No, We're Good: Grayson Mayor Declines Public-Transit Money

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — Grayson doesn’t have public transportation, doesn’t need public transportation and doesn’t want public transportation.

The Gwinnett Daily Post reports that Grayson Mayor Allison Wilkerson made a point Thursday of telling Gwinnett County Commissioners that her city wasn’t interested in having transit projects put on a referendum list.

While other cities were requesting projects that could be funded by an anticipated transit tax, Wilkerson’s comments were described by the Daily Post as a “head-turning moment.”

Wilkerson’s explanation was simple: Because Grayson is so far from Interstate 85, nobody moves there expecting to commute into Atlanta.

“No one shows up at city hall every day wanting transit,” Wilkerson said. “If anything, we hear that they don’t want it.” She added that anyone wanting to ride buses into Atlanta could easily drive to nearby Snellville and go from there.

According to The Gwinnett Daily Post, after Wilkerson spoke, leaders from Sugar Hill and Suwanee jokingly volunteered to take the money that would have gone to Grayson.

“Whatever Grayson doesn’t want, Sugar Hill will take,” said Sugar Hill Mayor Steve Edwards.

“He can have it,” Wilkerson shouted back.

The exchange was part of a meeting Thursday between Gwinnett city leaders and county commissioners to hammer out a list of transit projects for the proposed referendum.

Gwinnett County Commission Chairwoman Charlotte Nash said she expects commissioners to approve the list by June. The referendum may be on November’s ballot.