Augusta has been without a permanent administrator for years, and the results of not having a competent hand on the helm are showing throughout city government.
The minority bloc, known as the “Gang of Five,” have long wanted their hand-picked choice of Takiyah Douse to assume the permanent position. In their zeal to hire Douse, they even managed to lower the qualifications for the job.
Even with lowered expectations and two years worth of on-the-job training, Douse has proven time and again that she is not fit to handle the day-to-day operations of the city and its billion dollar budget.
Rather than admit they were wrong and follow the mayor in a new direction, the Gang of Five has dug in their heels and attempted to grind the operations of government to a complete halt.
At the Sep. 10 special called meeting, the obstructionist bloc simply decided not to attend and prevented a vote by ensuring there wasn’t a quorum. Later, the leader of the group, Commissioner Jordan Johnson, stood in front of the television cameras and claimed the failure to show up was not political but that the mayor did not give proper notification.
That claim was nonsense.
The meeting was scheduled on a Tuesday, which is the regular day for commission meetings that generally have an executive session included before committee meetings begin, as there was on that day. The clerk’s office was alerted in due time to post the planned meeting as is required by law.
Just to prove that Johnson is, at best, being misleading, when topics came up on the agenda that the Gang of Five wanted passed, they miraculously found their way into the chambers.
However, having a quorum meant that the original called meeting could be opened back up and discussion could begin.
Commissioner Tony Lewis, the lone Gang of Five member left on the dais that day, seemed to be obvious to what was coming until he looked down at his phone. After looking down at his messages, he hastily gathered his belongings and quite literally fled the building, ending the quorum before a motion could be made.
These are antics that make kindergarteners seem mature in comparison.
While the Gang of Five may be obstructionists, with power being their prime goal, they are not stupid; they are fully aware that come January, a super-majority will exist on the commission rendering them powerless.
Rather than continue the schoolyard bullying antics, the minority bloc needs to get with the program and allow a vote to occur. Otherwise, in January, they may find themselves left out in the cold with taxpayers as well as their colleagues on the commission.
