No smoke-filled rooms at the Gwinnett Republican Party headquarters, at least not anymore.

The local GOP is opening a headquarters for the 2004 campaign season at 910 Parkside Walk Lane, Suite 100 in Lawrenceville, which used to be a smoke shop with a humidor.

Special (ENLARGE)
GOP supporters (from left) Pat Quigley, the District 3 Republican Party manager, volunteer Leo Portnell, former Elections Board member Don Butler, GOP Chairman Buzz Brockway and Second Vice Chairman Greg Howard helped convert a former smoke shop in Lawrenceville into the Gwinnett Republican Party headquarters.
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The headquarters should be fully functional early next week. Carpet hasn't been installed and phones haven't been hooked up, but the office has literature for various campaigns.

The office will be the place to distribute signs and literature and to recruit volunteers for various campaigns.

When the telephones are installed, the number will be 770-925-8683.

GOP committee launches

A group of Gwinnett Republicans has helped create a north metro Atlanta political action committee to help GOP candidates statewide.

Called the Live Oak Republicans, the group is having its inaugural fund-raiser at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Cosmopolitan in Atlanta.

Congressman John Linder will be the keynote speaker. Contributions to get into the event start at $50.

Lawrenceville attorney Mike Sullivan and former Young Republican Chairman Josh Moore helped start the group, which plans to cultivate leaders in a variety of fields and to restore Georgia's tradition as the "New South's leader in economic, cultural and political influence."

For more information, go to www.liveoakrepublicans.com.

Mudslinging shows up online

A homeowner activist has launched a Web site dedicated to showing District 3 County Commission candidate Dwight Harrison with warts and all, especially the warts (as the activist sees them).

Web sites promoting candidates are common, but less common are Internet sites dedicated to defeating candidates, particularly on a local level.

Web maestro Bob Griggs put up a site called www.dwightaintright.com to combat what he says is the false impression that Harrison is a homeowner-friendly candidate.

"I evaluated all the candidates and concluded that Dwight isn't right for County Commission District 3," Griggs said. "He's being packaged as the homeowner-friendly candidate. He fits the bill of a developer's candidate or an Old Guard candidate."

The site lists some of Harrison's supporters, who are among some of the bigger contractors and developers in the county, although some homemakers and small businesses are listed as well.

It also takes aim at some of Harrison's positions, what Griggs views as his political inexperience and his support of the community.

Harrison said he tries to cast a wide net for customers, advertising in a wide range of publications that target specific ethnic and social groups.

Harrison was nonchalant about it.

"I haven't looked at it," Harrison said. "I always speak to him [Griggs], shake hands with him, try to be polite to him. I told him, 'Your Web site is funny. It's hilarious.'

"No one takes him seriously," he said.

Harrison said he has grown up in Gwinnett and has known many of the prominent people in all types of businesses in the county for years. He said he has a broad support base, including several homeowners groups.

He said the site has numerous inaccuracies. For example, he said, the site said that Harrison had been considered for an appointment to the Department of Transportation board but that he wasn't selected. Harrison countered that the position is elected by state legislators and that he withdrew his name after Gov. Sonny Perdue announced he was backing Mike Sullivan.

Harrison has a Web site of his own, www.votedwight.com.

Griggs also has put up a Web site critical of incumbent Commissioner John Dunn.

Dunn, Harrison, Terry Hunter and Mike Beaudreau are running in the Republican primary July 20.