After having his mug shot plastered across the top of the Tuesday edition of The Augusta Chronicle Metro section, Commissioner Andy Cheek was conspicuously missing from the day's scheduled committee meetings.
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Mr. Cheek says his absence wasn't about saving face after wrecking his car and being charged with driving under the influence Sunday night. On medication for some head injuries he received from the accident, he said he decided it was best to stay home and recover off the road.
We suspect it gave his pride a little time to heal, too,
"I've lived, especially the last four years, knowing if I messed up ... it would be front-page news," Mr. Cheek said.
Well, he came close.
After spending a little time by himself in an isolated holding cell at the Richmond County Detention Center, he now says he's going to spend more time in town, devote more time to his career and focus on new projects.
"The bottom line is, I'm not going to have anything to drink for a long time," Mr. Cheek said.
Rumors that he might lose his job as a manager at Savannah River Site are apparently unfounded. After reporting to his superiors and filling out some paperwork at the plant, he is expected to continue his work there. It's also unlikely he'll be forced out of his elected position.
Nonetheless, during Wednesday's Augusta Commission meeting, political watchdogs can expect him to offer an apology for any embarrassment he has caused.
Lucky for him, sorry should suffice.
TRADING SPACES: Mismatched carpet in the eighth-floor offices of Mayor Bob Young and Clerk of Commission Lena Bonner is no mistake.
It's more like a miscommunication. Or no communication.
The mayor set aside $11,000 for the redecoration of his eighth-floor office last year, but he didn't bother to tell Ms. Bonner about it.
More than $3,800 worth of carpet has been installed in Mr. Young's office and in the offices of his assistant and secretary. Fresh wallpaper is going up on the walls, too.
His walls, of course.
And it has become blatantly apparent that nothing at all is being done in the adjacent space of Ms. Bonner.
Not only does the difference in appearance look bad, but any cost savings that could have been found from doing the work at the same time have now been lost.
According to city invoices, he's already spent more than $9,000 on the work.
Pretty expensive? Sure.
But it's also pretty inconsiderate, when you consider it.
THE LOWDOWN CROOK of the week award goes to the thieves who stole a trailer loaded with tables and chairs parked in front of the soon-to-open Dye's Southern Grill at Columbia and Belair roads, forcing the Columbia County Republican Party to meet across the street in the showroom of Andy Jones Volkswagen in Columbia Mall.
BAD FOR BUSINESS: That sucking sound you hear around Gordon Highway is about $1.4 million a year in sales taxes leaving for Columbia County with Mr. Jones as he moves his vehicle dealerships to Martinez.
That's assuming his sales don't increase.
Mr. Jones said he will have invested more than $8 million in the auto mall when he finishes renovating.
He's moving because there wasn't enough traffic on Gordon Highway, he said.
Columbia County welcomed him with open arms. In fact, officials there persuaded him to change his advertising, which originally said Andy Jones was coming to west Augusta, to say he was coming to Martinez.
And with all that money leaving, nobody from Augusta ever called and asked him why, he said.
"Nobody ... I don't know ... You would think somebody would ask what could be done," he said. "I don't understand what their goals are on that side of town. To save that area, they've got to do something with Regency Mall. Whether it's the county, whether it's the civic center or something else."
GREENER PASTURES: Local businessman Paul Menk leaves Augusta this month after receiving a promotion within the Wachovia Bank corporation to a regional position in Roanoke, Va.
He has served as the Aiken-Augusta president of the bank since 2001.
We mention him because he also leaves behind a list of civic memberships in the area, including his chairmanship of Augusta Tomorrow and membership on the boards of the Red Cross, the University Foundation, St. Joseph's Hospital and the First Tee Foundation. He has served on the special purpose local option sales tax committee and has faced criticism as a member of the Augusta Neighborhood Improvement Corp.'s board of directors.
It's no wonder people are talking about his departure. He's done it all.
UPSIZE THIS: At the Krystal drive-through on Washington Road, a man got mad because he got the wrong french fry order, started throwing pickles through the window and ended up hitting the clerk with his hamburger.
She told police she wants to prosecute, and we don't blame her.
Across town, a woman complained that a pork chop she ate at the Waffle King made her sick. When the manager refused to refund her money, she hit him in the face with her plate and fled.
Was that the Blue Plate Special?
