(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Augusta Press.)
It was déjà vu all over again when Augusta commissioners talked about a proposed Gold Cross EMS contract. They talked with one commissioner doing most of the talking. So, they didn’t get anything done except set another meeting to talk some more.
One new development in the contract saga is that commissioners are openly blaming each other for the possibility that Augusta might be left without an ambulance service, which is another chapter in my favorite book, “Politics 101.”
Previously, I wrote about some of my favorite chapters in this book, such as “Deny, Deny, Deny” and “Delay, Delay, Delay.” Now we seem to be on Chapter 14, “Blame Somebody Else.”
Commissioner Bobby aka “Bully” Williams said he was for giving Gold Cross some money for transporting Richmond County’s indigent patients, but not the $1.95 million that’s in the proposed contract and another one-time $1.95 million immediately.
The Bully Pulpit
“Where do you think we’re going to get that from?” Bully Williams asked. “Where do you think we’ve got that in? I don’t get that! That’s just basically raping the people of Augusta. And I don’t understand $1.95 million that’s on this agenda. That’s not my money. It’s your money. And another $2 million.”
Raping the people of Augusta? Now, come on, Bully. That’s far out. Anyway, it’s not an image anybody in their right mind wants to contemplate.
“Any commissioner who would give them $2 million does not need to be sitting up here with us by any stretch of the imagination, I don’t see that in any shape, form or fashion,” he continued.
In response to Williams’ “impassioned speech,” Commissioner Alvin Mason said, “The people who shouldn’t be sitting up here are the people that allowed Gold Cross to be paid $650,000 in the first place when they were paid $1.4 million prior to that.
“The people who shouldn’t be sitting up here are the people who allowed a MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) to take place instead of a contract, something you could hold them accountable for. I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea. The fact of the matter is this: You can point the finger elsewhere, but the question is, “’What have you done for the citizens?’
“I brought this back up in April at $1.4-$1.6 million because the price of doing business was rising exponentially. We had an opportunity to lock it in. We chose not to do this.”
Mason emphasized he wasn’t taking Gold Cross’s side for response time in any shape or form, but they would get accountability with a contract that would have provisions for fees or fines if Gold Cross failed to live up to the terms.
“That’s what a good government does,” he said. “We low-balled them, and some of you up here know the reason why. So, while you’re pointing fingers, ask yourself, ‘What did you do to get us in this position? What did you do to get our citizens in this position?’”
Mayor Pro Tem Brandon Garrett made a motion for the $1.95 million and another $1.95 million immediately that included Gold Cross giving up authority to be the sole provider in the Richmond County zone.
“I want to hear them say they’re going to give up the zone,” said Williams. “They cannot give you the zone. They have come here trying to ram this down your throat.”
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The Amazing Metamorphoses
Williams also quizzed interim Administrator Takiyah Douse about where the money would come from.
“Where are you going to get $1.95 million?” he asked. “And AARP (money) runs out in another year.”
Besides, he said, ARP money was meant to be used for the people. So, he proposed “putting up some boards on Broad Street so people could watch television.”
And so it went, on and on, excruciatingly, absurdly, with Williams harping on where the money would come from like he’d metamorphosed overnight into a fiscal conservative which was funny because I don’t remember him questioning using $6 million of ARP money for employee bonuses and raises. Nor do I remember him questioning the $7 million contract they awarded to an outside engineering firm to repair parks and recreation sites the director couldn’t get done.
Apparently, Williams thinks it’s OK to give money away to his friends but not to people he doesn’t like.
Anyway, after a 10 minute recess to clarify Garrett’s motion about exactly what they’d be voting on and I don’t know what else, they voted, and the motion failed 5-4-1 with Garrett, Mason and Commissioners Catherine McKnight, Sean Frantom and Wayne Guilfoyle voting yes. Williams abstained which kept Mayor Garnett Johnson from breaking the tie.
Frantom tried to get a vote to reconsider, but General Counsel Wayne Brown read a commission rule that stated once an agenda item had been voted on, it could not be brought up again in the same meeting although defeated motions have been revisited in the same meeting many times in the past, as Garrett noted.
So, the mayor called for a special meeting to talk about it some more at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan., 24 in commission chambers.
“You Better Kiss Me ‘Cause You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone
Gold Cross Vice President Steven Vincent explained to commissioners how the process to give up the zone would work which would be a simple one that would allow his company and the city to work as partners. But he found the meeting ultimately to be “very disappointing.”
