Petula Burks, chief of staff to Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis Jr., has quietly resigned her position and accepted a leadership position with the Public Information and Engagement Office in Richmond, Va.
According to a press release from the city of Richmond, Burks started her new position on Jan. 4, 2022.
The Mayor’s Office gave no advanced notice of the resignation. The Mayor’s Office sent a statement on the matter at 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 7, just a few hours after The Augusta Press inquired about Burks’ new position in Richmond and filed an Open Records Act request for her resignation letter.
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In the press release, the Davis touted Burks’ service to the city with a bullet point list of achievements and credited her for being “integral in the development and implementation of strategic priorities anchored in the Mayor’s vision for an equitable and inclusive city,” passage of a historic non-discrimination ordinance, passage of the FY2022 budget and passage of a living wage for employees of Augusta/Richmond County.
District 8 Commissioner Brandon Garrett disputed the mayor’s claim and said that it was District 9 Commissioner Francine Scott who made the non-discrimination ordinance her “baby,” the City Administrators Office that developed the 2022 budget and that he never saw Burks involved in any discussions regarding the minimum wage for city employees.
“While I am glad the Mayors’ Office has worked with the commission as opposed to against us, (Burks) never gave a presentation that I can recall, or had anything to do with those initiatives,” Garrett said.
District 10 Commissioner John Clarke went a step further, stating that he never had any conversation with Burks when it came to city business before the commission.
“No, I don’t recall her being involved in any of those things, certainly not the city budget. I do know that she was behind building the television recording studio in the Mayor’s Office, but aside from that, I can’t say she was instrumental in anything…But I wish her well,” Clarke said.
The press release from Davis’ office stated that Burks had only agreed to stay in the position for one year.
“Upon joining the Mayor’s Office, Petula promised us one year,” according to the press release. “During that time, her focus on elevating the story of Augusta, driving results, executing our vision for OneAugusta, and building a city of opportunity for everyone helped ensure the passage of key pieces of legislation that I had presented the Augusta Commission. She has fulfilled her promise one year later, and I will always be grateful for her service and friendship.”
According to city records previously published by The Augusta Press, Burks was hired by the city in September of 2020. Before that, she worked as a consultant for Davis and was paid not by the Human Resources Department but by a PayPal account linked to the mayor’s city-provided credit card.
Burks is the latest staffer to resign from Davis’ staff in the past six months.
In July, then-Civic Engagement Manager Maria Cook resigned and Deputy Chief of Staff Naeem Jenkins-Nixon, followed her in August. Both issued lengthy resignation letters praising Davis and touting their success in their respective jobs, but neither announced the reason for their resignation nor disclosed their future employment plans.
According to the Mayor’s Office city website, no one is identified as serving on the mayor’s staff at this point.
City financial records show that several people have been paid a “fellow’s stipend through the controversial and now defunct “My Brother’s Keeper” bank account; however, despite repeated Open Records Act Requests, the Mayor’s Office has never listed any job description for those people other than “administrative support.”
Burks did not return phone calls for comment.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
