The Augusta Commission has voted to bring in former District 4 Commissioner Alvin Mason to fill the unexpired term of Sammie Sias.
Commissioners voted 6-2-1 to approve, with District 9 Commissioner Francine Scott voting no. District 1 Commissioner Jordan Johnson and District 3 Commissioner Catherine Smith-McKnight abstained.
“I want my constituents to know that they can rest easy. I have a record and taking my job as commissioner seriously. I have their back just as I did before” Mason Said.
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Before the confirmation vote, Scott made a motion to wait two weeks to give time for public input, but that motion failed.
Immediately after the vote, Mason was sworn in by Magistrate Judge Le’Joi Williamson, and he made a few brief remarks before taking his seat on the dais.
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“A vote for Al Mason is a vote for transparency, a vote for accountability, responsibility and credibility. It is so important that we work together as a community,” Mason said.
Mason also credited his 89-year-old mother, who was in the audience, for instilling values in him as a little boy.
“She is the reason I am here today,” Mason said.
First elected to the commission, in 2007, Mason served two terms and unsuccessfully ran for mayor against then-incumbent Hardie Davis in 2014.
Mason is not necessarily stepping in as simply a temporary placeholder. Despite being term-limited out years ago, according to Augusta Elections Board Director Lynn Bailey, Mason can run for the seat outright when Sias’ term ends.
“He has sat out for the required one term, so he can definitely run again if he wants to,” Bailey said.
Mason takes over for Sammie Sias who was suspended by Gov. Brian Kemp after being indicted on two felony counts of lying to the FBI and destroying records pertaining to the Jamestown Community Center when Sias was director of the center.
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Sias’ legal troubles began when an employee of the center who was also Sias’ former lover, Willa Hilton, made salacious accusations about his behavior at the center and accused him of siphoning off of SPLOST funds for his personal benefit.
Sias’ term ends in 2022 and normally, since Sias has more than one year left on his term, officials would have to call for a special election. Such a situation has occurred in the past when commissioners have either died or were forced to resign from their position.
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However, Sias was suspended, but not removed by the governor and he has not resigned, so technically he remains a commissioner. Should Sias be found not guilty in his upcoming trial or have the charges dropped, he could regain control of his seat until he is term-limited out when his current term expires.
Sias has insisted he did nothing wrong and plans to fight the charges.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com.
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