Editor’s note: The Augusta Press is proud to introduce its newest local columnist, Doug Lively. A product of Richmond County and lifelong Augustan, Doug Lively is the fourth of six children raised near North Leg and Milledgeville Road when that was “the country.” He has been married for 45 years to his high school love, and they have four adult children 10 grandchildren with a stork on the way. He has previously served as a member of the Augusta Aviation Commission. Lively describes himself as an extroverted introvert. He would rather not be around crowds but, if forced, he enjoys the company of others. He appreciates the value of the written word and how it marks thoughts, ideas, history and opinion. Words matter. The spoken word can be laced with inflection and expression to nuance meaning but the written word requires work to precisely relay a thought, idea or opinion. He believes precision writing is an art in danger of extinction.
Back in November, Augustans were either getting ready for Thanksgiving, thinking about Christmas presents we needed to buy or still mourning (or celebrating) an election from earlier that month. Many were still in shock from a hurricane with 100 mph winds that upended homes and lives on Sept. 27.
The calm before the storm
If we rewind back four days before to the “calm before the storm,” 45-year veteran Finance Director Donna Williams and others were called into executive session of the Richmond County Commission and either dismissed (fired is such a harsh word) or asked to resign. Others in that department chose to leave as a result. Procurement Director Geri Sams fell under the proverbial axe as well. The interim city administrator was also shown the door for a permanent replacement.
In the midst of so much calamity, the Augusta commissioners found clarity to approve a budget for fiscal year 2025 of slightly less than $1,400,000,000. That’s one billion, 400 million dollars. All spent to serve 200,884 people, according to 2023 population statistics. Almost $7,000 for every man, woman and child living within her boundaries. Reporters said the county would recoup over $1 million from reductions in the general fund to take care of the district attorney’s personnel needs and the Sheriff’s Office. Cuts to NGOs (Non Governmental Organizations) were also off limits. The buzz phrase was “Public Safety is everyone’s concern.” There was so much spin, I fell off the mental merry-go-round.
I could go on and on with speculation on whether Augusta government is efficient or not. We all know what we see, and we can draw our own conclusions. Commissioners abstaining from a vote to create a stalemate. Who hasn’t seen a county crew with one person digging and four watching? A police car sitting at a dead-end road or worse racing with you to slip under a yellow light before it turns red. I stopped calling 311 about potholes because the 2-inch deep pothole was fixed with a 4-inch-high asphalt patch.
What’s the process?
I say all of this to ask….How does Augusta get a Department of Government Efficiency?
You know, a DOGE. A department to ferret out waste, fraud and abuse. I suspect we would be stronger on the waste, next on abuse and lastly on fraud. But what do I know? Who would be our Elon Musk? A little known (maybe not to insiders) fact is that the new Augusta administrator, Tameka Allen, previously headed up IT for the county. My personal interactions have proven her to be sharp as a tack and the most intelligent person in any room she is in.
Who would be our “Orange Man”? Well….. Garnett Johnson is a man who has built a business from the ground up. He knows what works and what doesn’t from a business point of view.
So, what’s the problem, the fly in the ointment? Why can’t we Make Augusta Great Again, Make Augusta Efficient Again? Why do taxpayers continue to escape to North Augusta, to Burke County, to Columbia County?
The same reason it took a remarkably horrible national administration to bring about national change. Districts vote for their favorite candidate. They want the status quo, which is a seat on the plane heading directly into the mountain.
