Elected officials, especially our Augusta commissioners, must not only sign and agree to the Code of Conduct, but they should actually live by it, at least when they are in public.
Must they constantly be reminded that the betterment of all of Augusta and Richmond County is their responsibility? They are responsible for setting our great city on a path of growth, improvement and prosperity. They can do this only if they are willing to act like responsible adults, with honesty and integrity; look at the big picture; and find creative ways to move us forward.
If they do not want to do this, they should step down and be replaced with business-minded people who can help Augusta achieve a brighter future.
Lorna Barrett
Augusta
They can't behave. There are two factions trying to control the money and neither of them represent the middle income families, white or black, that pay most of the taxes. That's why all of our money goes downtown to powerful LLCs or to Laney-Walker. The money men downtown have us to using taxpayer money to build them buildings and paying them to operate them, and the black commissioners work a deal to trade their votes to approve those projects in order to get more money to spend redeveloping downtown neighborhoods. The rest of us are just like watching a ball game. We don't get to play but we get to pay for all of it. We need to dissolve this unholy union. Consolidation is the ruin of suburban and rural areas. It is simply a tax grab that allows the old City to get well on the backs of the suburban and rural taxpayer. So far it has been 17 years of we get nothing and they get everything. Well, I can't say we've got nothing. We did get a $300 a year overpriced trash service....and we did get our land rezoned and the taxes raised.....and we did get less police protection......and we did get a lot more Section 8 residents. And our commissioners.....well, they go downtown and get sucked right into the game. They come out of their first meeting thinking there are only two groups of people in this county. The rich power brokers with their latest "project" and the poor black residents. The rest of us are merely organ donors.
@dichotomy. You should run for commissioner. Seriously!
Agree with previous comments...going along to get along helps no one. I think this letter was probably directed at the black commishes more than the white because it does seem that they "bark" more, but I expect them ALL to speak up when they see something they don't like. Black or white.
The money going towards Laney Walker/Bethlehem is from tourist and not local taxpayers..
If these clowns would go back to their old jobs Barnum & Bailey wouldn't be going bankrupt!
Ironically, five A-RC commishes were in Yo Pizza, right down the sidewalk from Mrs. Barrett's establishment in Daniel Village, at lunch on Friday, 2/3/12. They did behave well- or, at least, politely- while in YP.
Countyman, who do you think the money from the hotel tax belongs to? When a big plant in South Augusta pays taxes who does that money belong to? When motels out at I-20 contribute their hotel tax to the county, what do they get for it?
Now let's take it a step further, if the CVB is being given hundreds of thousands are they working to help those hotels out in West Augusta? Or others downtown even? If the TEE is lucky enough to land a convention, do you realistically think 99% of the visitors will stay anywhere but the Marriott?
Craig Spinks, they said it was a meeting about the Boys Club. I guess no black commissioners were interested. But Bowles reminded everyone on the radio that he does go to lunch at times with blacks by calling back in to say he had lunch with Alvin Mason not long ago, too.
The hotel revenue belongs to the city of Augusta... The two Marriott's are the most upscale hotel in all of Augusta, and create 372 rooms... I'm positive they're contributing to the Laney Walker development more than any other single hotel.. No hotels except for the Sheraton and Doubletree in West Augusta can even come close... There's several higher to upscale hotels planned for West Augusta( Four Point by Sheraton & another upscale hotel next door; Center West Pkwy)(Residence Inn by Marriott, and Hilton brand hotel in the Augusta Exchange area), but the Hyatt Place is planned for the CBD..
The people attending conventions will of course want to stay at the Marriott first.. The Tee Center, Marriott, and Marriott's conference center are all under one roof.. I don't understand your point, because the Marriott is gaining nothing from the Laney Walker development either..
P.S The TEE Center has four or five conventions already booked..
Countyman, are you referring to the Courtyard Marriott on Stevens Creek as one of the two Marriotts? If so what does that have to do with the one on the Riverwalk?
Don't you understand the other hotels get absolutely nothing from the TEE? By the way, 4-5 conventions (are they really conventions?) in the next two years means the TEE will be pathetically empty most of the time. That's way below any acceptable occupancy rate.
Lorna, we don't need for them to behave so much as we need for all of them to be responsible, be accountable, be realistic, be honorable, be fair, be informed, be respectful, be communicative, be honest and most of ALL, BE FOR ALL of the people, not the special interest connected few.
This Code of Conduct is a means of silencing the majority. It's goal is to manipulate and control; nothing else.
I do agree that communication and leadership skills are greatly lacking. And not only should they be taught on an ungoing basis, but that Mr. Mayor and Mr. Administrator should have seats at the front of the classroom.
The hotel was called the Marriott hotel and suites, because it's two separate hotel buildings... The corporate at Marriott then changed the name to the Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center, due to the TEE Center construction..
Why does it matter if other hotels get something from the TEE? Even though I'm positive everybody attending conventions/trade shows won't be able to stay the Marriott due to the number of limited rooms..The TEE Center was approved in the 2005 splost package, and didn't need hotel revenue to break ground.. Hotel revenue is behind the Laney Walker development, and local taxpayers paid for the TEE Center when the voted for it..
The TEE Center doesn't even open until later this year....
You would be hard pressed to find a convention center in the entire nation with a lower occupancy rate than this one. And that's in spite of the $350,000 being spent on marketing? Heh.
@countyman @ "Why does it matter if other hotels get something from the TEE?" Gee countyman, did you really just say that?
This is precisely the attitude and thinking that has the public up in arms over this ordeal! Can you say, "special others, special interest groups" at the expense of All of the taxpayers, including the other hotels. The Convention Center should benefit more than the Mariott on Riverfront. Otherwise, where is the line to get in to have something built that benefits special interest me? There are some things you really shouldn't try to defend.
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