The 59-year-old military retiree now lives in Syracuse, N.Y. He reads The Augusta Chronicle online in hopes that one day the city's politics will change for the better so he can return and be near his two daughters who still live in the area.

``It seems like the majority of commissioners down there get re-elected no matter what,'' Mr. Walter said in a telephone interview from New York. ``When a vote happens, it's either a black issue or a white issue, and I just got tired of it.''

Mr. Walter was one of nearly 300 readers who responded to The Chronicle's questions concerning the structure of local government. The majority of telephone and e-mail responses agreed with Mr. Walter and with the sentiments of a special grand jury presentment issued in January that accused commissioners of divisiveness and incompetence.

Chico Pineda, of south Augusta, responded to The Chronicle's survey and said the local government puts too much emphasis on race. JONATHAN ERNST/STAFF

In an effort to gauge the community's perspective on the preliminary report, The Chronicle conducted an interactive survey on the grand jury's findings.

Results are not scientific because they do not represent a cross-section of the community, said Dr. Ralph Walker, a political science professor at Augusta State University.

``It is only those people who have intense feelings that call,'' Dr. Walker said. ``Your data is not scientific. But it is interesting.''

Dr. Walker said those who responded are more likely to vote in upcoming local elections, which typically have less than 20 percent voter turnout.

``The group that will respond is probably more likely to vote than is typical because people that phone in are basically political activists,'' he said.

The majority of those who voted expressed support for sweeping changes to the county commission - not just in its makeup, but also in its powers.

About 23 percent of responses were delivered via the Internet, and the remaining 77 percent were tabulated from telephone votes. In addition to voting on seven questions, readers had the option of e-mailing or recording comments about the grand jury report.

Some comments addressed grand jurors: ``The special grand jury is doing a good job, and I think the issues that they left should be carried out to the fullest because we do need some help here in Richmond County.''

Others directly addressed commissioners: ``We will never become anything more than a second-rate city until we solve our leadership problems. The present commission is holding us back and is a joke.''

Others addressed local voters: ``Augusta, it's time to start thinking about our future. How far do we want to go? Do we want boundaries set on our economic growth? The choice is up to us ... Let's have a good turnout in November and do the right thing. Vote! Vote! Vote!''

Though these responses are not a forecast of what will occur in voting booths in November, likely voters seem supportive of change: 94 percent said they planned to vote, and only 21 percent said they planned to vote for the incumbent.

Five commissioners in odd-numbered districts will be up for re-election Nov. 6. Lee Beard, Steve Shepard, Henry Brigham, Jerry Brigham and Willie Mays all have said they plan to run again.

Readers also supported a change in government structure, with more than 90 percent endorsing mayoral veto power, restrictions on commission abstentions and a simple majority voting system.

Augusta commissioners said they would back changes to government structure given widespread support from the community.

``I am a person that listens to my constituents,'' Commissioner Richard Colclough said. ``Whatever their desires are, as long as it's responsible, I try to support.''

But Chico Pineda, who lives in Mr. Colclough's district and responded to the survey, said commissioners put themselves before their constituents.

``It's time for a change,'' said Mr. Pineda, a 57-year-old Mexican-American who has lived in Augusta for 24 years.

``It seems like everything is strictly down the line - black-white, black-white,'' he said. ``Why can't we put race aside and agree that we have a diverse community?''

Mr. Pineda was among the 97 percent of those responding who agreed with grand jurors that commissioners use race to further personal agendas. Grand jurors accused some minority commissioners of harassing minority department heads for failing to adhere to their ``race-based agendas.'' Chronicle research indicated those accusations were not substantiated by registered complaints and seemed based more on evidence gleaned during closed-door testimony.

Ninety-four percent of the people who responded said that commission votes split 6-4 mostly along racial lines suggest racial politics. Voting records show that there were only 22 votes split 6-4 during 2000, and the votes that divided commissioners typically were among the most controversial, such as the creation of an in-house law department.

Although those who responded were not required to comment on their votes, nor to leave their names if they did choose to comment, several topics seemed to draw more interest than others, including granting Augusta's mayor more power.

Under existing government structure, the mayor has a vote only in the case of a 5-5 tie on the commission. Mayor Bob Young voted five times in 2000.

Ninety percent of those who took part in the survey said they approved of giving the mayor veto power.

``The mayor should have a vote, but veto power would be a step backward,'' one online respondent wrote in.

