It appears that the Augusta/Richmond County Charter Review committee has hit the ground running, voting in their leadership and holding preliminary meetings that have been open to the public as required by law.
A web page has also been created where notices as well as documents will be made available to the public.
We have a lot of respect for all of the members who were carefully chosen by each of the 10 county commissioners, and we feel the members made the right decisions in placing the right people in leadership: Marcie Wilhelmi as chairperson, Tonya Barnhill-Turnley as vice chair and Angela Bakos as secretary.
These are all people who have made a name for themselves in the community and, so far, it appears they are taking their commitment to acting and voting in a non-biased manner seriously.
However, we would be remiss if we did not remind the committee members that, even as members of an appointed, non-governmental body, their emails, texts and other documents are still subject to the open records laws. That includes messages about the charter review process sent from and received at their personal email accounts and texts messages.
Since none of their decisions will likely ever cover real estate negotiations, pending lawsuits or personnel decisions, the board may not meet in closed door, or executive sessions.
We are confident that every member of the committee has the best interest of the community at heart, but as President Ronald Reagan once said, “Trust, but verify.”
The Augusta Press is committed following every meeting and every proposal made by the committee and dutifully reporting the progress as it is made; and we challenge the other media organizations in the city to also put a priority on covering the committee for their viewers/readers.
After all, we might not get another bite at this apple for 30 more years.
