Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson stood in the shadow of the Municipal Building amid signs stating “vote yes!” and kicked off his campaign to be given a vote on the commission.
Flanked by former Mayors Bob Young, Hardie Davis Jr. and Deke Copenhaver, along with former Senator Charles Walker Sr., on March 13, Johnson began the press conference by stating that his research shows that Augusta is the only government he can find that gives the mayor virtually no power through a vote.
During the election campaign of 2022, Johnson made securing the mayor a vote and revising the city charter a major campaign initiative.
Copenhaver, in one of his first public appearances since recovering from esophageal cancer, said he was shocked to learn that the Augusta charter was cobbled together within an hour and half back some 28 years ago.
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According to Copenhaver, Augusta is not a true representative democracy where the top countywide elected official has virtually no input on crafting public policy.
“It is high time we adjust this. I have concerns about this election year and we can’t fix Washington, but we can fix Augusta,” Copenhaver said.
Young, the second mayor under consolidation, was forceful in his remarks, stating that not giving the mayor a vote on the commission is akin to voter suppression and cheekily invited former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams to lobby on Johnson’s behalf.
“The commissioners, either through an abstention, being absent, leaving the room to go to the bathroom to escape the room or whatever deprives the mayor to use his vote or to break a tie. It is time for this practice to end,” Young said.
Davis appealed to the crowd that giving Johnson a vote on the commission gives the mayor the tool he needs to move the city forward into prosperity.
“This conversation is about alignment, how we align ourselves to continued prosperity, continued growth. The way we do that is on the ballot, we’re asking everyone to come to the polls and cast their ballot for this important measure,” Davis said.
Largely considered the architect of the consolidation charter, Walker stated that, in 1996, he worked with Senators Tom Allgood, Jack Connell, Mike Padgett and others to save the city from bankruptcy. Walker confirmed the lawmakers were only given a short period to make the case for consolidation.
“We had to scramble (to craft the consolidation bill), but I never would have thought that the mayor couldn’t vote. We made him the chief executive. It is time for a change; 30 years is a lot of time for anything,” Walker said.
Johnson said that he purposefully did not invite any current sitting commissioners to the press conference, but thanked Commissioner Sean Frantom for showing up and showing his support.
Voters will decide whether the mayor should be given a vote in a special called referendum on May 21.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter and Editorial Page Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
