Chapter 7- Politics of Augusta, Georgia
(This chapter is uncomplete due to a lack of interviews and firsthand knoweldge of the majority of elected officials in Augusta, Geotgia. The information will be filled in as received if you have any info, or are an elected official, I would love to hear your opinion and understanding of how things work here in Augusta, Georgia, or any city in the CSRA)
Politics in Augusta, Georgia leans toward a rural way of governing a city with active management by the businessman, the educators and the lawyers of the city. Augusta has horrible politics at times that corrupts the participants of the government and inhibits growth. The authorization of certain contracts for the construction and demolition of questionable projects, the constant use of consultants (When we have people like me in the city that would do it much cheaper and wholeheartedly) and the concentration of public money so close to a select few private businesses and their owners. The ties between the cities outlays and a certain group of people would be interesting work a good accountant.
Nonetheless, beyond the pet projects and sweet heart deals, the government in Augusta is very much a non existent force. They do not get involved much in making ordinances and regulations, they make few public appearances and most of the public does not even know how many commissioner we have. This kind of politician is one of my favorite profiles, the non-politician politician. They essentially do nothing fancy beyond the normal duties of running a city, but usually do not step on issues like religion, race, social inequality and other matters best taken on by the citizenry and not an elected official. by not meddling in social affairs they do not waste money on non-economic uses and are able to focus on things the government is actually supposed to do, like police, collect taxes and ensure a general level of safety in the marketplace.
The politicians in Augusta have the unfortunate aspect of being representatives in a time of serious dislike of anything political. With the turmoil in Washington surround the debt ceiling and other issues if extreme partisanship, there is little respect for anybody involved in the political process.
(The Marble Palace, The Augusta Municipal Building. The obelisk in the front is the Signer Monument a tribute to the people who signed the declaration that made America an independent nation from Great Britain. George Walton (he did not live far from here) and Lyman Hall are buried here. It is really a weird Egyptian/Old World monument that sticks out in the Victorian, Greek revival, federal and Romanesque architectures which is Augusta's Downtown)
(An artists rendering of the Municipal building after some "renovations". the building is very old and the basic infrastructure of air conditioning and heat are nowhere near modern standards, but 1/3rd of the building is also abandoned. I am skeptical of this sum and would like it if our politicians and city employees but the bullet and set an example for being efficient. The Politicians have an itchy finger to approve these kind of projects and it is up to those of us not working in this building to balance those working in here, from taking our tax dollars. Mr. Fennoy, 1st district commissioner, said in an interview, that the money would be better spent fixing drainage issues on a heavily traveled street close-by. I think the office is nice enough as it should be and the city workers need to understand that they work for us, the people and not the other way around. If we deem them a hut and a roof, they should work with it. This shanty government construction is rife with sweetheart deals and it all just seems fishy to me as a citizen. I think the money would be better spent, not borrowing any at all and redistributing the tax collected back to the people who paid it. Every time I hear these projects I compare them to an equivalent sized tax break and a $40 million dollar tax rollback would be much better for Downtown than a nice office for the political arena. City Municipal Buildings should be dwarfed by the luxury and size of free market forces and not the other way around. This is not stimulus, its not saving money, it $40 million for an air conditioner fix and some other renovations? These guys need to call the handymen that have been repairing Olde Town and Harrisburg and get some cheaper quotes.)
(The center of Augusta politics, in the "Marble Palace", aka Augusta Municipal Building)
Mayor Deke Copenhaven, one of my favorite moderate and non-politician politicians. Deke does not take strong sides on any issue, generally stays out of things not immediately relevant to his job and is a great representative of Augusta as a smile and voice.
Deke has been criticized as "Deke, the Meke", as in his lack of commitment and exposure of his stance in many issues. I think this is merely a very intelligent mayor doing his job and not focusing on the cameras. Deke is not up for re-election and his term of 2011-2014 has, so far, been a prosperous one for Augusta., considering the national economy and the shape of other similar municipalities.
