Brunswick Fact Sheet
- Brunswick is the only municipality in and seat of Glynn County , Georgia . It is a city of about 16,000, with a majority black population, most of whom live at or below the poverty line.
- The present mayor (Bradford S. Brown) is a white man who is supported by the Republican Party of Glynn County and the Sea Island Co. and who touts himself as a Lt. Col. in the Sons of Confederate Veterans. He won election the last time (for his second and final term) with a total vote of less than 1,200.
- Glynn County is a Republican stronghold, represented in Congress by Jack Kingston, the fifth ranking member of the House, and, in the Georgia legislature by Jerry Keen, the majority leader (noting that both of Georgia ’s U.S. senators are Republican).
- Among the other communities in Glynn County are St. Simons Island , Jekyll Island and, most significantly, Sea Island .
- Sea Island is not only the third richest zip code in the United States (Forbes magazine), but also, was the site of the 2004 G-8 Summit (and, interestingly, the venue for the honeymoon of George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara).
- Though St. Simons Island is a predominantly white, upper-middle-class resort and beach community, n ot that long ago, it was a mostly-black enclave that was part of what is deemed the Gullah/Geechee nation.—In 2004, the National Trust for Historic Preservation identified hundreds of miles of coastal South Carolina, Georgia and northern Florida as Gullah/Geechee lands and as among the “most endangered” areas in the U.S. in terms of historical preservation.
- Jekyll Island , a beautiful state park and beach community, has made a commitment to caring for the environment, particularly regarding “over development” (its governing Authority having recently proclaimed it would never become Hilton Head, S.C.).—This is ironic in consideration of the fact that neighboring Brunswick has been deemed the most-polluted place in Georgia .
- The Port of Brunswick was the last port where African captive slaves were imported into the U.S. —after the slave trade had been abolished.
- The port is now considered “the fastest growing port in North America .” The only other significant seaport in Georgia is the port of Savannah . The terminals of both ports are “owned” and operated by the quasi-governmental Georgia Ports Authority.
- In 2004, the ports of Savannah and Brunswick produced gross revenues of $35 Billion
- Dredging of the port of Brunswick is nearly completed, which will take the harbor depth to 36 feet, sufficient to allow 80% of the ships at sea to dock there. This will open the door to full-containerization of the port—an efficient and cost-effective operation whereby goods and materials are shipped inside large containers, uniformly the size of railroad cars, for direct transfer to rail and truck for transport across the country.
- Recently, though, a Norwegian/Swedish-owned ship, capable of transporting 6,500 automobiles at once, more than any ship now sailing the seas, one of a newly-built fleet of six, sailed from its port of manufacture, Nagasaki, Japan, on a maiden voyage to Brunswick and was able to dock at high tide because of its improved, compact structure.—This design change by a major shipping line combined with the completion of dredging forecasts the dominance of the Port of Brunswick in the business of global trade—the centerpiece of which is, of course, the United States.
- According to a 2002 study, recently reconsidered, the port of Brunswick ’s best trading partner is the Caribbean . However, Brunswick ’s geographic positioning, its portside rail lines and direct connection and links to interstate routes establish its desirability for shipping from and to all parts of the world—notably including Africa
- In addition, the Port of Brunswick is geographically located at the apex of the Bight of Georgia, inland at about the longitude of the Pennsylvania-Ohio border, which makes it even more attractive to shippers.
- The Port of Brunswick has become one of the most productive ports on the East Coast for handling automobiles, heavy equipment and machinery, wood pulp, liner board, paper products, wheat, corn, soybeans, animal feed, gypsum, limestone, and perlite.— Notably, it is the primary port of import into the U.S. for Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Kia, Volvo, Porsche, Jaquar/Landrover; and, for export, Ford, GM, Mercedes.
- As Georgia House Majority Leader Jerry Keen (R.-St. Simons) recently said, “The port of Brunswick is the economic engine of Coastal Georgia …Aside from tourism, it’s the key to the regional economy…driving the rest of the economy.”
- Finally, with the port’s growth and expansion, the tourism industry will inevitably explode
- Blueprint Brunswick . To seemingly rectify the obviously strange juxtaposition of so much wealth, in terms of Sea Island and the Port, and the poverty of Brunswick, and to “reclaim” this port city, a citywide redevelopment plan has been devised, surely by the rich men of Sea Island, called Blueprint Brunswick.—Sea Island is effectively owned and operated by the Sea Island Company, at the helm of which is Bill Jones III, a friend of the President, considered chiefly responsible for bringing Bush and the G-8 Summit there.
o The board of Blueprint Brunswick, Inc., is chaired and dominated by developers.
o The Blueprint Brunswick Plan encompasses nine “catalyst” sites, the first being a $70 Million wharf development of townhouses and lofts, along with retail shops and a small hotel.
o The most significant site is the “ Norwich Corridor Redevelopment Plan,” which targets 135 blocks of the heart of Brunswick , the population of which is 78% black, with 57% entrenched poverty.
o Under the Plan, prospective developers are being offered the most excessive incentive packages imaginable, including a provision for acquisition of title to the land of bundled Corridor properties (e.g., 5 square blocks) on no more than a commitment to develop, underwritten by the City’s commitment to defer payment of the purchase price until “after construction”—and, even, beyond.
o In addition to its intent to seize the Corridor’s 52 acres of vacant land for development, the City has established methods of acquisition of occupied properties for mass redevelopment that are at once simple and brutal.
§ “Strengthened” housing codes have been enacted, as “stricter” enforcement of compliance to these codes is being implemented. This allows for mass “takings by condemnation.”
§ Most homeowner occupied properties in the Corridor will not survive code enforcement and will be taken by condemnation and bundled for redevelopment. Those homeowners who pass inspection will be enticed to sell their properties (for “fair market value,” the value for the average home in the Corridor being identified in the Plan as $44K), on account of “incompatibility” with the Plan’s “vision” for development.
· “Recalcitrant” homeowners will face the Plan’s power of “eminent domain.”
o However, most properties in the Corridor are occupied by renters. Absentee landlords will undoubtedly gladly surrender their run-down properties (the condition of most) to the City for negotiated purchase prices.
§ Renters in public housing are already targeted for removal under HUD’s HOPE VI program—to create new, “mixed-income housing.”—There are three public housing projects in the Norwich Corridor.
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Elaine Brown’s goal in running for mayor is to make Brunswick a national model and a base for black economic empowerment and progressive social and political change.
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Elaine Brown for Mayor !
Vote November 2005
2802 Altama Avenue, Suite B
Brunswick , Georgia 31520
Telephone: 912-262-9811 Facsimile: 912-262-9813