Home is where the headaches are

The saying "you can't go home again" is certainly true here in Augusta, because nobody knows where home is.

Former Augusta Commissioner Keith Brown called Welsh Lane in Augusta home for awhile, got his mail in North Augusta, voted in North Augusta, took phone calls in North Augusta, had a driver's license in North Augusta but called south Augusta home when it came time to run for the District 4 commission seat.

Mayoral candidate Ronnie Few had a house, two cars, a driver's license, barbecue grill and homestead exemption in Columbia County this year but called 1 Seventh St. in Augusta home.

Now Mayor Deke Copenhaver thinks he knows where he lives, but some people don't believe it.

THE FEW AFFAIR: Last week's Richmond County Elections Board drama on Mr. Few's residency was marked by tension, tears, taunts, tantrums and eventual triumph for him and his lawyers, Lourdes Coleman and Eleazer Carter.

It began with Republican-appointed board member Tim Moses recusing himself and board chairwoman Linda Beazley praising him for it.

"Your action further demonstrates your desire to ensure that this hearing is conducted in a fair and impartial manner and without any hint of impropriety," she said. "And we thank you."

"Can I get a transcript of what she just said?" Mr. Moses asked.

"We'll mail it to him," she replied.

In an opening statement, Mr. Carter said one of the things the challengers must provide was evidence that showed a direct relationship to the place Mr. Few lays his head at night.

THE EXPOSITION: In his initial questioning, Joe Neal Sr., the attorney for challengers Woody Merry and Melanie Roy, asked Mr. Few whether he understood that the challenge to his candidacy was based on "written declarations" he'd made in Columbia County.

"You understand that?" Mr. Neal asked.

"Yes," Mr. Few replied.

"OK. And that challenge is based upon your own declaration that you're a domiciliary, which means you're domiciled in Columbia County, Georgia."

"No. I live at 1 Seventh St., Augusta," Mr. Few said.

"Yes sir, I understand," Mr. Neal said. "But you understand that's the basis of our challenge, that you have made a declaration by filing a homestead exemption in Columbia County, Georgia, that you're domiciled there? That's the basis of our challenge."

"No. I live at 1 Seventh St.," Mr. Few insisted.

"I asked you a question," Mr. Neal said.

As the questioning proceeded, so did the comments and laughter from the crowd of Mr. Few's supporters in the audience, which brought the first warning from Mrs. Beazley.

"There will be no comments from the audience, and if there's persistent talking, we'll just have to get the marshals to remove you," she said. "This is a very serious matter."

THE MISUNDERSTANDING: Under questioning, Mr. Few said he never wanted to move his home from 1 Seventh St.

"I've always lived there, and the misunderstanding was the fact that (the Columbia County Tax Office clerk) said - probably would have said - that if you did live (there) and you had not declared homestead exemption anywhere, then you're entitled to have homestead exemption on one of your properties. I took that, that she understood. I thought that was gospel. I thought it was the truth. It was a misunderstanding. So I never would have signed that. I never signed that to say that I moved. I thought I could sign and get (exemption on) practically any place I owned in the state of Georgia."

THE OUTBURST: When Mr. Neal had finished his initial questioning, and was walking back to his chair, he suddenly shouted, "This lady said to me I need to put my hood back on. If you say that to me again, you've got a problem with me outside."

He said he was not in the Ku Klux Klan.

Amid the ensuing hubbub, Mrs. Beazley said, "Ma'am, I ask you to keep your comments to yourself, or I'll ask the marshals to remove you. And Mr. Neal, you need to calm down."

"I apologize," he said.

"And we need to stop the mumbling in the background," she continued. "We're doing our very best to have a fair and impartial hearing here. And all of the attorneys are allowed to ask questions."

"I'm sorry. I apologize. It really hit me wrong," Mr. Neal said.

But the peace didn't last long. When a recess was called, Mr. Neal turned to the woman and warned her not to speak to him that way again. In the hallway, some people came up shaking their fists and threatening him.

POST-RECESS: When the meeting reconvened, Mrs. Beazley said it was very disappointing to know that people at a public hearing go out into the hallway and try to assault each other.

"If that happens again, whoever is involved will be removed from this meeting," she said.

Then the woman who had taunted Mr. Neal about wearing a hood, whose name turned out to be Valerie Williams, stood and apologized to everyone, especially Mr. Neal, and asked for forgiveness.

Mr. Neal did likewise.

SHE GAVE ME THE APPLE: Under questioning by his attorney, Mr. Few said the clerk at the Columbia County Tax Office asked him whether he lived at the Evans address.

"I said, 'No. I live in Richmond County.' And she said, 'You can get a tax exemption on one of your properties.' ... She said you can get one exemption. I said, 'I'll take it then.' And I filled it out."

THE TURNING POINT: The hearing turned poignant when Mr. Carter asked Mr. Few why he moved to Richmond County.

"Did you move here for some particular reason?"

"Give me a minute," Mr. Few said, tears starting to stream down his face. "My mentor, the late Lee Beard; his wife's Betty Beard. Her husband, the late Lee Beard was a commissioner. He came to me, and he told me about leadership. And he told me in a year his seat will be up."

"His commissioner seat?

"Yes."

"And when did this conversation take place?"

"That was in 2002."

"What happened as a result of that discussion?"

"He asked me to resign and move back. He said he had another condo. I said I wanted to move back to Richmond County anyway. I wanted my old condo back, but I didn't think the old gentleman was going to give it up because I lived there previously before. He asked me to come back, move back. He said, 'I want to make sure you'll be ready. When I leave, you will be taking over District 1, Ward 1.'"

"At that time you mentioned you were buying a condo before," Mr. Carter said. "Were you buying or renting?"

"Yes. I was buying a condo before I left for Washington, D.C., as a fire chief. So, I bought the condo and a couple of months later, I moved back, and he got sick."

When Mrs. Beard was called to the stand, she defended Mr. Few and said, "This isn't nearly as serious as it is made out to be."

In the end, the elections board voted 3-1 not to disqualify him for the Nov. 7 election.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Augusta is at war here. I'm more afraid here than I am in Iraq" because "we want to talk white and black and should be talking right and wrong," District 4 Augusta Commission candidate Alvin Mason said at a political forum.

WHAT'S AFOOT: To those of you who have been asking how my hubby Ernie's doing, he said to tell you he's made "one small step for man" and that thanks to his zero-turn radius lawn mower, he's running circles around everybody. I just wish he'd run a few with the vacuum cleaner.

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