The Georgia Democrat party recently voted to convert the chair position to a paid, full-time position after drawing criticism for failing to deliver a Georgia victory for former Vice President Kamala Harris and Stacey Abrams before her.
They say they need someone with a vision to lead the party.
And guess who came sniffing around. Yep, lock up the valuables, Augusta’s Hardie Davis Jr wants the job and the sad thing is that he just might have a chance at it, despite having a pending State Ethics Commission fine of $14,900 hanging over his head.
Yes, Hardie cheated, lied, ran dark money campaigns, took trips to promote himself on the taxpayers dime and raided hidden taxpayer-funded bank accounts like how a fat kid with a case of the munchies raids the fridge.
Many believe the election of Garnett Johnson was little more than a referendum against Davis, with people considering, fairly or unfairly, Steven Kendrick to be a candidate for a third Davis term.
Davis, if he were to run again, likely would get zero support from the Richmond County Democrat Party, since, I’m told, he is not officially a member and hasn’t paid dues in years.
However, running for office and snagging a cushy job at the state level of the party are two completely different endeavors. With the state officials, Davis, who is every bit as glib as a minister is expected to be, can cling to the same alibi he always uses: “Those mean, horrible journalists at that trashy online blog twisted the truth and tried to destroy me with lies and misinformation.”
In Democrat party politics, politicians rarely actually hit rock bottom. Like the “Bumble” from “Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer,” they bounce. Knowing that he can’t get elected dog catcher in Augusta, Davis simply “bounced” on to Atlanta.
The last we heard, Davis was sleeping on his parent’s couch, so, for his sake, I hope the position comes with a relocation package.
From Bill Clinton to Ed McIntire, Democrats have more lives than Morris the cat. Hardie Davis is no different. He has never lost a race or had problems fund raising, and that makes one an asset, no matter the political party.
On the brighter side, people might be interested to learn that Evette Williams has decided to run in 2026 for the District 8 seat to replace the term-limited Brandon Garrett.
The name Evette Williams might not ring any bells, but she is none other than the former Mrs. Hardie Davis Jr.
Since finding out her husband was cheating on her and taking his romance on the road on the taxpayer’s dime, staying in deluxe accommodations and taking pictures meant to humiliate her, Evette Williams proved she is no wallflower.
After kicking Hardie to the curb, she found a new husband and has now decided that she can do a much better job at public service than her ex-husband. Williams says she doesn’t think being married to the former mayor will hurt her chances as she enters into this new chapter in her life.
“I have moved on from him, and I think everyone else should move on as well. I am running on my own ideas and my own strengths as a candidate,” Williams said.
Suspended Housing and Community Development Director Hawthorne Welcher’s future remains in limbo after two weeks, and there are whispers behind the scenes that information released in The Augusta Press last week might be the final straw for the flamboyant director.
Commissioner Catherine Rice is calling for Welcher to be fired, without being offered a severance package, or “golden parachute,” as they have been dubbed, for losing $6.5 million in Treasury funds that were earmarked for rent relief. Welcher claimed the money was used for “administrative costs,” but could not offer the commission a proper accounting.
After months of stalling the Treasury Department, it may be proven that Welcher was aware that the feds wanted the money back and didn’t inform the commission, his bosses, which racked up the penalties and interest to well over $200,000, and that gives the commission cause to fire him.
Rice said the recently unearthed unchecked spending on a Housing Department bank account or ledger, where some of the expenditures seem to have been created out of whole cloth, is unacceptable . According to Rice, Welcher wants the commission to buy into his assertion that $693.37 spent on garbage bags was a real deal.
“I am beyond frustrated. We need forensic audit. Look what we are having to deal with now. These people are spending money, losing money or maybe even hiding money. I don’t know. And there has never been any accountability,” Rice said.
