All Gen. James Oglethorpe had to do was plant a flagpole on a bluff and declare Augusta to be a city by order of King George III. In today’s world, some 290 years later, things aren’t as simple as declaring a city into existence.
The Charter Review Committee has admirably tried to eschew “politics as usual,” but in reality, the committee is a political body that was formed by politicians to settle a series of political questions; therefore, separating politics and the sometimes heated emotions that follow is easier said than done.
Mayor Garnett Johnson and the commissioners tried to limit the influence of politics by assuring that the body only include people who have never held political office in Augusta/Richmond County.
In order to avoid the whiff of smokey backroom dealings, the committee has not attempted to limit public involvement, and these efforts are now unfolding to the detriment of the committee by gumming up the works.
It is clear that frustration has hit high tide with one member resigning from the sub-committee to which she was appointed.
The public needs to keep in mind that not only is the committee’s timeline up against some firm deadlines, they are already likely feeling at least some political pressure from the commissioners that appointed them. The committee members are also keenly aware that the governmental changes that they are tasked with recommending will have an impact on generations of taxpayers to come.
Those committee members that are more high profile and known more to the general public get inundated by citizens at the grocery store or while paying for gas. They find the conversation topic switched to them and their civic work..
Everyone wants a chance to have their say.
Some people, however, don’t seem to realize when they have said enough or have the decorum to distinguish between offering heartfelt suggestions and pestering or even harassing. Public meetings are getting disrupted needlessly. If citizens can’t muster a little self-awareness and self-control, then the committee’s chair needs to do it for them.
Taxpayers need to keep their grandstanding at home. Nothing good can be gained by citizens turning this process into something into the Jerry Springer TV show.
Everyone will get a their say when the committee’s recommendations are placed before the voters in the form of a ballot measure.
