you have put yourself in harm’s way serving in many contingency operations around the world, you are left with a strong love and devotion to your country.

Following Naval service, I moved to Tucker, Georgia. I worked for several years as a General Foreman installing tradeshows at the Georgia World Congress Center and many other convention venues. Work crews under my direction ranged in size from a few men and women up to 200 plus. As a General Foreman, I was responsible for the show from its conception on paper, to its creation on the floor, to its demolition and cleanup. These shows were conducted within the parameters of strict budgets – and I never went over budget. In this job, as well as in the US Navy, I was exposed to many diverse cultures, ethnicities, social, and economic backgrounds. The relationships developed on the job give me a particular empathy for the diverse make up of Georgia’s 4th Congressional District.

From the General Foreman job, I was recruited to become the Quality Control Coordinator at a large architectural/engineering firm in Atlanta; where I remained for over five years. When the economy began to go south in the fall of 2007, the firm I was with experienced downsizing – as did many companies. My present job is managing an airline hangar at Peachtree-DeKalb airport and a rental property on Lake Oconee. I have experienced “first hand” the effects of what a “grow government at all costs” has on our economy.

I am a member of Grace Fellowship Church in Snellville, Georgia. I am a member of the National Rifle Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars Association, and the Tea Party Patriots. During my Naval career, I received the Navy Commendation, two Navy Achievement medals, Combat Action ribbons, a Navy Expeditionary medal, Battle “E” from three different ships’ commands, and various other service awards.

In June, 2010, I will have been married to my wife, Annette, for ten years. We have been blessed with two amazing daughters, Hannah and Katelyn.

GERALD DUANE KISSEL

Current hometown: Snellville

Describe your background:  Retired  from the Gwinnett County Police Department in 2006 with 30 years of credited service at the rank of Assistant Chief of Police.  I have a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Mercer University and a master's degree in Public Administration from Columbus State University.

CHARLOTTE NASH

Current hometown:  Dacula

Describe your background: I am a native of the Dacula area, specifically the Harbins Community.  That part of Gwinnett County has been home to my father’s family since the 1820’s, so my roots in Gwinnett run deep.  My husband, Michael, and I both graduated from Dacula High School and were happy to be able to raise our children in the Dacula area too. 

I owe a debt of gratitude to my parents who valued education and were willing to make sacrifices to ensure that I had the opportunity to attend college.  There was never any question in my mind that education was important.  I knew that I needed to work hard in high school, not only to be prepared for college, but also to successfully compete for scholarships.  My parents never overtly put pressure on me, but I certainly knew how proud they were when I did well.

I graduated from Dacula High School in 1971 and was honored to be Valedictorian of my class.  I also was the first Dacula student to be named Gwinnett County Star Student.  Being designated as a National Merit Scholar led to a generous scholarship offer from Georgia Southern College, now Georgia Southern University.  I spent my freshman year at Georgia Southern but then transferred to the University of Georgia.  Michael and I married during my sophomore year, and I commuted from Gwinnett to Athens to finish my college work.  I also worked part-time to help with school and household expenses.  In 1975, I graduated magna cum laude from UGA, earning a BBA degree with a major in Accounting.

My work experience after graduation from college is summarized below:

• Accountant, Georgia Department of Human Resources, 1976 -1977.

• Grants Manager, Gwinnett County, 1977-1981.

• Budget Manager, Gwinnett County, 1981-1985.

• Finance Director / Chief Financial Officer, Gwinnett County, 1985-1995.

• County Administrator, Gwinnett County, 1995-2004.

• Governmental consultant, multiple clients, 2005-Present.  Perhaps the most interesting consulting assignment involved serving as Operations Director for the new City of Johns Creek during its initial start-up.  Only a few local government practitioners have the opportunity to be a part of the birth and infancy of a new city, much less have the chance to participate in an experiment in wholesale privatization of governmental operations.

In addition to my career experience, I have had the privilege to be active in a variety of civic and community organizations across the last three decades.  Since retirement from Gwinnett County, I have served as a member of the Gwinnett Recreation Authority and of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority/Governor’s Development Council. 

The combination of career experience, community service, and involvement at the regional and state levels has prepared me in a unique manner to serve as Gwinnett County Chairman.  I know the County inside and out; I understand its finances, and I am familiar with regional issues and processes.  I want to put my knowledge to work for the County and its residents and businesses at this critical point in the County’s history.

My character was formed primarily by my parents and grandparents, with a little help from other adults in the community and church.  First and foremost, I learned that truth and honesty were mandatory, not optional.  The few times that I experimented with “adjusting the truth” were dismal failures and pointed object lessons.  From a perfectionist father, I learned to strive for excellence and to work hard to be the best I could be. 

Both of my parents, as well as my grandparents, were strongly influenced by the Great Depression, and their attitudes toward many aspects of life were shaped by their experiences during that time.  In turn, I learned about frugality and fiscal responsibility from folks who were totally adverse to debt, paying cash almost without exception.  In fact, the only purpose for which my parents used debt was to build a chicken house for commercial poultry production, which became my father’s primary farming activity.  Until the debt was totally paid, half of all the income from the poultry operation was dedicated to the debt, no matter what living expenses we might have.  Incidentally, growing up on a chicken farm is a great incentive to study hard and look for career options!

I love Gwinnett and cannot imagine living anywhere else on a permanent basis.  The County has so many good things that make it a wonderful place, from schools to infrastructure, from communities to special people.  However, County government needs competent leadership now to head it in the right direction.  I believe that I can help provide the needed leadership, but it will take all of us working together to bring the County government where it must go.