I know from talking to 2 company CEOs in Augusta, that Deke is on point when it comes to recruiting business. He attended every single workshop and was attentive the whole day, in one words. Another person noted that Deke is very personal in discussing business and is easy to communicate with.
As a person attuned to look at the marketing aspect and the appeal of a politician, Deke seems like he can appeal to many, buy not stepping on feet. He seems to not have some megalomaniac goal of being in the news all day and his eyes and facial gestures show a lot of truth in his statements. I have not seen him slip up that much. He fits the perfect role for a high growth city from the mayor spot. A shirking of many responsibilities (I am referring to the socialist municipalities in California, Illinois and such with city level laws/regulations and taxes) to the people themselves, a conservative belief in low tax rates through multiple roll backs of property taxes and no sneaky costs on manufacturers, like many other cities mayor participate in once a base has established to "suck the blood out of".
A mayor is also a role model for the citizens youth, Deke is quite athletic, running in the Augusta Iron-man 70.3 and himself being quite young, has the most way to influence and for people to see a politician, in person and in something we all relate to more than the usual paperwork and executive confusion of what a mayor does in Augusta, Georgia. The mayor takes on the role of a physical person, the people have his image in mind instead of the generic Southern city mayor profile that substitutes for the ignorance of who their city's mayor is. I am not saying Deke is doing this for show, but the circumstance makes me happy that our mayor sets an example of premium physical fitness. It reminds me a lot of Greek and Roman stories of athletic leaders. To lead on a podium is one thing, but to lead by example is another.
The conservative nature of our mayor towards business is the way to lead for the rest of the cities businessman. If the Mayor is standing up and championing lower tax rates, less regulations and cuts in spending then the businessman get the message that the city is truly a place for business and not a place of plunder through many municipal effects, such as the many California cities going bankrupt. The mood of free markets will protrude through the rest of the cities politics and the nature of the institution of the Augusta, City Government will shift slightly to one supportive of business. The same plan has been working and Deke has maneuvered the infinite complexities of office and has done his part in attracting jobs.
The Mayor is outlined to perform the following duties and functions in Augusta, Georgia-Richmond County municipal issues.
- Presiding at all meetings of the Commission
- Serving as the official head of Richmond County and the City of Augusta for the service of process and for ceremonial purposes
- Administering oaths and to take affidavits
- Signing all written contracts entered into by the Commission on behalf of Richmond County Georgia and the City of Augusta and other contracts and instruments executed by the county and city which by law are required to be in writing
- Ensuring that all laws, ordinances, and resolutions of Richmond County and the City of Augusta are faithfully executed
- Exercising such other powers and perform such other duties as may be required by ordinance or resolution of the Commission.
- The Mayor also publishes ordinances of the Augusta-Richmond County Commission, proclamations and official notices of the Commission in the official gazette or newspaper of Augusta-Richmond County, Georgia and performs such other duties as may be required by ordinance or resolution of the Augusta Commission.
- As a member of the Augusta-Richmond County Commission, the Mayor may vote only to create or break a tie on all questions before the Commission. The Mayor is not empowered to veto ordinances, resolutions or other actions of the Commission. Likewise, the Mayor does not have the right to vote upon the questions of appointments to various committees of the Augusta-Richmond County Commission.
- Accordingly, the Administrator for Augusta-Richmond County, Georgia is the administrative officer and the head of the administrative branch of Augusta-Richmond County government. The Administrator responds to the Mayor and Commission for the proper administration of all affairs of Augusta-Richmond County, Georgia and manages the day-to-day operations of the consolidated government and provides coordination between the governmental departments, the community, and other local and regional governmental agencies.