“The money we’re asking for to help us survive would go back into the Richmond County economy,” he said after the meeting. “We’re looking to increase staffing, and the things we buy we buy locally – medicine, tires uniforms, everything except ambulances. It’s not for executive salaries or office suites.”
Vincent said Gold Cross would like to stay in Augusta but could not keep losing money.
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From the Land of Fruits and Nuts
Two weeks ago, I wrote that previous mayor Hardie Davis wanted you to furnish office space, computers and supplies for him and his staff until March 1 and issued an executive order on the continuation process.
Davis ordered that office space, furniture, furnishings, computers, office machines, and supplies at whatever place or places within the City the Mayor designates at no cost to the Mayor or his transition staff until March 1, 2023. He also ordered that Email account access and other related services remain active until then.
Then last week, Nikolaj Leszczynjski, associate account manager of Red Banyan Crisis PR firm in Los Angeles, Ca., emailed the following note and two statements on Davis’ behalf.
“Please see below for two statements from former Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis Jr. regarding two recent issues of public interest.
We ask if you could insert these quotes into past and future stories if possible that focus on these issues.
Thank you,
Nikolaj
Executive Order:
“While many cities, like Atlanta, Houston, and Washington DC have established a formal period of time for outgoing mayoral administrations to ensure a smooth transition of people and information to the next administration, the City of Augusta does not. When I assumed office, the transition for my team was not as smooth, and I did not want that to be the case for future administrations. So, to prevent any interruption in city business, I issued an executive order to establish a two-month period that would allow me and my staff access to our city emails and office space as needed to help Mayor Johnson hit the ground running and set him up for success from day one.”
Georgia Tech:
“It’s unfortunate that a series of unfounded allegations have put on hold a wonderful opportunity for me to give back to the institution that made me the individual I am today. I hope that when these allegations are proven to be baseless that I will have another opportunity to teach at my beloved alma mater.”
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OK, But…
The statement on the executive order rings false because Mayor Garnett Johnson was elected in June, giving Davis six months to transition out of the mayor’s office. If he couldn’t do it in six months, he surely couldn’t do it in two months. But, of course, he was too busy traveling around the country at taxpayers’ expense the last half of the year to think about transitioning. And I’m not too sure Georgia Tech would approve of his statement about wanting to give back to the institution that made him the individual he is today.
According to Red Banyan’s website they have two main types of clients:
“Those who want to get into the press – and those who want to get out.”
“We also build and bolster their brands, craft perceptions that become reality, influence public opinion, and protect reputations and bottom lines.”
Well, all I have to say is that they’ll have a job of work to do when it comes to Hardie.
A Costly Turn
Michael Meyers, public information office er for Gold Cross EMS, among his many other jobs and pursuits, posted a photo of an Augusta Fire Department aerial truck that rolled over when the driver attempted to turn onto I-20 at the Washington Road intersection Monday afternoon.
Three firefighters were taken to the hospital where they were treated for injuries and released that night, according to Michael.
The truck was coming from the downtown area on Washington Road headed for I-20 but did not take the exit on the right toward Atlanta but instead went under the overpass and tried to turn left to get on I-20, which raised questions about whether it was an illegal turn. So I called retired AFD Battalion Chief Steven Bell and asked him whether that would be the case, and he said not necessarily if the truck was on an emergency call. Emergency personnel may break traffic laws and take short cuts going to the scene of an emergency but must do it safely, not recklessly.
“The question that needs to be asked is, ‘What are the training protocols for training firefighters to drive the aerial apparatus?’ Bell said. “And, ‘Who is the accrediting agency that certified the instructor?’ Also, ‘Are the instructors being recertified in accordance with the agency that certifies them?’
“Are they trained properly? In June of 2022 another aerial truck was totaled in front of the Eye Guys on Interstate Parkway. Another question is, ‘How many fire trucks have been damaged or wrecked over the past five years?”
Those were all good questions worthy of a full-blown news story which it’s getting a little too late in the day for me to write. Maybe one in The Augusta Press next week.
Anyway, fire truck costs about $1.5 million, and that was before inflation, Bell said.
Sylvia Cooper is a columnist with The Augusta Press. Reach her at sylvia.cooper@theaugustapress.com
