Politics & Government

Q&A With Peachtree Corners City Council Candidate Gloria Rucks

Post 4 City Council candidate Gloria Rucks answers questions for Peachtree Corners Patch.

 

Peachtree Corners Patch asked the 20 candidates for the six council seats on the new Peachtree Corners City Council a series of questions relating to city government for the upcoming Municipal Election on March 6, 2012.

Each of the candidates were asked the same set of questions. The last question we posed was to ask each candidate ask and answer his or her own question and provide the answer.

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Patch introduces Gloria Rucks, one of four candidates seeking the council seat for Post 4.

Patch introduces Gloria Rucks, one of four candidates seeking to fill the council seat for Post 4.

Find out what's happening in Peachtree Cornerswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Name: Gloria G. Rucks, age 57

How long lived in city:  I have lived in Peachtree Corners for 16 years.

Educational background: My formal education includes training as well as course work at the Free Will Bible College in Nashville, TN.  I have also graduated with honors from Roffler Barber College in Marietta, GA, and I am an alumna of the Dale Carnegie Effective Speaking program.

Military background: None.

Family: I have been married for 19 years to David T. Rucks. I have one daughter, Kandace Greenway Mitchell, who resides in Macon. Kandace attended Norcross High School and the University of West Georgia.

Occupation: I have been a barber and small business owner of David and Gloria’s Barber and Style Shop since 2001. My previous employment experience includes a 15 year career as the liaison with the Georgia Department of Labor and new businesses, making sure tax dollars were being used in the most efficient manner possible. I learned how to run a business by working at Home Depot and starting their then new appliance department.

What experience in your background do you think has best prepared you for serving on the Peachtree Corners City Council?

As a business owner, I have much experience with managing to a bottom line, providing excellent customer service, and turning a profit.

I have always done more with less.  I was raised in the Free Will Baptist Children’s’ Home in Turbeville, SC, and I lived there from the age of 10 until I was 22 years old. As one of the oldest residents, I had responsibilities for raising other, younger children and serving as a role model; I also helped run the farm and the Home.  I am proud to be the first resident to have graduated from high school and gone on to college.

I believe in working God’s plan as it becomes known to me. I am a member of Shiloh Baptist Church on Spalding Dr.

As a small business owner, I am in direct contact with a large number of Peachtree Corners residents all the time. I believe a business owner must be people-oriented, understand the bottom line, and be a great listener.  My background in customer service with the State of Georgia, Home Depot, and my own shop have given me confidence in dealing with people and the ability to lead teams to accomplish great things.

Tell Peachtree Corners readers about your vision for the new city and how you would accomplish it?

We must work together to do all we can to make Peachtree Corners the best city in Gwinnett County. We have so many resources available to help us through our size, strength, diversity, inclusiveness, and enthusiasm!

Our new charter and “city lite” philosophy will allow us local control over three vital areas: zoning, code enforcement, and garbage collection. We need to manage these areas effectively and within budget.  We need to keep our new government as small and as unobtrusive as possible. 

There are many people who would have preferred not to incorporate (as shown by the number of people who voted against our new city). We need to overcome any remaining concerns, and we need to work hard to get as many people fired up about our new city as we can.  We must not let Peachtree Corners expand beyond the spirit of our original charter and end up as yet another layer of government gone amok! Our new government must be beneficial to all the citizens of Peachtree Corners without adding any needless burdens.

What do you think is the greatest challenge facing Peachtree Corners, and how would you approach it?

Peachtree Corners is unique – we need to protect what we have with our strong businesses, our location so close to Atlanta yet still in Gwinnett County, our diverse population, and our conservative orientation. We need to manage our new city within its limited scope and within its financial means.

By keeping our city control so very local, we stand firm and together.

As excited as we are about the opportunities our new city brings, we need to not forget that there is suffering and need within our community.  What can we do to help those in need?

One of my passions is altruism – helping the less fortunate among us. As humanitarians, we all need to do as much as we can to help others in our new city reach their potential. This does not mean the new city needs more tax dollars - rather we need to develop a cohesive volunteer effort to address issues such as homelessness, hunger, and battered women.

For example, will the Norcross Food Co-op continue to provide food and clothing for Peachtree Corners residents?  We need to be sure to continue to work with our businesses, churches, and citizens to make sure that these people and their needs do not fall through the cracks.


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