(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Augusta Press.)
Augusta Commissioners John Clarke and Catherine McKnight are being given credit for helping transform a crime-infested apartment complex area into a decent neighborhood, and some of their commission colleagues seem to be jealous.
The new owners not only renamed the Fox Trace Apartments off Wrightsboro Road in west Augusta to The Landings @ 237, but renovated it, got rid of problem tenants and installed a mobile elevated observation guard house with security cameras, according to Scott Hudson, senior reporter for The Augusta Press.
So far, so good. But when they put a banner on the mobile building thanking Clarke and McKnight for their cooperation in the transformation, it was too much for some of their colleagues.
Commissioners Jordan Johnson, Francine Scott and Ben Hasan called McKnight and asked her to request the banner be taken down, according to Hudson.
Reportedly, they objected to the Augusta logo being on the banner.
“We didn’t ask for them to do that, and the city certainly did not pay for the banner or the observation deck. I am not going to ask a private company to remove a sign that is on their property,” McKnight said.
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According to Roderick Pearson, who lives near the Landings, Johnson and Commissioner Dennis Williams showed up on the property to view the banner and then called code enforcement to have the observation building inspected.
Pearson, who gives credit to McKnight and Clarke for facilitating dialogue between the owner, nearby residents and law enforcement, asked why Johnson, Scott, Hasan and Williams have an issue with progress.
“I don’t get it,” he said. “They need to worry about the crime problems in their districts instead of coming over here and criticizing our commissioners for doing their job.”
Indeed, they do.
Commissioner John Clarke didn’t mince words (does he ever?) about his colleagues’ reactions.
“Any jackass can sit behind a dais and vote on ordinances. Catherine and I are out trying to help the community,” Clarke said, according to Hudson.
Braying and More Braying
Speaking of jackasses not doing anything, where is Mayor Hardie Davis’s crime-fighting plan he promised after going to the Mayor’s Summit on gun violence in New York in July?
After the summit, he spoke publicly about releasing information about the manufacturers of guns that were used in crimes, like we believe that listing the number of Glocks and Smith & Wessons means doodly squat. Why some people fall for that crap is beyond me. The same for “gun violence.” The politicians, or more likely their advisers, who come up with that stuff know they’re being disingenuous, but they also know if it’s repeated over and over, a lot of dumbos will believe it. Hence, the Summit to get all of the mayors on the same page and spreading the same bogus message.
What Davis should have been talking about was releasing information about his plan to work with the young Black men who’re on a path to commit future “gun violence.” That’s something tangible he could have done with the My Brothers’ Keepers’ money he spent on himself.
Oh, well, that’s like beating a dead jackass at this point, isn’t it?
Meanwhile, he’s late with his crime-fighting report. I don’t know why he’s taking so long because everybody knows he’s only going to copy what they handed out at the Summit.
Oh, by the way, has crime gone down in Augusta or any of the other cities since the mayors held the Summit?
I didn’t think so.
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They’ll Pay for Cutting Grass, but Not to Save Your A – –
It’s interesting to see what commissioners think is really important to people in Augusta. They approved a $3.2 million grass-cutting contract in the blink of an eye with absolutely no discussion, but they’ve spent almost a year negotiating a contract with Gold Cross EMS, and they’re not done yet.
Commissioners have placed increasingly costly demands on the ambulance company they’re obviously trying to run out of business. For months, every time the proposed contract has come up on commission meeting agendas, Commissioner Ben Hasan or Commissioner Dennis Williams refers it back to committee for more quibbling and nitpicking.
It seems that Hasan, Williams, Davis and others who’re sabotaging the contract don’t care about helping Richmond County indigent patients get to the hospital. They’re still mad because their multi-million-dollar experiment with a fire department-run ambulance service was such a colossal failure. Too bad they don’t know they’re cutting off their noses to spite their faces. While Gold Cross is the designated provider of ambulance service in the county, everybody knows the ultimate responsibility for reliable emergency service and paying for indigent-patient transport lies with the commission, a responsibility they’re shirking.
Red Herring: Something that Distracts Attention from the Real Issue
Commissioner Clarke’s push to have the city’s stormwater program audited was flooded out by a hail of criticism from the mayor and some other commissioners Tuesday, and it was swamped in a 3-6 vote.
“If there is a smoking gun, he ought to say that,” said Hasan. “I think this is an effort to disband stormwater, which would be a mistake. I think it’s a disservice to this government instead.”
McKnight, one of the three commissioners to vote for an audit, said, “I’m saying this: When people get bills in the mail, they’re wondering what they’re getting and why in the heck are they paying this. We need to be shown.”
The mayor responded by saying, “All too often we have these red herrings out there. A couple of folks have an itch that needs to be scratched.”
Commissioner Sean Frantom offered what was closer to the definition of a red herring as a reason for not voting for an audit.
“Would this shut down the projects we have going on now?” he asked.
General Counsel Wayne Brown said he didn’t know, but that it could require the involvement of city staff.
“That’s why I’m not supporting this today,” Frantom said.
Clarke said Frantom’s excuse was a bonafide red herring.
“They want to say an audit will shut down the stormwater program and ongoing projects, but that is absolutely not true,” he said. “Many companies have in-depth audits performed, and those companies do not shut down during the process. It’s business as usual.”
Davis’s reference to a red herring is really apt under the circumstances because the desire to keep stormwater spending under wraps is fishy.
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Let’s Make a Deal
So, the burning issue about the need for $6.9 million for fire equipment and vehicles was extinguished after the public safety committee voted to approve Chief Antonio Burden’s request for the money.
Two weeks ago, the commission’s public safety committee approved spending most of the remaining $8 million of unallocated American Rescue Plan money in the fire department, but then somebody allegedly said the fire department really didn’t need that much. I say “allegedly” because it’s doubtful anybody in the fire department would say the equipment and vehicles weren’t needed. One firefighter said some commissioners allegedly want to use some of the ARP money for the Gold Cross contract.
It Will All Come Out in the Wash if There’s No Whitewash
Augusta Parks and Recreation Department Deputy Director Tim Fulton resigned one day last month, and the next day Director Maurice McDowell had marshals escort him out of the office as though he’d been fired just to humiliate him, Fulton said.
According to Scott Hudson’s article in the Oct. 2, edition of The Augusta Press, Fulton said he’d finally had enough of surviving and witnessing 18 months of McDowell’s purges and had had enough of “the most toxic work environment” in Augusta government. His resignation letter identifies seven employees in senior positions who McDowell forced to quit, retire early or who he fired. All of them, Fulton said, were highly qualified, and all of them were White.
So where are they, and why aren’t they speaking out? Many corroborate Fulton’s claims, but, so far, refuse to go on record for fear of retaliation, Hudson reported.
So, based on Fulton’s description of McDowell’s managerial style, what comes to mind is the saying, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Meanwhile, Fulton has hired a lawyer and says it’s time for the community to know what went on during his time working under McDowell.
“I love Augusta; I am invested here; my family calls Augusta home,” Fulton said. “None of us want to leave, but we have to leave now. I was the one trying to get maintenance going in the cemeteries and parks. I stopped the staff from trying to override procurement procedures, and I was forced out by Maurice McDowell, and I feel it is important for the community to know what has gone on in that department. I really hope the other folks who were victims of discrimination will come forward and tell their stories.”
Hmmm. Maybe Alvin Mason was onto something when he said something stinks more in recreation than the toilets at Diamond Lakes Park.
Thanks to Scott Hudson for his contributions to this week’s column.
Sylvia Cooper is a columnist with The Augusta Press. Reach her at sylvia.cooper@theaugustapress.com
