Augusta Commissioner Bobby Williams is not just a bully, he’s also a bad influence, and he’s going to lead some of the newer members astray of the best interests for the city and its citizens unless they wise up and grow backbones of their own.
Williams’ sway over the two newly elected commissioners enabled the entire ambulance service debacle to progress like watching a car wreck. The result is that Augusta taxpayers will end up paying millions more than they need to for ambulance service.
And make no mistake: the drama is not over. Gold Cross may have worked a temporary deal out due to Mayor Garnett Johnson’s leadership, but the piper is going to come due soon. Nobody knows what the end result will be.
Williams’ outbursts, interruptions and disrespectful posturing not only serves the people of Augusta poorly, it shows a total lack of respect for the new mayor. In effect, Williams has declared that he wants to be the de facto mayor, and he has no problem making everyone aware of that fact.
New commissioners Stacy Pulliam and Tony Lewis followed Williams in the Gold Cross vote in what is a sad foreshadowing of what is to come over the next few years. Long-serving commissioners Jordan Johnson and Francine Scott rarely step up to lead. Neither will go against Williams.
Former Commissioner Ben Hasan also may hold some influence over both Pulliam and Scott because he helped them both get elected. Hasan, too, was a big advocate for killing the relationship with Gold Cross no matter the consequences.
Williams has publicly stated he will abstain on votes to avoid allowing the mayor to split a vote. Williams’ strategy of abstaining on 5-4 votes takes voting power away from the mayor. If commissioners Pulliam and Lewis follow Bobby Williams, the city certainly is going to suffer the next few years.
Those commissioners who are blindly following Williams need to wise up, think for themselves and make decisions based on merit not politics. They should do their job and represent what’s best for their constituents not what’s best for relationships with other commissioners.
