DULUTH, Ga.
A Gwinnett County commissioner's financial interests and another commissioner's bribery conviction could jeopardize a proposed $57 million hotel in Duluth, Georgia.
Commissioner John Heard is also a consultant for a firm looking to build an upscale hotel at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth. Due to concerns over a potential conflict of interest, Heard will abstain from voting on the issue. Despite working for the developer, Heard maintains he did not work on the Gwinnett Center project.
But some area residents say his ties to the company look suspicious. Adding to the project’s problems, another commissioner recently came under fire on ethics charges. Commissioner Shirley Lasseter's recent resignation—and guilty plea on a bribery charge—is putting elected officials' relationships with companies doing business with the county under more scrutiny. Consequently, some residents want the hotel proposal to be rejected and for a new bid to be put out on the project.
With Heard abstaining, it's unclear whether the project will pass anyway. Under county rules, it needs the votes of all three remaining commissioners. For the full story, click here.
Courtesy of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
