(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Augusta Press.)
It seems as if I haven’t seen you since last year, and that Ms. Sylvia and I had the same idea of taking a week off. However, Mr. Publisher (Joe Edge) had a very steamy column. If you missed it take a moment to read it.
Let’s kick this week off by first thanking God for seeing us through 2022. If you are reading this column, that means you are still on this side.
I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the passing of the great freedom fighter, community activist and loud DEMOCRAT, Mr. Terrance Dicks. His death was announced in TAP this past week and that was actually the first I had heard of it.
I reached out to some to asked if they had heard, and they seemed to be learning about Mr. Dicks’ death the same time that I was. That is a topic we will discuss another day.
Mr. Dicks was a wonderful person and fought hard for what he believed in. You would hardly ever see him without a big smile on his face, and his basic mode of transportation was walking. Let me be clear. He enjoyed walking and would get everywhere he needed to be and didn’t miss too many events. He will be truly missed and even harder to replace.
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Speaking of replacing…
The school board seems to have snuck a meeting in on the community Saturday morning. I don’t know what all was discussed, but what we do know is based on community conversations. A.K. Hasan is being allowed to sit in a seat that is not in his district until someone else is elected.
According to news reports, the school board voted to hold a special election for District 6 and voted to let Hasan remain in the seat. Which may seem a bit odd to some, but according to some school board members that is what the laws says—they think. Well, it depends on who you ask and what day it is.
At one time, I was told the seat would be vacant. Then I was told they could appoint someone from any district. Then I was told a judge would have to appoint someone. Then I was told the Legislature would have to make an appointment. Then I was told the appointment would have to come from within the district. Then I was told that it couldn’t be an appointed position. Then someone said, “This would be easier if Pete Fletcher was here to tell them what they need do, like he always did.” That was the only thing I agreed with.
However, in the end it seems as if the consensus became whatever deals needed to be done to make sure Charlie Walker became president and Shonda Kettles Stovall the vice president. Be that as it may, we are looking at Ed Lowery already running hard and planning a big announcement coming soon. I can tell you this—those big signs he had made are pretty nice.
Speaking of signs…
I saw someone picking up Brad Owens’ signs that were still lingering last week. I asked them were they with code enforcement and trashing them? They quickly responded, “No sir! We are picking them up, and we were told to whip them down and store them carefully.”
I reached out to Brad to ask him was he planning another run. He said, “Only 2600 people voted; that’s an 8% turnout. Is that a good representation of our community?” So, basically he didn’t answer my question, but he didn’t say no.
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The first commission meeting of the year was one worth watching a few times. Well, at least the swearing in part and the mayor pro tem votes, which many are asking…never mind. I’ll get to that.
Let me first say that I believe each swearing in ceremony held Tuesday before the meeting was in line with each individual commissioner. I enjoyed each one of them and had bet Kelby before it started that Commissioner Alvin Mason would sing a song. He actually put on a full concert with which I sang along. What I enjoyed the most was his mother being able to be there and take it all in. There is something special about a momma and her son.
I enjoyed hearing the people from the community say great things about Wayne Guilfoyle and him speaking with that southern drawl. Someone said to me, “I didn’t know Wayne was half Japanese.” I said, “Yeah, and he lives in Hephzibah.”
Who I enjoyed seeing the most, and I believe the crowd did too, are the children of Commissioner Brandon Garrett, to include his superstar daughter Adilee. She is something like a Facebook star, and I have to admit that Moni and I have two cute pictures of her and her brothers on our fridge.
Let me say that I wish most success to our city leadership as they embark on 2023 with some new faces. I’m excited to see the new direction and truly believe there will be somethings that will move this city forward and shake things up.
This new direction may have already begun within the Commission meeting this past Monday. Please go back and watch it. Things became a bit testy during the new City Administrator’s job description discussion. At the end of the day, the Mayor gets to bring no more than three candidates forward for consideration and the approval is made by the Commission. If you don’t understand what I mean, read the last sentence again.
Oh before I go, let me tell you about this very big announcement that is coming. Soooo…
Michael Meyers is a columnist for The Augusta Press. Reach him at Michael.meyers@theaugustapress.com
