Let me start by congratulating the City of Augusta for another outstanding audit.
I was informed this makes six straight years of impeccable financial status. The City of Augusta voluntarily conducts an audit each year. This year, just like last year, the auditor said that Augusta went beyond expectations, but you and I know a clean audit should be expected.
With that being said, are we going to layoff the accusations of any malfeasance? Probably not! Especially after the comments by Commissioner Hasan tabbing Mayor Hardie Davis as the reason why all of this is going on.
More from Michael Meyers: Great Expectations
Let me finish this section by mentioning what was said to me by a CPA: ‘Why do you need a forensic audit if nothing has been done wrong? If the auditors say everything is good, then everything must be good. Remember, auditors put their credibility on the line and are subject to be sued if they miss something that is considered to be significant.’
Now I know I will catch a bit of grief about the above mentioned… and that’s ok too.
On to more important issues, and this is my PSA moment, I think it’s imperative that people get their vaccination shot.
There are so few at this point who have not contracted COVID-19 or known someone who has. My job requires me to be very involved with medical care and the hospitals, and I am seeing the COVID-19 numbers go up each and every day. I know it’s easy for a lot of people to say that it will never be them, but what happens when it is? The shot has been proven to be effective for those who take it.
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If you don’t want to do it for you, do it for someone close to you. Get the shot! Let’s stop the spread and help us Keep America Open.
Now, on to more election news and updates. I am still amazed at the level of support that is being garnered by Marion Williams. He really has made an impression on people who plan on supporting him in this upcoming election. The only issue I have with that is each supporter I spoke with had no clue as to when the mayoral race would be.
On the other side of that, I would say the front runner Steven Kendrick is beginning to level a bit of criticism. The funny thing is, I can’t determine if it’s criticism or congratulations. A former elected… well, someone who is in our community that is, from all accounts, pushing Marion to run, told me that the problem he has with Steven is he tries to do to much. This board and that board–he always trying to help somebody.
Well if that’s the only issue we need to be concerned with… let me just say I’ll finish that sentence in a couple weeks. That will be after we have two more mayoral candidate announcements and one big surprise announcement.
I would like to take a moment to congratulate Gen. Bobby Christine (for those of you who didn’t know, he is an actual general with a star) and ADA Natalie Payne. Congratulations to Columbia County for taking your ball and leaving after you didn’t win the game.
Honestly, I have no issue with the judicial split. I think it should have been done a long time ago. The only person who seems to have an issue with it is Willie Saunders, and I’m being told that is because he no longer feels he has a chance of winning a judgeship. Let me go on the record and say, “That ain’t just a feeling.”
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Speaking of school board members, Wayne Frazier jumped on his soap box and talked about how school board members should stop blaming parents and kids for the system failing. If you haven’t seen his post, check it out on Facebook. He had very strong words for his colleagues and even accused some of them of only being there seeking the limelight. He made statements about not seeing some of us until election time. He is suggesting that there needs to be a comprehensive plan in place.
I agree. Well, I agree about the comprehensive plan. I also believe that many of the school board members wait on directions and guidance from the superintendent. This is disheartening for me because they are suppose to be his boss, not the other way around.
Let me clarify that statement. The school board is supposed to set policy with relevant information coming from the superintendent and his staff, and the board’s responsibility is to make sure the superintendent and his staff stay within the confines of that policy. I had a local leader refer to the school board as the “the tail wagging the dog.”
But I digress. At the end of the day, I believe all the school board members have the children’s best interest at heart. They work hard and put in long hours talking to parents and trying to resolve issues. I know this from personal experience–wait the three I call work hard after hours talking to parents trying to resolve issues. I’ll just leave that last statement right there.
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On a lighter note, Augusta is continuing to grow by leaps and bounds. We are seeing the Cyber Command develop quickly, which was to be expected. Downtown is booming with events and restaurants you can hardly get into. And the last two weeks, we had tons of visitors from all over the world participating in the Peach Jam basketball tournament, which generated tons of revenue for our community. It’s not everyday you have Lebron James and Scottie Pippen taking in the sights of your city.
Regardless of where the tournament was held, it’s a win for all parties. However, it would have been an even bigger win if we had the tournament here in Augusta… but we can only hope. I mean, a venue like that would have been a great idea for the old Regency Mall site. Imagine 10 basketball courts, volley ball courts, indoor pools and more, all in one venue to host major tournaments, create a jobs and millions of dollars in revenue. Who would think of anything like that? Me! Fifteen years ago when I ran for office and people laughed at the idea. Now look at you, just staring at North Augusta, wishing it was us…
Michael Meyers on Recent Editorial, Mayoral Race
Finally, I had an absolutely wonderful time hosting Austin Rhodes’ show last week. I will go on the record and state that I am definitely the best guest host he can choose. Well, let me say it like my dad: I won’t say I’m first, just way ahead of whoever is in second.
Joe Edge did a phenomenal job talking about Augusta and the future of downtown. He spoke on why he is against the strip clubs downtown and his plans for the old First Baptist Church. John Clarke was really good, as was Kelby Walker talking about his plan for the swimming program. It all makes me really consider the offer from that radio station about… here I go getting ahead of myself again.
Michael Meyers is a Columnist for The Augusta Press. Reach him at Michael.meyers@theaugustapress.com.
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