This past commission meeting was much akin to country music legend Wayland Jennings singing, “It’s the same ol’ tune fiddle and guitar, where do we take it from here?” That was what I was thinking as stormwater director Oscar Flite was once again singing the praises of the stormwater program.
It’s the same ol’ tune.
It’s not the Engineering Department’s responsibility, the DOT is responsible. It is all the 100 year flood’s fault.
Ditches and tributaries get clogged with debris washing downward. Isn’t that what the fee is supposed to take care of?
Keeping these ditches and tributary banks clean, cut and trimmed should take care of the problem of sudden rushes of water to the larger drain pipes carrying debris that gets lodged in the pipes and creating a backup.
Flite states that his department is proactive with the cutting of grass, cleaning ditches and cleaning structures. The people living in areas that routinely flood would beg to differ.
Flite also states that calls to the 311 service to report problems have steadily gone down in number. But could that be due to the response from 311 has been slow to none?
Many citizens have reported that when they call into 311 with an issue, it is closed with no actual work performed to correct the issue. Could it be that the taxpayer has just given up on calling?
When asked what could be done in the future to help stop this flooding from happening, the same old stall answer was given. Of course,the answer is always associated with more resources. Code word, MONEY.
Maybe some of the stormwater fees could be used to buy a raft so both Flite and his boss Hameed Malik can float down the river with a fiddle and a banjo singing “Storms Never Last.”
Inquiring minds want to know. Didn’t the yearly audit that all of the commissioners and city executives are so proud of show a surplus of funds in the stormwater program, as well as with utilities? Yet utility bills continue to rise every year.
Why didn’t that excellent audit catch the $26,000 that McDowell spent on unauthorized travel and hotel accommodations? Why didn’t the audit ever catch the $20,000 check that was paid to an unnamed Augusta Ports Authority employee? Especially since the authority in question doesn’t have employees.
Catherine McKnight and I never got an answer to that question.
TAP’s ace investigative reporter Scott Hudson wrote two eye-opening reports this past week. The Maurice McDowell story and the sale of the Vineland Park story. Both were told with more In-depth detail than could be imaged.
Since I was serving on the commission when much of this was occurring, I feel I would be remiss if I did not tell of my personal involvement and knowledge
On the infamous bus tour of parks that McDowell wanted to sell off because of the cost of maintenance, there were several areas we visited. With the entire handful of properties we visited, the cost of maintenance was less than $4,000 a year.
Among those were Vineland, the park within the Bedford area of the Lakemont neighborhood, the small park in the triangle on Heard Avenue, as well as two parks near public housing neighborhoods.
As we pulled up to the Vineland Park several of the residents of the Vineland neighborhood were there to meet us with ” Save our Park” signs held high. Some of us wanted to get off the bus and talk with the people. It was then made clear by McDowell and Mayor Hardie Davis Jr. that we would not be getting off the bus at this stop.
As the bus pulled away, we watched out of the rear of the bus the television reporters talking with the people.
As with any go-out-and-see bus ride-along, many if not most of the commissioners don’t bother to show up.
It was up to the ones of us that did go to inform the others as to the details. It was agreed that the selling of any parks would not take place at that time. It was that stance that was still in effect as I understood it to be when I left office; but evidently the commission had a change of purpose and decision.
The unprofessional and personal way that McDowell ran the Parks and Recreation Department was known. It was no deep secret.
It was noted in a reply to Hudson’s McDowell story that the then-commissioners in Districts 10 and 3 knew about what was taking place. The then-commissioners were none other than yours truly John Clarke and still commissioner Catherine McKnight.
We did indeed know a lot of what was taking place. What the reporter, my colleague Scott Hudson, failed to mention was that everyone including the other eight commissioners, the interim administrator, the Human Resources director, as well as the then-mayor Hardie Davis knew.
The mark of a good reporter is someone who only presents documentable facts, and so Scott’s omissions were justified, but I know for a fact that he knew what they knew, and they did everything possible to keep what he knew from becoming public knowledge.
They did not succeed. Despite the legal wranglings, Scott managed to put the full story out in the public, and there is more, so much more to come.
Here’s where the rubber meets the road.
McKnight and myself made it plain and clear McDowell was a problem that needed to be addressed. Really, he needed to be removed
The best we could do was muster two other votes. McDowell was insulated and protected, as are some other employees.
McDowell is now gone. The damage he was allowed to do will take quite a while to correct.
The problem facing us today is, he is not the only one that should be held accountable. The Interim administrator, as well as the Human Resources director, also needs to be shown the door. They should be held accountable as co-conspirators.
It is documented that McDowell was purportedly engaged to a member of Rookard’s staff. Folks, you really can’t make this stuff up!
Should McDowell have gotten a severance pay? My answer is NO. My first year in office I was part of a committee that rewrote the section of the personnel policy that deals with leaving city government employment. The policy went into effect as of 2019. Some of the policy was grandfathered in for employees hired before that time.
If an employee resigned or was terminated for just cause, no severance pay had to be given. As with any policy, the commission can vote to override if they wish.
Election season is gearing up to be a dandy. The voters have a choice. They can elect the same to office or they can help change this government.
Voting is easy. I went down to the municipal building and voted in the presidential primary. Why some choose to shout they are being blocked from voting is something that I truly don’t understand.
Everyone has to follow the same rules, we all have to be registered and have a state picture issued identification.
I walked in and presented my ID, talked briefly with the poll workers and voted. I was in and out in under two minutes. Just think, all without a free sandwich or complimentary bottle of water. Yep, I walked in and out like the Ramblin’ Man I am.
There is much talk of getting the mayor a vote. I personally support this issue. There is also talk of making changes to the city charter, and I am also personally in support of this issue.
Changing some of the charter doesn’t mean un-consolidation; what it means is putting Waylon’s whiskey away for a minute and having a sober conversation among the people about how we want to be governed.
Folks, as always, you just can’t make this stuff up.
