Augusta mayors past and present band together to advocate for mayor's equal vote on commission

Augusta mayors of the past are joining the mayor of the present in an initiative that will affect mayors in the future.

On Wednesday, Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson announced a ballot committee called "Augusta Stronger Together" to campaign for the mayor's office to receive an equal vote on the Augusta Commission during meeting, which the public will vote on in a referendum during the May 21 General Primary and Nonpartisan Election.

Three former Augusta mayors are on the committee − Hardie Davis, Deke Copenhaver and Bob Young − and stood with Johnson on Wednesday outside the Augusta Municipal Building.

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"This is about public policy," said Davis. "This is about how we promote and use our chief ambassador, our chief executive officer, to continue to be able to do that."

Currently, the mayor's office can only vote on matters that come before the commission if he needs to break a 5-5 tie. This also means that, even if someone abstains or is simply not present, the mayor still cannot vote and in such an event no action is taken. Johnson said it's because of this rule that in recent weeks the commission has stalled on selecting a new city administrator.

Young said that when these sorts of things happen it's voter suppression of the mayor.

"The commissioners, either through an abstention, being absent, leaving the room to go to the bathroom to escape a room or whatever, deprives the mayor of an opportunity to use his vote," he said. "You have a chance, your vote, to give the mayor a vote and end voter suppression in the commission chambers."

If in May the public votes "Yes," it will allow the mayor's office to vote on all commission matters rather than just as a tie-breaker. This will mean a change to the Augusta Charter, something Copenhaver remarked is in need of an update.

"The charter, effectively, is our city's business plan," Copenhaver said. "If you don't look at your business plan for 28 years, your business isn't around anymore. It's just common sense."

Augusta voters will have several more things to consider in May like who will represent them on the commission, the board of education, and who will be their next sheriff. For more information, go to augustaga.gov.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Augusta mayors support equal vote to commission in May 21 referendum