On June 16, Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis Jr. gave his final state of the city address and focused his remarks on the successes of the city since he was first elected in 2014.
Davis said the state of the city is strong and that his government continues work toward building a city for the future.
Davis praised city leadership on the issues of “equity and inclusion” by raising the minimum wage for city workers to $15 an hour and allowing for an annual “mental health day.”
“We have not only created opportunities for them, but this was an issue of human dignity, of equity and inclusion for all of our employees to inspire them to live life and dream big,” Davis said at the event on the campus of Augusta Technical College.
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He also said that Augusta continues to strive for a bright future by becoming an eco-friendly city. He said that Augusta is committed to replacing between 15% to 20% of the city’s non-emergency fleet with low to zero emission vehicles by 2030. Davis also said the city is discussing the possibility of creating solar farms like the one planned for Burke County.
Davis took time to recognize the Finance Department, which he says has worked diligently to make sure Augusta has had a budget surplus each year since he has been in office.
“We hear so much about finances in the city of Augusta. Well, I am proud of what we have done. I am proud of the work our finance department has done working with the city administrator and certainly the commissioners to get results,” Davis said.
In the speech, Davis briefly addressed the COVID-19 pandemic and said that all sectors of government and the medical community came together to get 56,000 vaccinations in arms all across Richmond County.
He then took a “trip down memory lane,” citing an April 2017 issue of Fortune magazine that listed seven cities vying to become the cyber security capital of the world. Davis stated Augusta is successfully competing with cities such as Tel Aviv, Atlanta and Austin, Texas to become that future cyber capital with the addition of Unisys in 2015 and the creation of the Georgia Cyber Center in 2017.
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Davis also mentioned growth in downtown Augusta with the creation of the $32 million dollar Beacon Station and the anticipated $42 million investment that will transform the former Greyhound bus terminal on Greene Street. Davis also said that despite the pandemic, in 2021, 53 new businesses were created in the Broad Street corridor, and there have been three business expansions.
Davis received polite applause several times throughout his speech, but the applause was at his urging.
“This is when we clap in church,” Davis said several times after pausing his remarks to awkward silence.
Prior to making the state of the city address, Davis handed out gift bags to outgoing commissioners Dennis Williams and Ben Hasan. Davis announced he also had a gift bag for Sammie Sias, but the commissioner, who was suspended from his post by Gov. Brian Kemp after being indicted on federal charges, was not in attendance.
Scott Hudson is the senior reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
