The Aviation Authority. The Richmond County Board of Education. The Richmond County legislative delegation. The Augusta Commission.
Every one of these public bodies has vastly improved in the past few years, and is now making policy rather than making headlines.
Now it's the Coliseum Authority's turn.
The authority's ever-present rancor, its unfocused nature, its ineffectiveness and its complete incompetence in making the civic center really sing reached a hopeless state this week with the sudden and divisive firings of the board's attorney and CPA.
No coherent reasons have been tendered for the firings, which prompted a walkout of those board members opposed.
The term "dysfunctional" may be too charitable, as it connotes some kind, any kind, of functioning.
The mood in Augusta hasn't been this upbeat in many years. All those other public bodies mentioned above, Mayor Deke Copenhaver and a relentlessly progressive private sector have this city humming at a time when many locales are suffering with a sluggish economy. The consensus seems to be this will be a breakout year for Augusta.
At present, the only group insisting on staying mired in a more contentious past is the pitiable Coliseum Authority. While they are having their lunch eaten by the new Convocation Center at the University of South Carolina Aiken, Coliseum Authority members can't even sit together, much less work together to turn the lights on in the James Brown Arena on a more regular basis. Some members are more functional than others -- but they should be the first to divorce themselves from this unmitigated mess.
The entire board should resign and allow the community to take back its civic center.
In the alternative, someone should notify the U.S. Department of Agriculture that an unlicensed circus is operating here under the name "Coliseum Authority."
Indeed, authority Chairman Harry Moore -- one of those to walk out Tuesday -- called for the board's elimination in favor of an outside management company.
Richmond County legislative delegation chairman Quincy Murphy hints that may be too hasty. But he wants the seven-member delegation to study all options during the General Assembly session beginning Monday in Atlanta.
Rep. Murphy, who once served on the Coliseum Authority, noted that members don't receive an orientation session. Great point. That certainly needs to change. Yet, no amount of orientation will make a bad board member into a good one. You need good people to start with.
Along those lines, Rep. Murphy wonders if those board members appointed by Augusta commissioners shouldn't leave the authority when their appointing commissioner leaves office. Another good suggestion.
Commissioners and the legislative delegation, which also appoints four members, should also have explicit power to remove poorly performing authority appointees.
There also should be qualifications that authority members must meet; we need some folks with a little business acumen and teamwork skills to serve, not political hacks.
Lawmakers also should investigate whether it might be better for the parks and recreation department, or the Convention and Visitors Bureau, to oversee the civic center.
We urge Rep. Murphy and his colleagues to move swiftly -- not hastily -- toward a solution. We cannot afford another year of this, and the authority's drag on both the local economy and morale.
Comments
The Coliseum Authority has been in pitiful shape for more then 20 years. No one, so far, has been able to make this forum work. Obviously, something in the process is seriously broken. Making the same mistakes over and over must not be the way to fix this problem. I have an idea that may have merit. Why not have an experienced management company run the coliseum? Competency may help here.
Patricia, for once I am in total agreement with you! Well stated.
I say get all the club owners to join together and run it. If anyone can figure out Augusta's entertainment market and make money at it, they can.
No management company will bid on a contract. That is what happened the last time it was tried. Seriously, you need to give the arena away to a private concern in town. Coolbreez's idea may work, but I would give it to the Lynx because they are the only thing keeping it going now. They also have contacts with arenas all over the south. The profit motive would bring shows in.
Riverman1, the contracts offered in the past were so restrictive as to stop anyone from considering them. Hiring a management company to work the coliseum on a percentage basis would have companies lining up to operate the facility. The new commission may be able to get the regulators to recognize this.
To start with disband the Authority, place it under another department head to remove it a step from the Commission and hire a management company, someone who has proven success in similar venues. You'll see a turnaround. And keep all the damned cooks out of the kitchen or you'll burn the soup!
Yes, the appointees are a reflection of those who appoint them, so the mess described as a circus is in fact the fault of the county commission and the Richmond County delegation. That being said the members of any authority or board need to be independent of those making the appointments. Otherwise, every decision will end up being decisions of the elected officials, not those appointed to the authority. Perhaps, that has been the problem up until now. As to terms running concurrent with those of who appoints them, and the appointing officials having the power to remove them for misfeasance, that is not good. The term of the authority member should stagger the term of the person who appoints him. If the authority member does a poor job, he will be replaced, but at least there is some independence. Also, when the media reports about the foolishness of these board members, they ought to not only say the authority members name, they ought to say who appointed them, example: The motion to do whatever was made by Jack Usry, who was appointed by Rep. Wayne Howard, and it was seconded by Keith Brown, who was appointed by Coach Holland.
I agree. Get rid of them. I do think we need a professional management company as Patricia suggested. I imagine having one previously who did little to help probably makes some officials hesitant though. Was it LMI or something like that? I forget the details, but last decade I remember complaints about them and the the Coliseum Authority so hopefully things can work out better this time around.
It takes a lot of journalistic gall to suggest that the Coliseum Authority is the only local government agency needing a complete overhaul. Fact is, the entire Augusta-Richmond County system should be redesigned and staffed with educated community-serving people instead of the self serving idiots that are there top to bottom. Of course, the mayor is the exception to these fools.
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