When it comes to moving Augusta Commission meetings from 2 to 5 p.m., which the group this week voted to begin on April 1, we don't know either why or why not.
As for why not -- we ask, "why not?" There's no harm in giving the new time a try, and seeing if more citizens show up.
Like Commissioner Don Grantham, we're skeptical: "I find it difficult to believe that these people are going to come down here and listen to us talk," he said.
He's probably right.
It's clear from rudimentary observation that, if they're concerned about an issue, Augustans will show up to commission meetings in droves at 2 p.m. They probably would at 2 a.m. There have been times when the meager seating in the commission chambers has been overflowing into the hallway.
Still, there's no harm in seeing what happens with a 5 p.m. meeting time.
That's the "why not." Regarding the "why," we're still not sure.
The move to move the meetings didn't begin with newly elected Commissioner Matt Aitken. But his day job at Olin Corp. has been cited by some as a good reason to change the times.
Why on Earth? The day Mr. Aitken decided to run for office, he had two obligations. In chronological order, they were: 1) to tell his wife; 2) to tell his boss.
Many months later, and several months after taking office and missing meetings, Aitken says his employers are working with him to schedule his work around commission meetings.
Aren't we addressing that just a little tardily?
Mr. Grantham gives the commission he serves on no respect if he thinks the public doesn't want to attend meetings. Those who have jobs should have the opportunity to serve on the commission and the working public deserves the opportunity to attend meetings. No brainer area here.
Commission meetings used to be something. They would go on for hours with chicken wings being served to Commissioners as they showed slides of themselves partying at conventions like the one in Hawaii. It was the most incongruous, surrealistic setting with the administrator and other officials in suits taking notes and so on while a slide would come up with a couple of Commissioners wearing Hawaiian shirts holding drinks and the Commission would laugh at the memories with the person commenting on the slide saying something like, "This is me and Willie after we got liquored up a little."
No wonder everytime they ask Aitken something he says he need to do more research. This guy has one purpose to pass the TEE center other than that he is you know what on a boar hog.
Who on the Commision has a regular job where they have to show up everyday and I'm not talking real estate or Reverends just 7:00am - 4:00pm.
Justus, Aitken has not missed a Commission meeting, only a committee meeting.
Why do we want to keep working people from running for office?????? Yes I know (Lets keep the good ole boys in charge).
Oh yeh, make it hard on a commissioner who actually has a job and works for a living. Change the time of the meetings to 5 P.M. Maybe we would actually have more working people run for office and we might actually elect someone who could balance a checkbook. A 5 P.M. meeting is better for the citizens and would open up the field for prospective candidates who have a day job. You know, people who actually have to earn what they get, live within their means, and balance their budget. Those are exactly the kind of people we need on the commission and we should change the meeting schedule to accomodate both the citizens and commissioners who have a day job.
I think it is great that meetings should start at 5 pm....maybe they should start at 7 pm. Make government open and accessible to the PEOPLE, and if a controversial issue takes the meeting into the early morning hours, so be it. Having the meetings at 2 pm is elitist and deprives the average person the opportunity to be heard. If the Commission wants to not have the meetings in the evenings, then make them at 8 am so they have to get their butt out of bed!
This was a great move. Good for the community.
Brad
This really has NOTHING to do with Mr Aitken's work schedule. This should have been done even if he was not on the commission. Commission meetings should be scheduled after 5pm. Augusta is one of the few cities I have ever heard of that schedules it's commission meetings at such an inconvenient time for the public. North Augusta has council meetings at 7pm... Columbia County at 5pm. Why is Augusta trying to keep the public away? Thank goodness Don Grantham and Jimmy Smith cannot run for reelection. It will be nice to have their backwards way of thinking ofgf the commission
Jack, thanks. I agree with a lot of your posts, but I also know when to get that glassy eyed look with some of the things you bring up as I'm sure you do with some of mine. This one we both agree on and I'm not sure how we handle this.
By the way, why do Commission meetings have certain brands of bottled water on the dais in front of each Commissioner? Why not Coke or other things? Is there a financial reason for Commissoners displaying bottled water or what? Does the bottled water company supply the water for free? Keep in mind, Coke supplies scoreboards for many schools in Richmond County.
Mr. Grantham would have voted against TV coverage following his logic.
Luckily Grantham and Smith won't be on the commission much longer.. now if we can just get rid of Brigham. Does that guy sleep in his clothes? He always looks like he just woke up on a dirty sofa from a Cheetoes binge fest from the night before. And does the man even own a comb?
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