Candidate Forum Introduction

The Election Committee held a Candidate Forum on July 29th. I was unable to attend. More on that below.

Each candidate was allowed 10 minutes to introduce themselves and share there thoughts on why they are the best candidate for you. My thoughts are in the video below:

Transcript Follows:

Hello friends and neighbors.

My name is J Cornelius. You may know me from my restaurants, Lucky Hare and Night Train Pizza.

I’m sorry I couldn’t be there at the chapel for the Meet & Greet at the chapel. My father has just been released after being in the hospital for over 16 months, and I already had plans to visit him. I missed his birthday and Father’s Day, so I’m sure you can understand why I was reluctant to cancel the plans. Family comes first.

You might know me as the local restaurateur. That’s just the latest endeavour. For the last 30 years, I’ve been building companies of my own and helping some of the world’s top companies improve how they run and what they deliver to their customers. Companies like Delta Air Lines, Intercontinental Hotel Group, Coca-Cola, UPS, Fiserv, Fortune Magazine, and many more; not to mention mentoring dozens of startup companies from infancy to great success.

I’ve also helped the City of Atlanta Office of Innovation improve how the city reports on operations and communicates with its citizens; worked with the City of Alpharetta on its planning and development initiatives. More locally, I served on the Downtown Development Authority for the City of Jasper. I’ve completed advanced government service training from the Carl Vinson Institute at UGA, along with hundreds of hours of other civic and community service.

I’m not just your neighbor, I’m a local business owner with decades of relevant experience, who is deeply invested in this community.

I’m running for the Board because I love living in Big Canoe—and I want to see it thrive.

Not just survive. Thrive.

That means stronger community, higher property values, and a great quality of life. Achieving that takes better planning, and clearer, more consistent communication between property owners and community leadership.

The current Board has already said that improving communication and planning are top priorities—and I’m running to help make progress on both.

I’ve spent my career building systems, solving complex problems, and helping organizations operate more efficiently. That’s the kind of experience I bring to the table.

You can read more about me and my thoughts at jcornelius.com/poa

Some people have raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest because I own businesses here. It’s a fair question. I see it as an opportunity.

No one is more motivated to see Big Canoe succeed than someone who lives here and runs businesses here. Lucky Hare, Night Train Pizza, Home Restaurant, and the Clubhouse can all be successful together.

Let’s stop thinking about competition and start thinking about community.

I know there’s been some negativity and hostility directed at me. That likely comes from people who are worried about change, or who believe misinformation.

But here’s what I believe: Despite our differences, we have far more in common.

We’re neighbors. We chose this place because it’s special. And we owe it to each other to protect what makes it great—while making it even better for ourselves, our families, and future generations.

We don’t have to agree on everything. But we do have to work together.

That’s what I’m here for.

Thanks for taking the time to listen. I encourage you to visit my website, send me an email, or book a time to talk. I look forward to talking with you in person soon.

More Backstory, if you’re interested.

I accepted a disadvantage by not attending the event in person. It seems fair that the Election Committee would attempt to make reasonable accommodations by playing a video instead of my 10 minute presentation.

They did not accommodate. Here is the full story.

Shortly after being confirmed as a candidate, I received a notice stating there would be a Candidate Forum on July 29th. I’m unable to attend

Please note we have a Candidate Forum on July 29 at the BC Chapel, Cousins Hall from 5:00 - 6:30pm. The public is invited to come meet you, listen to your campaign platform, and ask you questions, Q&A.

I promptly mentioned to Ms. Littleton that I would be unable to attend at that time due to an already scheduled trip to visit my father, who was now back at home after a 16 month hospital stay battling Guillain-Barré syndrome and Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy. I hadn’t been able to see him in months, and couldn’t bring myself to cancel the trip.

On Sun, Jul 13, 2025 at 7:49 AM J Cornelius wrote:

Thank you for this, Liz.

Looking forward to the session on Monday. Unfortunately, I am unable to attend the Candidate Forum on the 29th as I will be out of town. My father is being released from 16 months in hospital and I need to be there for him. What do you suggest I do to compensate for my absence? Your advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks again for all you do.

  • J.

Littleton:

Sorry to hear about your dad, hope everything works out for the best. You have options:

  • The headshot and bios have to be ready by 7/22 - you can use print and digital copies in your campaign.
  • These same materials will be featured in the 7/25 BC Living edition, and up on the election website on 8/1.
  • Many past candidates say that getting themselves out in the community via neighborhood engagements, invitations to club/organization meetings, and BC events boosts their grassroots awareness in the community.

Me:

Is it out of the question for me to join the meeting via Zoom?

Littleton:

Let me check into that, I will get back to you soon.

At the orientation meeting I was told the acoustics in the Chapel were not good for Zoom, so that would not be possible. Then I ask if I could prerecord a video to play instead.

On Mon, Jul 21, 2025 at 12:20 PM J Cornelius wrote:

Hello Liz,

Since I am unable to attend the Candidate Forum in person, do you have any objections to playing a pre-recorded video statement so attendees can hear what I care about, and why I’m running?

I’ll be at a significant disadvantage to the other candidates by not being able to participate in any discussions. Hopefully a video would at least allow me to present myself to those who attend.

Thank you,

  • J.

Her response was rather abrupt.

On Mon, Jul 21, 2025 at 3:15 PM Elizabeth Littleton wrote:

Hi J, No video. The Candidate Forum is an interactive event between candidates and property owners. The candidates speak about their campaign platform and answer property owner questions in real-time. Perhaps you can move your schedule around to attend the event in person.

Liz

UPDATE: The video from the Candidate Forum has been posted. I see at least three TVs in the background that could have been used to play my video introduction. They made no efforts to do so.

Fair? You decide - with your ballots.

Thank you for reading my platform. I hope you found it informative and helpful in understanding my vision for our community.

Have a question or something to say? Send me an email: jcfortheboard@gmail.com

Prefer to talk? Book a time with me.

—

J Cornelius — Candidate for the POA Board
jcornelius.com/poa

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Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Mead

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