1st District Commissioner William Fennoy, a well know name in Augusta
2nd District Corey Johnson, the 2nd in command in event of the mayor needing to be replaced. He was elected at the age of 34, making him the youngest elected commissioner since consolidation of government. Commissioner Johnson is a life-long resident of Augusta-Richmond County who was elected to serve as Mayor Pro-Tem January, 2013. He currently serves on the Engineering Services Committee and the Public Services Committee. Commissioner Johnson also serves on the Board of Directors for the Convention and Visitors Bureau. He is associated with organizations such as National League of Cities, National Association of Counties, Georgia Municipal Association and The Association of County Commissioners of Georgia. Commissioner Johnson has served on the Board of Directors for Georgia Municipal Association 7th district for the past 3 years where he now serves as president of the 7th district which consists of 13 counties.
In 2013 Commissioner Johnson began serving on the Legislative Policy Council for Georgia Municipal Association, overseeing legislation presented at the state capital during the legislative session and opposing legislation deemed unproductive for The City of Augusta and it's citizens. He also serves on the Hospital Authority board, the CSRA Development Authority, the Workforce Investment Board and Richmond/Burke Job Training Authority, Inc.
3rd District Commissioner Mary Davis, an active member in many of the revitalization efforts of Augusta, specifically in Harrisburg.
4th District Commissioner Alvin Mason
5th District Commissioner Bill Lockett- Bill Lockett was elected in 2009. He is the Chairperson of the Administrative Services Committee and a member of the Public Safety Committee. He is also the Commission representative to the Augusta Community Partnership for Children and Families, Inc. and the Augusta Board of Tax Assessors (certified).
He retired from the army as a Master Sergeant and also from the United States Office of Personnel Management as a Lead Investigator and as a Richmond County Business Educator.
6th District Commissioner Joe Jackson
7th District Commissioner Donnie Smith- Donnie Smith, was elected as District 7 Commissioner in 2012, and took office for a four year term starting January 1st 2013 thru 2016, representing 25,000 west Augusta residents.
Donnie serves on the following Augusta-Richmond County committees, Vice Chairman of Public Safety and the Finance Committee. Donnie has been selected as one of three Commissioners to serve on the Urban/Suburban Tax allocation committee which is working to equalize tax rates between the two districts.
Donnie is active in our community, having served as a past President of a Rotary Club and is a current member of the Augusta Exchange Club. He is a member of the Harmony Baptist Church and also attends St. Pauls on the river.
Donnie has completed numerous leadership programs, including the Columbus State Command College, the F.B. I. National Academy, and is a graduate of the 2010 Leadership Georgia class. Donnie is a graduate of Georgia Military College.
While serving on the Augusta-Richmond County Commission, Donnie is committed to keeping a conservative fiscal stance on county finances. His priorities are replacing the aging infrastructure and operating a streamlined government with emphasis on excellent customer service to the tax payers.
Donnie has lived in the Garden Woods neighborhood off Warren Road for over twenty years. He is available to speak to any neighborhood group when asked and looks forward to hearing from concerned citizens about any issue they need to discuss. The Commission is a part time job but a full time commitment and he ask that you contact him when you are concerned or have an issue. He tries to respond the same day as he receives his messages and ask that you follow up with him via his Commission email address, or his commission number 706-910-2606.
8th District Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle
9th District Commissioner Marion Williams
10th District Commissioner Grady Smith
Augusta-Richmond County Commission Meetings-Formal meetings of the Augusta Richmond County Commission are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 5:00 p.m. in the Commission Chamber located on the eighth floor of the Municipal Building.
Augusta-Richmond County Planning Commission- The regular meeting of the Planning Commission is held at 3:00 p.m. on the first Monday of each month in Room 803 of the Municipal Building located at 530 Greene Street.
Augusta-Richmond County Committee Meetings- Committee meetings are held on the second and last Mondays of each month in the Committee Room located on the eighth floor of the Municipal Building.
Ashley Wright, Deistrict Attorney
Steve Smith, Marshall
Richard Roundtree, Sherriff
Kellie K. McIntyre, Solicitor general
Steven Kendrick, Tax Commisioner
Lobbyist groups who represent Augusta, Georgia
- Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG)
- Georgia Municipal Association (GMA)
- National Association of Counties (NACo)
- National League of Cities (NLC)
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