Alvin Mason, District 4 representative on the Augusta Commission, and Venus Cain, Super District 9 representative on the Richmond County school board, called a joint press conference March 1 to protest Gov. Brian Kemp’s signing of a redistricting map.
Commission President Pro Tem Bobby Williams, District 1 Commissioner Jordan Johnson, District 6 Commission Ben Hasan and District 9 Commissioner Francine Scott joined them along with more than three dozen African American residents who voiced their anger with the redistricting map.
MORE: Kemp signs redistricting map for Richmond County
Kemp signed senate bills 457 and 458 into law, which are the redistricting map drawn by state senators Max Burns (R-District 23) and Lee Anderson (R-District 24) without holding public hearings or receiving citizen input. The map redraws voting districts for the Augusta Commission and the Richmond County school trustees.
“My minister always reminds us to keep the whole armor of God on and he will fight our battles. Today, I stand with the full armor of God, while Max Burns and his two amigos move to disrespect people of color and ignore the data from the census,” said Cain. “It is an outright attempt to gain Republican control over the state of Georgia and the city of Augusta by hook or crook.”
[adrotate banner=”71″]
The 2020 census shows Richmond County population grew by 3% to 206,607 residents. That means the ideal, balanced district size is 25,825. However, District 3, represented by Catherine McKnight, grew by more than 21% and now has 31,316 residents.
The Burns/Anderson map moves precinct 309 out of district three, moving it to district five, currently represented by Williams.
Cain and Mason were both members of the Richmond County Ad Hoc Redistricting Committee that worked for months, including a series of public meetings, to create a redistricting map for the county.
The committee started with a map drawn by the Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Office in Atlanta without local input. It also had three locally produced maps created by the county’s IT department with help from the Board of Elections Office.
In the end, both the commission and school board voted to use the original draft map, referred to as the minimal change map, from the Atlanta office. The December votes in both bodies was 6-to-4 and broke along racial lines. The map was sent to Atlanta for legislative approval.
During a Jan. 6 meeting between the Augusta Commission and members of the local legislative delegation, Burns and state Rep. Mark Howard (R-District 123), who was also a member of the ad hoc committee, both announced they would not support that map.
“The worst alternative, in my mind, was the first option, which was the starting point. It had no input from the community. It provided no opportunity for adjustments,” said Burns.
“It has been said we did not keep communities of interest together,” said Cain. “My question to my Republican friends, do you really think we don’t have the same interest as the rest of the community? We all want safe community, safe schools, neighborhoods kept clean, nice restaurants, parks and amenities to raise our children and grands and, if we are blessed to live long enough, to see our great grandkids grow up in a loving community. We all want lower taxes, good health facility, good community service, good government, and a community that works together as a well-oiled machine instead of a constant division.”
[adrotate banner=”51″]
Mason took over when Cain finished, focusing much of his anger at the governor.
“Governor Brian Kemp had an opportunity to show some real leadership. Unfortunately, he chose not to do that,” he said. “Kemp, if you’re listening, we simply wanted you to do what was right. We wanted you to listen to the voice of the people of Augusta Richmond County, and not be swayed by Senator Max Burns, Senator Lee Anderson, one who represents a very, very small portion of our county and the other who is not even in our district or our county. You had the opportunity to calm this storm and do what was in the best interest of Augusta-Richmond County, not just a few.”
There have been questions about challenging the Burns-Anderson map in federal court. Mason said, as an elected official, he is prevented from doing that, but he anticipates someone, or a civic organization may step forward and file the challenge.
“This is very, very difficult for me to sit here and watch what’s happening to us as a people. And not only us, but there’s a number of others races that are upset as well. If we had to choose the minimal map still somebody would have been upset but you wouldn’t have this big ripple effect of what you’re having right now,” Mason said.
The qualifying period for the primary elections opens March 7 and ends March 11. Primary election day is March 15.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a general assignment reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
