What does Augusta want? Ask us!

What does Augusta want? The recent Augusta Commission elections had my heart pounding in ways that resembled a caffeine-driven, anxiety-induced, pre-exam, all-night study session.

After listening the candidates from three districts explain their agendas and debate why they are fit for commission seats, I became appalled by who was willing to stand up for their community. My awe wasn't a result of their passion or ambition, but from their outrageous and disconnected thinking about our city. I applaud their effort, but am willing to mock their ignorance in public.

With thoughts of an amusement park and a dragway in south Augusta and a trolley in downtown, I began to wonder what in the world was wrong with these people. Did they visit Atlanta one too many times with their 12-year-olds and conclude that the capital became such a promising and abundant city because of Six Flags? Do they think that Florida hasn't sunk into the ocean because of the Daytona 500?

Maybe we should scrap it all and commission Disney to demolish south Augusta and rebuild it as a 100-square-mile theme park complete with neon lights, 80-foot roller coasters, a canal-turned-water park and a trolley that takes you from the old haunted Regency Mall to downtown's main street, where you can buy candied apples and explain to children that America looked just like this 50 years ago.

You talk of corrupt politics, back-door deals, illogical feasibility studies, backward thinking and racial divides, but have you talked to the people? Do officials on the podiums have a concept of the socioeconomic make-up of a city and the demands created by its citizens? And are our opinions not important if we do not carry megaphones and guns?

It seems Augusta lacks a community vision. Our demands are based on the assumptions of a few key officials, and those ideas often are exposed to be ill representations of the population. Before they start that new game of Sim City, perhaps they could step outside of their offices and ask Augustans what they want.

Katie McGuire

Augusta