Move makes seniors want to 'beat Bob Young's butt'

Mayor Bob Young sure stirred up a hornet's nest by backing the CSRA Regional Development Center's award of the senior citizens nutrition contract to a Florida-based company, a move that will force the Senior Citizens Council on 15th Street to close and cost the city in more ways than one.

Senior citizens packed the chambers at last week's city commission meeting to protest the contract. After a couple hours of discussion, Mr. Young and Mayor Pro Tem Willie Mays got into a spat over procedure, and Mr. Young recessed the meeting. By that time, some of the seniors' joints had stiffened from sitting in one place so long.

"These old bones won't hardly move, but I'd still like to beat Bob Young's butt," groaned one elderly lady making her way to the hall with the aid of a cane.

Another on a walker complained that she used to like Mr. Young and had voted for him, but, "He's changed," she said.

Mary Culver, 77, didn't attend the meeting but called City Ink because she wanted to tell someone how "unhappy" she was about the situation.

"I think it's a hell of a note when they want to close down something the seniors enjoy," she said, adding that she, too, would like to beat the mayor's butt.

"Charity begins at home, and this is putting people out of work," she said.

It's hard to understand exactly why the development center decided to rebid the contract. They say it's because the senior council, which has been providing the meals to 14 counties since 1987, was not financially sound.

Senior center folks say the development center caused their financial problems by cutting back on a transportation program after they had spent money gearing up for it.

Executive Director Ron Schoeffler and Finance Officer Lawrence Hammond say they're being punished for complaining publicly about all the money the development center was keeping for itself while cutting back on the nutrition program.

Maybe Superior Court Judge William M. Fleming Jr. can sort it all out in the court hearing July 16.

HO HUM: Attending political forums is like going to the dentist or listening to a long sermon. You know it's good for you, but it can be painful.

Such was the case at last week's forum at the Henry Brigham Community Center, featuring state Solicitor General candidates Harold Jones and Ben Swain McElmurray and Senate District 22 Democratic candidates Charles Walker and Ed Tarver.

The most interesting questions were those that weren't asked, including questions about Mr. Walker's 142-count federal indictment. It was like the elephant in the living room nobody dared mention.

As damning as the allegations against Mr. Walker are, what about Augusta podiatrist Dr. Russell J. Ellicott, who was indicted last week on Medicare fraud charges of submitting false billings for podiatry services on patients who no longer have feet?

some Steps To Improving Political Forums: Limit the time candidates can talk about themselves to 30 seconds. Enforce it with an egg timer.

Limit their answers to questions to 1 minute. Enforce it with an egg timer.

Forbid them to go into exhausting detail about their parents, grandparents, spouse, children and grandchildren and grammar school days. Enforce it with a gong or if that doesn't work, a hook, and pull them off stage.

And last but not least, forbid male candidates to refer to their spouses as "my lovely wife."

Come on, guys, you can do better than that.

Try something like "This is my wife, Jane. She should be running for this office instead of me. She can balance a budget, stretch a dollar and knows how to clean up other people's messes. She cares about people who can't even vote, like children, but most importantly, she is less likely to drop dead on the job than I am.

"In addition, she has endured my tomfoolery and bad moods for more years than I care to admit and knows I'm a mongrel but still pets me and treats me like I'm AKC registered."

Hey, I'd vote for that man.

ALL WET: The New Jersey man who appeared before city commissioners last month and said he leased the city's aquatics center for a party and paid $1,300 he said was not refunded after the center canceled the event could be in trouble.

Wil Brown presented commissioners with photocopies of a receipt indicating he had paid the center's director, Jim Barksdale, $1,300 to rent the facility.

Mr. Barksdale said Mr. Brown paid him $300, not $1,300, and that he had refunded the money after he canceled the show because Mr. Brown misrepresented the size and kind of party he was holding.

Mr. Brown, who is black, told commissioners he was out $3,500 because of the cancellation and insisted it was racially motivated. Commissioner Marion Williams also accused the center staff of racism.

Mr. Barksdale denied the allegations, but he was put on administrative leave while the sheriff's department investigates Mr. Brown's allegations.

Meanwhile, a miscellaneous report Mr. Brown filed with the sheriff's office in April will be hard for him to explain. He reported that he booked the aquatics center for a party and paid $300 in advance. Nothing about $1,300.

The recreation department director is said to be livid over the accusations and not likely to forget about them if they prove false.

Mr. Brown could be looking at a forgery charge, the legal folks say.

COMMISSIONERS DECIDE THEY CAN WALK AS LONG AS THEY CAN TALK: Some thought it would be a gimme - approving a request for their own reserved parking spaces at Augusta's Municipal Building.

"Oh, I thought that was on consent," joked Commissioner Bobby Hankerson, referring to a vote that approves an item without discussion.

The discussion did come, though, and ended several minutes later with commissioners voting down the request.

Among the no votes was that of Mr. Mays who just so happens to have a reserved space already.

Mr. Williams told Mr. Mays to watch out because other commissioners might start taking his parking space.

Mr. Mays said if that were the case, not much would change.

"You do that anyway," he said.

THE 12TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT RACE: Twelfth Congressional District Democratic candidate Tony Center, of Savannah, was campaigning in Augusta last week and found it tough going. He said he was going door-to-door and finding that many people here don't even know a primary is coming up.

"They say, 'What election? When?'" Mr. Center reported.

It's very different in Savannah and Athens, he said. Both cities have two Democrats vying to become the candidate to unseat Republican incumbent Max Burns. In Savannah, it's Mr. Center and Caine Cortellino. In Athens, it's Doug Haines and John Barrow.

How different it is from 2002, when Charles "Champ" Walker Jr. was running. Back then, things in Augusta were as hot as the Fourth of July.

Oh, that's today, isn't it? What a coincidence.

City Ink thanks staff writer Preston Sparks for his contribution.

Reach Sylvia Cooper at (706) 823-3228 or sylvia.cooper@augustachronicle.com.