Former Lilburn Mayor Honors Memory Of Another Lilburn Mayor

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA — Former Lilburn mayor Diana Bissey Preston died Monday after her long battle with cancer on Monday, Nov. 5, at the age of 69.

The loss of former mayor Preston, has saddened many in the City of Lilburn. Preston’s predecessor, former mayor Jack Bolton, has written a touching tribute editorial about what a wonderful person Diana Preston was and what she meant to the community.

Lilburn declared Dec. 12 to be “Diana Preston Day.” Bolton submitted the following tribute to Patch in her honor:

Diana Preston: The Dreamer of Lilburn
By Jack Bolton

I met Diana Preston back in 1994, we were both active in the Lilburn community so our paths would cross often. She served on the City Council and I was serving as chairman of the Planning Commission and we became good friends working on a number of projects together. Over time, we discovered we had very similar ideas to help improve Lilburn’s future and developed a great working relationship by supporting each other’s ideas, causes and initiatives.

After my 2004-2008 term as mayor, I felt I had achieved my goals and decided to not seek re-election. I encouraged Diana to fill my seat. Though it is unusual for a sitting mayor to endorse another candidate, I campaigned for her because I felt so strongly about her leadership abilities and how she would carry the torch on continuing to grow Lilburn. And I couldn’t have been more right. Diana became the first female mayor of Lilburn, and she made a lasting impact on the City. In 2010, Diana was instrumental in rebranding Lilburn with a new logo that captured the energy and vibrancy of the City and creating the tagline, “Small Town. Big Difference.” And she breathed life into that tagline — in fact, Lilburn’s new building that houses City Hall and a branch of the Gwinnett Public Library, the preservation of the Wynne Russell House and the construction of the popular Camp Creek Greenway Trail were all a direct result of Diana’s hard work.

Diana was a dreamer, however she always found a way to take action and get things done. She never met a stranger and she wasn’t bashful about asking for help. When we discussed the need for a Lilburn Community Improvement District (LCID), as mayor, she couldn’t officially advocate for the CID, so she formed the Lilburn Community Partnership (LCP). Through the LCP, she was able to campaign and help establish the LCID by recruiting members. The City of Lilburn then funded the loan to LCP to help create the CID, which was paid in full earlier this year — just seven years later.

When I talked to Emory Morsberger, LCID executive director, he told me that the CID is forever in Diana’s debt — figuratively speaking, of course — and that the City of Lilburn is a better place because of Diana Preston. He was impressed with how she helped get the police department organized and is pleased to report that Lilburn now has the lowest crime rate in Gwinnett County. He admired how she always put Lilburn and its people first. It’s going to be hard to imagine a Lilburn without Diana Preston. Everything happening in the City now is happening because of her. The people she hired, like Bill Johnsa as city manager, continue her legacy by adding excellent staff members to run the City professionally and advance her initiatives.

Diana Preston was a selfless, caring person who loved her family and community. She dreamed, took action and made a big difference for our small town. We will all miss her dearly.

In the featured photo, Lilburn CID executive director Emory Morsberger presents a check to Diana Preston and Jack Bolton, repaying the loan to create the CID, from August of this year.

Photo courtesy City of Lilburn