If aliens landed here tomorrow and read the local news headlines, they would likely conclude that the CSRA has nothing but attention seeking, corrupt politicians. The truth is, the CSRA does have some incredibly honest and forthright elected leaders who sometimes go unnoticed because they spend their time doing their jobs and not scheming their next political maneuver or trying to stuff their hand into the taxpayer’s pickle jar.
It is easy to become jaded when a sitting Augusta commissioner remains under an FBI investigation, the sheriff rides around in a luxury SUV videotaping himself and the mayor thinks he can spend the taxpayers money like Julia Roberts on a Rodeo Drive shopping spree.
Recently, Augusta has seen a senior judge step down in disgrace and the local political graveyard is full of former mayors, sheriffs, coroners, state senators, school superintendents and state representatives all who, at one point, have occupied space in the Augusta wing of a federal prison complex.
All too often, the media spotlight seems to be reserved for the politicians behaving poorly, and little attention is paid to the ones who should be celebrated for being actual public servants.
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Augusta/Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen has a pretty unenviable job. He is the person pulled out of bed at 2 a.m. to gather the remains of a pedestrian struck on Washington Road, the guy who comforts grieving mothers when their child is killed in a homicide.
Unlike “Ducky” from the NCIS television program, who has a massive state of the art lab filled with employees, Bowen must fight daily with state bean counters defunding his lab and pester state officials continually to get something as simple as a blood test done.
Rather than be morose and hide away in the county morgue, Bowen’s office is likely the most transparent in all of Augusta/Richmond County. Bowen freely hands out his personal cell phone number to reporters and says, “Call me anytime, day or night.”
Another political figure who deserves the spotlight is Superior Court Judge Daniel Craig.
Most judges will rule on a case and then leave it to the prevailing attorney or an aide to write the final judgement, but not Judge Craig. Since assuming the bench in 2008, Craig has written his own opinions in every case he has heard.
Such attention to detail means that should a case be appealed, the next presiding judge will know exactly what Craig’s thinking and rationale were in making his decision.
Despite dealing with a crushing family tragedy, Craig has always remained focused and humble. Unlike some other elected judges who carry their title on their sleeve, Craig says that when he wears the robe, he is “Judge Craig” and the rest of the time, he is just “Danny.”
Columbia County government rarely gets the spotlight because controversy in the county is itself rare. When Columbia County Commission Chairman Doug Duncan won election, many assumed that his win meant the continuation of the Ron Cross era, but that did not happen.
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Rather than making the chairmanship a full time gig, as Cross did, Duncan continues to work as vice president of MAU. This means the time that Duncan spends as a commissioner is devoted to problem solving and not political scheming.
Duncan believes good government happens when there is less government and it shows in his public service.
Finally, there are three Augusta commissioners who are winners for the simple fact that they do not mind losing.
District 10 Commissioner John Clarke, District 3 Commissioner Catherine Smith-McKnight and District 8 Commissioner Brandon Garrett have become battle buddies, forming a minority voice against the secretive coalition led by District 4 Commissioner Sammie Sias and District 6 Commissioner Ben Hasan.
The trio have offered more than just talk when it comes to government transparency, and they do not mind taking on the powerful Sias and speaking out. Even with colleagues warning them they may face a tough re-election, they have fought tooth and nail to keep Augusta from sliding back into the old Southside Mafia days.
None of the people mentioned in this article are currently running for office, but it is safe to say that they are the kinds of politicians this paper wold consider endorsing.
If the CSRA is to flourish in the future, we need more people like them in public office.
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