Gwinnett County: Bureaucracy or Representation?
(June Series: Part 4) A Look Inside Gwinnett's Government Machine
Thanks for following our June series as we pull back the curtain on Gwinnett County government. We offer this information to help demand transparency and full accountability for all taxpaying residents.
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🗂️ To read our previous posts in this series, we’ve already covered:
In Part 4, we now turn to the inner workings of our county government: How decisions are really made, who is likely making the decisions, and whether they serve the best interests of all county taxpayers.
🗳️Who’s Making the Decisions?
Although we elect some of our county officials — like the Board of Commissioners, Board of Education, state representatives and senators, and others — the truth is, many of these positions are part-time. The only full-time role among them is the Board of Commissioners’ Chair.
These elected members often have full-time careers in fields like business, IT, real estate, consulting, and education. While they attend meetings and activities to represent constituents, they rely heavily on county staff and department leaders — who are unelected career bureaucrats — for guidance and recommendations.
The Board of Commissioners also oversees 50+ county committees, boards, and appointed roles, most filled by unknown and unelected citizens who influence key decisions affecting all of Gwinnett.
While Commissioners can ultimately vote against recommendations or delay a vote for further review, it’s rare. Even if they do vote against a recommendation, the decision may still be overturned through an appeals process.
⚠️ Bottom line: Many decisions driving our county are proposed, shaped, recommended or advocated by unelected career staff and unknown citizen appointees — behind a curtain most residents never see.
🕵️♂️A Peek Behind the Curtain
The Gwinnett County Public School System is the largest employer in the county, with over 29,000 employees, primarily funded by ever-increasing property taxes, E-SPLOST, and federal/state grants.
The Gwinnett County Government, with approximately 6,100 employees, operates under the oversight of the Board of Commissioners.
A Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce executive recently made this surprising statement:
“In most counties, it’s the corporate sector that sets the competitive salary benchmark for the county. But in Gwinnett, it’s the county government setting the benchmark for private business salaries— and that’s unusual.”
🚨 When did it become normal for county budgets — funded by taxpayers — to outpace private-sector pay?
Historically, many government roles have been considered civil servant positions, typically offering modest base pay but generous benefit packages, including:
✅ Comprehensive benefits
🏥 Competitive healthcare insurance
🗓️ Generous paid time off and holidays
💰 Pensions or retirement packages, established in 2006 through the 🔗Gwinnett County Public Employees Retirement System.
👉 For example: My mother-in-law, who worked for the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, still draws a healthy pension nearly 20 years after retirement — courtesy of Georgia taxpayers. And many government employees are also eligible to collect Social Security benefits in addition to their pensions/retirement plans.
🧐Who Are the Real Decision-Makers?
Much of Gwinnett’s negotiations, planning, budgeting, and departmental direction is coordinated by County Administrator Glenn Stephens with his executive team and department leaders.
Mr. Stephens is widely viewed as the “man behind the curtain”, providing high-level guidance and recommendations to Democrat Chairwoman Hendrickson. While county elected officials come and go, these high-ranking staff remain entrenched for years or decades.
At every Board of Commissioners meeting, Mr. Stephens is seated to Chairwoman Hendrickson’s right — essentially acting as a key silent member of the board.
💸 It’s a Great Job If You Can Get It
Here's a look behind the curtain at the compensation structure for just 25 county leaders:
💰 Over $6.1 million in combined leadership salaries
🚗 Over $64,000 in vehicle allowances
🏛️ Funded entirely by Gwinnett taxpayers
As noted in earlier posts, Gwinnett’s median household income in 2025 is approximately ~$89,000, and many families today struggle to meet daily expenses. These county salaries are often well above private-sector equivalents.
👉 Example: According to GovSalaries, in 2018, Mr. Stephens’ salary was recorded at $311,862. Over the past seven years, his compensation has increased by $169,870, bringing his 2024 salary to over $481,000 — an average annual increase of 6.41%. In reviewing a few other leadership salaries, there seems to be similar patterns.
This pay growth occurred during a period marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, when many residents faced furloughs, extended layoffs, or full unemployment, followed by several years of economic recession and instability.
How Many Is “Two” Many?
Although this is not typical for a BOC Chair, Democrat Chairwoman Hendrickson currently employs two full-time support staffers in her personal office:
Executive Assistant
Project Coordinator
Total taxpayer salary cost: $200,000+
🔗Executive Assistant Job Description
Even top corporate CEOs with healthy profit margins rarely enjoy that level of personal staffing support!
🏠 Who Has Skin in the Game?
Would it surprise you to learn that over 30% of Gwinnett’s top leadership — including many of those listed above — don’t even live in Gwinnett County?
They reside in places like:
📍 Hall, Jackson, Fulton, Walton, Decatur, Flowery Branch
While it’s not illegal for non-residents to hold county leadership or staff positions, one would hope key leaders who are drawing generous salaries funded by Gwinnett taxpayers would also believe in the county enough to live here themselves.
These are individuals who have a critical decision-making “seat at the table.” They:
Coordinate with regional, state and federal authorities on our behalf
Negotiate and sign multi-year contracts Gwinnett residents will be bound to
Shape community development (or overdevelopment, as many believe)
Recommend rezoning and infrastructure changes for key areas
Decide how grant funding is awarded and distributed to NGOs
Provide key decisions into equity programs and social service initiatives
And yet, these same leaders:
❌ Advocate for unsustainable county budgets and tax increases they won’t personally pay
❌ Recommend SPLOST & T-SPLOST referendums that won’t impact their wallets
❌ Encourage rezoning, infrastructure changes and unpopular developments that won’t disrupt their neighborhoods, traffic or quality of life
❌ Support the development of gas stations, strip malls, or apartments on every corner that won’t devalue their property
❌ Don’t face frustrated neighbors at public hearings or meetings— because they aren’t your neighbors
❌ Won’t be affected by growing FLOCK cameras or school zone surveillance systems expanding across Gwinnett— because they don’t drive our streets on a regular basis
🔁 Every major decision — from funding, grants, and rezoning to equity (DEI) initiatives, regional partnerships, outside influences, and expanding surveillance infrastructure — is being made by individuals who don’t have to live under those decisions.
But we do.
💭 Ask yourself: Would they make the same choices in their own counties, cities, or neighborhoods that they’re imposing on Gwinnett citizens?
Transparency Isn’t Just a Buzzword — It’s a Safeguard
🧩 Each part of this June series has revealed another piece of Gwinnett’s government puzzle — a county potentially shaped less by resident input at the ballot box, and more by appointed insiders, legacy bureaucrats, and outside influences.
It’s time for Gwinnett residents to start asking the tough questions — not just of our elected officials, but of the unelected staff and appointees quietly shaping our county’s future behind the scenes.
We deserve a county government that:
Reflects our collective values— not political or personal agendas
Respects our tax dollars
And is fully accountable to the people who actually live here
If many of those making the decisions don’t have to live with the consequences,
then it’s up to us to speak up — clearly, consistently, and publicly.
📢 Thanks for following this series— there’s more to come.
Disclaimer: This information is intended for educational and civic accountability purposes—to inform the public, encourage transparency, and ensure responsible governance in Gwinnett County. All information is true and accurate to the best of our knowledge and presented in good faith. Data has been obtained through publicly available sources or Open Record Request as of the date of publication.