Writer: Curt Yeomans
Published March 26, 2021
Gwinnett Daily Post
In any other time, the impact of having three new county commissioners in Gwinnett County would be the main issue that came up when county leaders discuss transformational change and what they are looking forward to in the upcoming year at their annual two-day strategic planning retreat.
This is not a normal time.
Rather than the new commissioners being the issue that loomed over the discussions as the retreat began Thursday at the Hotel Indigo in Athens, it was the COVID-19 pandemic — and specifically preparing for a post-pandemic world — that loomed over the discussions.
The topic came up multiple times as county commissioners and department heads discussed — with officials from the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government — what they are looking forward to in the coming year as well as how to addresses transformational changes that can happen in a community .
“Our table talked about getting past COVID and first it was getting back to normal, and then we realized quickly there is no getting back to normal,” Gwinnett County Attorney Mike Ludwiczak said during the discussion on looking ahead to the next year. “It will be the new normal. We were excited about the opportunities that will come from that, the positives that we can take from what we’ve been through past year, including the new methods of communication.”
The arrival in the pandemic in March 2020 forced a major shift for all aspects of life in the county as government largely had to shut down office and shift government meetings to virtual formats, schools closed before eventually moving to a hybrid in-person and virtual format and businesses had to adapt to allow for social distancing.
“I think we’ll all agree that the new norm is going to take everything that we experienced and incorporate that, do you not agree?” Carl Vinson Institute’s Nancy Farage told county leaders.
One aspect of the post-pandemic world that county leaders said they are looking forward to about the upcoming year and moving into a post-pandemic world is no longer having to wear face masks.
“Our group is excited to have meetings with no masks,” Commissioner Kirkland Carden said as he reported what he and department heads at his table discussed about the upcoming year. “It’s simple, but all four of us agree that these masks have become a symbol of the separation, isolation and troubles that we’ve all dealt with over the last year so to be able to put this behind us is something that we’re very excited about.”
Another aspect is welcoming employees who have spent the last year working from home back to the office environment.
“We’re excited to hopefully see our staff in person and not just in a Zoom call or a WebEx call,” Gwinnett Financial Services Director Buffy Alexzulian said. “We’re excited about the change and embracing that change and seeing what the new normal is going to be.”
But, Commissioner Jasper Watkins said the county will also have to take the well-being of its employees — particularly those who have had to work remotely for the past year — into account as well.
“As an organization, there’s going to have to be a mental health component in HR that’s going to have to help re-acclimate our employees, and it’s going to have to start now so that when this occurs, HR has what they need as far as the resources to welcome back our folks,” he said. “That’s got to be critical.”
Discussions that started at 9 a.m. on Friday are centered around fleshing out the commissioners vision for the future — something they began to talk about at the end of Thursday’s session — as the retreat continues.
