Local media are hosting a free public forum on open records and meetings Monday night at 7 o'clock at the school board headquarters downtown.
Former Mayor Bob Young suggests maybe our next public forum should be about ethics.
Not a bad idea.
The politics in Augusta, he acknowledges sadly, are ethically challenged.
"Ethics are not observed or enforced" at City Hall, Young told the Chronicle editorial department Friday.
That's not news to most observers, but it's a sad commentary coming from a former mayor who loves this town as Bob Young does.
His assessment comes on the heels of a report that Augusta Commissioner Betty Beard is being investigated by local and federal law enforcement for at least one "charitable" payment a developer appears to have made to a friend of Beard's who needed elective gastric bypass surgery.
The $25,000 was allegedly paid to the city treasury in 2004 by developers of Maxwell House Apartments at about the time they were seeking commission approval to create federally subsidized housing there.
Somehow, after $5,000 of it was routed to a youth charity, the remaining $20,000 was allegedly directed to Beard's friend, who also happened to be a city employee.
A defiant Beard -- who actually said she hopes they put her in jail -- said Thursday she thought her using the donation to help her friend was a "wonderful thing to do," and that, rather than a story about possible corruption, it "should be a human interest story."
No, ma'am. It's a human interest story if, for example, you were to have given your own money to the woman. It's a corruption investigation when it involves money from a third party, particularly one that has business pending before the commission.
But according to former mayor Young, if true, it's not an isolated incident.
"No, not at all," he said.
Young said well-meaning people at City Hall simply don't see the ethical lines that shouldn't be crossed.
Encouraging civic activism is one thing. Squeezing money out of anyone who wants to do business with the city, whether for charity or surgery, is a shakedown. It's illegal, and it's no way to do business.
"There's a culture down there that you curry favor," Young said. "It's wrong."
It's corruption, we said.
"I know it is," Young replied.
And it's far from wonderful.
In other instances, another would-be developer was allegedly encouraged to similarly donate to local charity to win favor with commissioners, and a company contracting with the city was encouraged to give to local schools.
Such things are sometimes done in broad daylight, such as the latter instance.
But above the table doesn't make it above-board. It's wrong.
Any elected official worth his or her salt should be outraged that anyone seeking to do business with the city would attempt to curry favor with them through charitable contributions.
Maybe we need that ethics seminar, cause people still don't get it. Beard, when asked whether her support for a project in return for a donation could be construed as a bribe, said, amazingly, "You could call it that, but it certainly did come in handy."
Of course it did! So does robbing a bank!
In contrast, being ethical is most often decidedly inconvenient.
It's time we brought that kind of inconvenience to town.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Excellent editorial. Simple, easy to understand and straight to the point. A bribe, by any other name, will still be a bribe. This initial point seems to be overlooked in this case.
The amazing part is that she still doesn't seem to understand it's illegal.
So is the Richmond County Sheriff's Office going to arrest Betty Beard as they did David Fry? These cases run together. Remember in the Fry case, no money actually passed hands, nor could it have since Fry had no power. Why the white Commissioners didn't report what they knew is suspect. But with Beard lots of money went to her friend. Where is law enforcement? Do I think Fry is innocent, heck, no. But there is corruption with the black Commissioners as there is with the whites. If the RCSO is going to become involved investigating corruption they should play fair and equal regardless of the political pressures. We need mug shots of Beard and some other Commissioners...black and white, if the RCSO is going to do its job.
By the way, when Bob Young was mayor, he was only a tad above Deke in kahoonie size. But Young seems to have gained some testosterone after elected office. Too bad Deke still makes Casper Milquetoast look tough as he presides over this ship of fools.
Betty Beard did nothing illegal. People that understand the law understand this. Trust me that firm and Ms Beard both ran it by attorneys. Does anyone really believe a developer that does this stuff daily would break the law after they already had what they wanted. This is a good attempt at a diversion from Frye but that's about all it is.
Concernednative, I'll bet Betty won't have to pay the lady to do her hair the rest of her life.... On another subject, Deke residing over the Commission reminds me of Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon presiding over the UN. He listens via those headphones for interpretation with a strained face and doesn't have a clue who the people are, where they come from or what they are talking about.
This was just the typical way of doing business by Blackmail Betty and some of our other commissioners. If it isn't illegal then it should be. And if our city attorneys advised that it was okay, well that advice is suspect, particularly if it was given by Chiquita since most of our attorrneys lose their cases when the city gets sued. I think most of our attorneys get hired on referral from ACORN. No contractor doing business with the city should be giving money to the city to be "steered" to an organization or individual......PERIOD. If this was not illegal then the law needs to be changed. I don't care how you slice this it is corruption and unfortunately is rampant with our local government. But I am sure Blackmail Betty will get a "pass". Don't worry Betty, you can always get a job with ACORN. You seem to have all of the qualifications.
This editorial hits the ball out of the park.
One of the best I have read. It's sad that there are far too many people who truly don't have a grasp of ethics.
mad-max a little less Limbaugh and Savage nation would do you good. What in the world does ACORN have to do with Augusta.
mad-max a little less Limbaugh and Savage nation would do you good. What in the world does ACORN have to do with Augusta.
Posted by concernednative on Sun Sep 20, 2009 2:26 PM....Seems they opeate about the same as ACORN and just as corrupt.
get a life Augusta chronicle this lady is alive because of ms. beard
And Mrs. Beard did what was morally right and what she did was good in the eyes of god.
ilgc, you are a little to close to be objective having a wife who has had to have that surgery. Your opinion is biased.
Timely editorial. Thanks.