``I do believe the mayor should have veto power,'' a caller said. ``I think it would make a nice set of checks and balances.''

Increasing mayoral powers would require the approval of state legislators. A locally appointed charter committee is working to draft a set of recommendations that could include granting either a vote or veto power to Augusta's mayor.

District 3 Commissioner Steve Shepard, up for re-election this year, has challenged the grand jury to be accountable for its accusations.

But Mr. Shepard is in favor of the grand jury's recommendation for changing mayoral power. In lieu of giving the mayor veto power, he said he supports giving the mayor a vote.

``I'm for it,'' Mr. Shepard said. ``The mayor is the only one who represents the entire community.''

Grand jurors also criticized commissioners for abstaining or leaving the room so a motion would die from lack of support.

When asked whether a simple majority should take the place of the current six-vote minimum rule on the commission, about 91 percent of respondents voted ``yes.''

And 92 percent of readers who responded said they thought commissioners should be able to abstain only in the case of a conflict of interest, as was typically the case when Mr. Shepard, who also is a local attorney, abstained - usually because it somehow involved a client of his law firm.

The minimum six-vote rule was designed to ensure widespread community support for an issue before it received approval, an idea that seemed good in theory but has not been successful in practice, said District 7 Commissioner Jerry Brigham.

Mr. Brigham, who also is up for re-election and never abstained during 2000, said he would be in favor of changing the city charter so that a simple majority would rule in place of a six-vote minimum.

``If we had a simple majority, it would force people to vote,'' Mr. Brigham said.

General responses indicate that readers are in no hurry to see the special grand jury disbanded, including that of Dr. Amanda Lang, a 23-year resident of Augusta and former professor and engineer.

``One of the frustrations I've had with the local area is the lack of investigative reporting,'' Dr. Lang said. ``If there's going to continue to be a folding back of the layers, let's keep doing it.''

Here are the results and reader comments:

1. Do you think Augusta's mayor should have veto power?

Yes: 258

No: 28

``The mayor does not need a veto and a vote. If he has a veto then he needs no vote.''

2. Do you think race is used to further the personal agendas of commissioners?

Yes: 270

No: 7

``Several of the commissioners are professional politicians who are only interested in becoming rich at the citizens' expense. They have absolutely no interest in doing what's right for the county, but only what they can do to further their own agenda to gain wealth and power.''

3. Does a 6-4 split suggest racial politics?

Yes: 264

No: 17

``I see ... a perceived lack of statesmanship on the part of the commission as a whole. The whole question of race relations and divisiveness, that sort of thing, walking out of meetings, that sort of thing, all seem to be based on a sense of what's in it for me, what's in it for my group and very little sense of what is good for the (community) as a whole.''

4(a). Do you plan on voting in the November 2001 Augusta Commission election?

Yes: 205

No: 12

``This commission is pitiful! I agree the voters are to blame for those in office, and it should be noted for the most part the voters are racially motivated. Let's elect candidates that truly care about the city and the citizens and want to move forward to make Augusta a great place to live.''

4(b). Do you plan to vote for any of the incumbent commissioners?

Yes: 51

No: 191

``We ... need to be extremely choosy about the candidates we select. I would suggest that we do a write-in vote selecting a candidate ``other'' if the selections are not reflective of our desire to move forward. Let us remove all the dead wood and get Augusta on track.''

5(a). Do you think commissioners should only be able to abstain in the case of a conflict of interest?

Yes: 230

No: 20

``No more abstentions! What are they there for if not to cast a vote?''

5(b). Do you think a simple majority should rule to discourage commissioners from leaving the room during voting?

Yes: 235

No: 22

``A simple majority of commissioners present and voting should be enough to make a law.''

``We will never become anything more than a second-rate city until we solve our leadership problems. The present commission is holding us back and is a joke.''

- Steve Gaston, Augusta

``They are all a joke and have made Augusta the laughing stock of

Georgia.''

``I think the charter should be rewritten. As things are now, the commission cannot do anything unless the legislators agree. This way, the legislators run the city as `they' desire. They should represent the city with the state, not rule the city from their position in state government.''

``I just wish we would see some indictments of some of the commissioners. What a gloriful day it would be when we see the men coming out of the Augusta Commission in orange jump suits, their hands chained together.''

``I think that the grand jury is doing a great service to the Augusta area.''

``Augusta wants to be a progressive, big city but just can't get moved ahead because of small-town thinking.''

Reach Heidi Coryell at (706) 823-3215.