What is your name?

Kirkland Carden

What office are you running for?

Gwinnett Board of Commissioners, District 1

Are you the incumbent?

Yes

Upload a headshot/photo of yourself.

Attach your resume or CV.

Tell us more about yourself.

After serving on the Duluth City Council, I was elected to my first term on the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners representing District 1 in 2020. I am a longtime resident of Duluth where I am currently raising a family, including my toddler son. On the BOC I have been focused on issues such as improving public safety, expanding access to government services to everyone in our diverse community, supporting our Gwinnett employees by expanding family leave, working for a more transparent and efficient county government, such as improving trash collection, improving the county’s relationship with city governments and CIDs, and making long term investments to improve our community including working on the redevelopment of Gwinnett Place Mall and Gas South Arena, and promoting new transit services to reduce traffic in our community. I have also been a strong advocate for reducing property taxes for residential and commercial property owners.

Where did you go to school?

Duluth High School Georgia State University-Political Science 2015

Campaign Website

https://www.kirkland4gwinnett.com/

Social Media Links

https://www.facebook.com/KirklandforDistrict1/ https://x.com/Kirkland_Carden https://www.instagram.com/kirkland4district1/

Email

[email protected]

What is your job/occupation?

Workforce Housing Developer

What city/neighborhood do you live in?

Duluth

What is your top policy priority if elected? How would addressing this issue make a difference for the people you are seeking to represent and what skills or qualities do you possess that will make you an effective elected official?

Protecting the life and property of Gwinnett County residents and businesses is my top priority. During my tenure on the Board of Commissioners, we have seen a reduction in overall crimes across Gwinnett County by 16%, reaching its lowest level in 3 years. Last month, we saw an overall decrease in offenses against persons and property. These offenses include assault, rape, burglary, stolen property, and theft from a motor vehicle. Wait times for our 911 response center have decreased by over 30%. Gwinnett is a safer community today than it was when I took office 4 years ago. These results are due, in part, to the support we have given to law enforcement officers and staff. I have supported our law enforcement, by approving pay increases for officers, increased the number of officers and established our mental health unit. When I’m reelected, I will encourage our police department to work with other law enforcement agencies in metro Atlanta to proactively investigate criminal activity because criminals and street gangs don’t respect political boundaries. Going forward, I will continue to work with our command staff to identify new opportunities to invest in law enforcement, so that Gwinnett continues to be a safe place to live and run a business. As a commissioner I have worked diligently to listen to and learn from my constituents, community stakeholders, and those with professional expertise in their respective fields so that I can effectively serve Gwinnett County. I believe that is important that elected officials listen to diverse opinions and review factual information before they vote, and offer their opinion on public policy matters, showing up and being willing to listen is what makes me effective.

What steps would you take to ensure that your constituents are protected from the impacts of climate change, such as extreme weather events and rising energy costs?

I believe that we must be proactive and aggressive in addressing the harms of climate change on our communities, severe weather events, extreme heat and cold, and a variety of other challenges face our community due to climate change. I have worked as a Commissioner to move Gwinnett County to a green renewable energy standard, I have advocated for electric vehicle charging grid improvements, and for federal, public, and private partnerships that will promote weatherization, and modernization of our infrastructure, our power grid, and our homes so that everyone regardless of socio-economic status can be kept safe from dangerous weather and extreme events. I have ensured our county has resources to respond to emergency weather events, including fully funding our first responders. I have helped open warming shelters and cooling stations in Gwinnett County for those in need, and I believe we must apply pressure on our energy companies to keep power costs down. As a county commissioner, I do not have full control over issues like energy costs, but I do believe Gwinnett County Government can set high standards when it comes to a green future.

What long-term changes or reforms do you hope to achieve during your time in office? How will we know you’re successful?

When I arrived in office in District 1, I recognized that this portion of the county had specific issues related to code enforcement, and blight. I have worked with county staff and my BOC Colleagues to enact ordinances, and put new resources into our code enforcement team, to address the harm that slumlords cause in our community. I would like to see Gwinnett County and District 1 finally address both residential and commercial properties that are breeding grounds for criminal activity, and lead to lower property values, and reduced quality of life. I want to see our renters protected from negligent property owners, and I want to see an economic renewal of key parts of district 1, including finishing the job on the redevelopment of Gwinnett Place Mall, and I want to see our affordable housing initiatives implemented fully so that we can address out of control housing and rental costs in Gwinnett.

What steps would you take to increase transportation options for your constituents and how would you fund proposed projects or plans?

In my personal capacity, I support the proposed Gwinnett County Transit Plan, that is on a referendum ballot this November. This plan shifts the burden on transportation costs from property taxes to sales taxes. The most important infrastructure priority in D1 is transportation. When I started my term, the county had an existing transportation plan and a separate transit plan. My colleagues and I worked with the county DOT to update these plans and create better cohesion. This work has resulted in 75 projects for public consideration in the Nov. 5th Transit referendum. We have to improve our public transportation system and make sure we are able to meet the needs of residents. District 1 has the largest transit dependent populations in Gwinnett. I want to make sure that those who rely on transit have a system that they can depend on. Recently, we expanded micro transit in the Norcross area in partnership with the Gateway 85 CID and the city of Norcross. I am confident this new service will have a positive impact on the quality of life for the residents in this part of our county. Regarding county-wide priorities, the GA DOT is conducting a study to see how traffic flow and safety can be improved in the I-85 corridor, coming from DeKalb County into Gwinnett. When re-elected, I will use my experience as a former GA DOT Transportation Planner to collaborate with state representatives and facilitate state plans for this area.

Housing costs in many parts of Georgia continue to rise. What should be done to keep housing affordable? What zoning restrictions, if any, would you reform or eliminate to fuel more housing construction?

One of the most important issues facing D1 is the lack of affordable housing to support our growing workforce. Professionally, I work in the affordable housing industry. I know the importance of establishing affordable housing units that meet the needs of Gwinnettians. Employee housing options are one aspect that many businesses consider when identifying a new location. So addressing our housing challenges is crucial to our effort to attract and retain businesses, Since taking office, we’ve made some strides in this area. We’ve spent 9 million dollars on new affordable housing in district 1 alone. Last year, we established an affordable housing trust fund using 18 million dollars in ARPA funds. Earlier this year, I worked with my friend State Rep. Matt Reeves to expand the homestead exemption for residential property owners in Gwinnett. For the last 3 years, I have advocated for a revenue neutral rollback rate, which would decrease the tax burden for homeowners, and make living in Gwinnett more affordable. Lastly, we have expanded the authority of our code enforcement officers, so that they have greater access to existing rental units, thus making our existing housing inventory more attractive, safe and clean. I would offer developers density bonuses in return for workforce housing, that is the main zoning reform that I would advocate for in my county.

How do you plan to ensure that public funds allocated to your office are used efficiently and effectively, and what specific measures would you implement to provide transparency in spending?

I believe that Gwinnett County has strong internal controls regarding the use of public funds, as a member of the Gwinnett County Internal Audit Committee, I regularly review our policies regarding the use of public money, and I believe that our county has a high standard when it comes to preventing misuse and fraud of taxpayer funds. Gwinnett County has a strong open records system, that allows citizens and the media to obtain information about how the government operates and how taxpayer money was disbursed. I will continue to hold myself and our county to the highest standard when it comes to spending tax dollars.