A well done and five-thumbs-up should go out to Brenda Durant and the many, many members of the Greater Augusta Arts Council for this past weekend’ s Arts in the Heart festival. Estimated attendance is said to be near the 100,000 mark.
If you missed it, well, then you missed what One Augusta is and should always be about. The festival brought cultures from around the world to the center of Downtown Augusta. The food vendors and representative variety were many arts and craft displays were plentiful and interesting.
The performing talents were a who’s who from near and far. There were musical performances to enjoy from nearly every style one could think of. There were street performers as well.
It was a safe and controlled environment that allowed everyone to mix and mingle as we should all year round.
Mayor Garnett Johnson and August’a First Lady, Toni Seals-Johnson were in attendance, meeting and not only greeting, but interacting with all the people. What a unique pleasure to see our leader among the people, not being above them. I still recall a quote given by Toni Seals-Johnson when she spoke about her husband becoming mayor. “It’s quite an inspiration for young boys and girls to let you know that wherever you start in life, it doesn’t define you.”
Today, the Ironman 70.3 is taking place in Augusta. So if you are out and about you may be inconvenienced just a wee bit. A small price to pay for what this event means to our city.
Ironman 70.3 is estimated to have nearly 2,000 entrants this year. Just imagine that many people who are able to swim a 1.2 mile distance, get on a bicycle and ride for 56 miles, get off and then finish by running 13.1 miles.
For us couch potatoes, that is a very remote idea that never enters our thoughts. In fact, I have been a couch potato so long that I now blend into the fabric of my sofa. A round of golf is more than enough exercise for me. And that’s only if I use a cart.
Meanwhile, let’s move the entertainment indoors and get an update on the freak show.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Department must have the Queen song, “Another One Bites the Dust,” on constant loop because of the alarming number of personnel that are terminated or getting locked up themselves.
Folks, this is not a salary problem. It’s a morality problem and no amount of money can fix a morality flaw.
However, one would have to question the decisions that were made when punishment actions were made and enforced.
A 24-year veteran Capt. Branden Beckman and Investigator Allison Walker were terminated for “not being truthful” with internal affairs concerning an inappropriate relationship.
In another case, Sgt. Aunarey Herbert and Cpl. Melissa Allen were only demoted back to deputies for their inappropriate conduct and suspended for five days, according to authorities. No other information was made available. I wonder if they were suspended with pay? Anyone want to take a wild guess as to how long it will be before they are back at their taken-away ranks?
Why the difference in punishments for what seems to be the same offenses? Has Augusta’s Parks and Recreation Director Maurice McDowell, quietly been moved over to the RCSO? It seems to me that that is the same type of judgment which just routinely causes the citizens to pony up and pay out a termination claim for discrimination.
The sure way for a commissioner to avoid a controversial vote is to just not show up for the vote. Now, for whatever reason, Commissioners Wayne Guilfoyle, Brandon Garrett and Al Mason were not in attendance for the vote pertaining to the renaming of Riverwalk, a ballfield and a building.
Commissioner McKnight indicated that she would like to pull the items from this past week’s agenda. Her reason was so that the entire group of elected commissioners should be there to cast a vote.
When the items came up to talk about them, that’s when Commissioner Sean Frantom, with Commissioner Catherine McKnight seconding, made the motion to move the items to the next full commission meeting. The vote was 7 to 0 to do so.
Lastly, the sham of hiring an Augusta city administrator and what a predictable ruse this will be. The company hired to employ the process, mentioned that in some cities the elected officials seemed to put themselves in the process where they should not be.
Just wait until they deal with our commission.
The company’s associate Janice Allen Jackson, ex-Augusta administrator, should have told them all about how Augusta operates.
I also wonder if Commissioner Bully Williams’ recommended input for qualifications is still one that a person could not qualify for if they had not worked for the past three years or some foolish notion such as this one.
Commissioner Williams, I hate to break it to you but, that’s also a form of employment discrimination.
Maybe Commissioner Stacy Pulliam needs to demand another workshop for all to be explained the laws pertaining to discrimination. But, as usual, no one would attend.
As always, folks, you just can’t make this stuff up.
