The next contestant in Augusta’s search for a city administrator is… Interim Administrator Takiyah Douse.
The city released the name and application materials of Douse, a fourth candidate Thursday.
The release comes more than two weeks after one of Mayor Garnett Johnson’s Top 3 withdrew from consideration, prompting The Augusta Press to request the next in line.
Douse has served as interim administrator for almost two years since the resignation of Odie Donald II. She has support for taking the job permanently from some, but not all 10 members of the Augusta Commission, which makes the final decision.
Douse joins another longtime city employee, Chief Information Officer and former deputy administrator Tameka Allen, in the final pool. The third finalist is Richard Chess, a transportation director from south Florida who has a background in business and government finance.
Douse’s Nov. 7 cover letter said she has the ability to “navigate complex challenges,” such as the city’s struggles with engineering and environmental compliance, that has led to improved organizational effectiveness and statewide recognition.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from Paine College, a Master’s of Business Administration from Troy University and a post-baccalaureate degree in accounting from Augusta University. She serves on the board of trustees for Episcopal Day School.
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In her former position as director of Central Services for nearly six years, Douse oversaw the city’s fleet, facilities, 311, records retention and real estate divisions, which were consolidated under a single department in 2016.
Prior to that she worked under Tax Commissioner Steven Kendrick as director of the department’s motor vehicle division and before that spent about 10 years in banking with several local banks.
The city produced a fourth finalist only after The Augusta Press sent repeated requests. In 2021, The Augusta Press and several other Augusta news organizations successfully took the city to court for the release of three finalists for fire chief.
Susan McCord is a staff writer with The Augusta Press. Reach her at susan@theaugustapress.com
