While most people in Augusta are truly over all elections, some of us are considering the future and the possible impacts of national appointments. Joe Biden winning the presidential election could have a significant impact on Augusta’s local political scene for years to come.
Joe Biden winning an overwhelmingly REAL victory over President Trump has opened up a can of worms and ignited an impactful chain of events that could possibly leave Augusta in another financial hole. This potential scenario could happen if Mayor Hardie Davis is appointed to a position in the new administration, which would result in a special election to replace him.
A city-wide special election to fill the mayor’s seat would cost the city a few hundred thousand dollars, depending on how many candidates competed – this opinion comes from my involvement in Augusta elections and local politics. We saw something like this happen about 15 years ago when then-Mayor Bob Young took an appointment to HUD. Shortly after that, soon to be termed out – the Late Great Willie Mays received the mayoral appointment from his colleagues but later went on to lose the special election to Deke Copenhaver.
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Back to Mayor Davis, who has positioned himself well politically, having campaigned for Bloomberg before he dropped out of the presidential race and then endorsing Biden and lending his support and talent to the Democratic efforts. Davis was president of probably the largest Mayor’s Organization in the United States and on the boards of other mayors’ groups – in essence he worked very hard to secure the Democratic ticket. With that being said, Bloomberg is going to be owed a few favors, the way he dropped money into the campaign.
An appointment for Davis is not a long stretch. He is well liked within the party and well known; he took on Gov. Brian Kemp about the virus and was featured on CNN numerous times. Believe it or not, Mayor Davis was referenced as a potential contender for governor, but that has been brought to a screeching halt because Stacey Abrams is now being rumored to be seeking the governorship. Remember: her influence is extraordinary because she delivered the state of Georgia for the Democrats.
So, with the mayor’s potential exit, what is in the possible future for Augusta? After Davis – some naysayers would state – “We can only go up.” I personally like the mayor and like what he does… Yet, there are several candidates, or I should say potential candidates, whose names have been floated. All of them have a good “real estate” in Augusta, and all could be formidable as we learn more about them and their quest for higher office.
Of course, leading the pack with community buzz, from what I hear, is our Tax Commissioner, Steven Kendrick. Kendrick ran before and truly has continued setting his sights on the Mayor’s Office. He has great name recognition and has done great job for the Tax Commissioner’s Office. He is chairman of the Development Authority and has established a community organization to address local issues.
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Next on the list of names floated and worth mentioning is Deke Copenhaver. Deke has been very involved in the economic development of this community, and people just seem to like Deke. He didn’t run last time because “the timing was off” (his words). And you never know what Brad Usry is going to do as his name is brought up from time to time.
Local celebrity Jay Jefferies’ name has been floated around, and he could definitely be a contender. He is well liked and has tons of cross-over appeal. He is seen daily and is truly a staunched businessman. For people who ask why anyone would vote for someone not in politics for mayor, I have two names: Sconyers and Young.
Most recently another name popped out of the woods, to my surprise – Yvette Davis. This is after months of people hearing about a potential woman candidate who had crossover appeal and who people liked. So, the name calling began – Cher Best, Dee Griffin, Monique Williams to name a few. However, Yvette Davis was not on the radar – but doesn’t surprise most, maybe only me.
Other names that have been mentioned and even announced: Dennis Williams, Charlie Hannah, Brad Owens, Lori Myles, Von Pouncey, and the list seems to continue to grow. Whoever runs, the one common thread that I believe can be agreed on is that we need someone who is about PROGRESS. We have to elect people who are trying to be progressive and want what’s best for our community. We are the second largest city in the state and seem to have a small mindset – old ideas seem to be pushed and less cerebral involvement is available for people trying to make our city better.
Regardless, after it is all said and done – what we need is MORE. More Leadership, More Ideas, More Vision, More Unity and More Healing. Then we can work on what’s next.
Michael Meyers is a Columnist for The Augusta Press. Reach him at Michael.meyers@theaugustapress.com
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