How voters shattered the status quo on Augusta Commission
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Election Day is over and Augusta voters have spoken, shaking up the balance of power on the Augusta Commission:
- We’ll see two new faces on the commission: Tina Slendak in District 7 and Don Clark in District 5.
- Augustans decided to give the mayor a full vote on the commission.
- Voters ousted incumbent Bobby Williams, whose maneuvers sparked the referendum to give the mayor a vote.
- Women are reaching a new milestone on the commission.
Williams is someone who’s used his power to abstain to avoid tie votes on the commission – thus keeping Mayor Garnett Johnson from voting, since the mayor only votes in a tie.
Williams’ maneuver led Mayor Garnett Johnson to push a change in the city charter to give him a full vote – something voters approved Tuesday.
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The abstention move recently stalled two big decisions: picking a new ambulance provider and hiring a city .
In the ambulance battle, the contract ultimately went to Central EMS, but it wasn’t an easy process.
As far as a permanent , the decision remains stalled.
Between ousting Williams and approving the referendum, voters flipped the status quo on the Augusta Commission.
AUGUSTA COMMISSION RESULTS:
- Commissioner Jordan Johnson kept his seat with 59% of the vote, vs. 31% for Matt Aitken. 9% for Jo-Rae Jenkins and 1% for Kenny Osorio.
- Commissioner Catherine Smith McKnight kept her District 3 seat with 68% of the vote, compared to 24% for Carol Yancy and 8% for Joidaz Gaines.
- DC Clark defeated Bobby Williams for the District 5 seat, 53% to 47%.
- Tina Slendak took the District 7 seat with 63% of the vote, compared to 37% for Marshall Bedder.
- Francine Scott defeated former Commissioner Marion Williams for the District 9 seat. Scott has 64% of the vote, compared to 36% for Williams.
But that’s not the only change as a result of Tuesday’s vote, which featured Districts 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 in nonpartisan races.
Slendak will be a new face on the commission, but she didn’t beat an incumbent. She was among two newcomers vying for the seat being vacated by commission member Sean Frantom.
“One of the things that’s really important to me was the Parks and Rec Department. I think there’s been a total mismanagement of that department. And so I would like to kind of get into that a little bit,” said Slendak.
She says she s a audit and says she wanted to beautify parks and recreation in the city.
“We have so many pools for kids in the city and they’re not open during the summer, but a couple hours a couple of days a week and I just think that’s a tremendous waste because the kids need something to do during the summertime,” she said.
She’ll be bringing more change to the commission – with more women on the than ever in recent memory.
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- What’s next in the race for Richmond County sheriff?
- Augustans decide to give mayor a full vote on commission
- Voters opt to keep Augusta DA Jared Williams in office
- Primary results from elections elsewhere across Georgia
- Fulton DA Fani Willis, judge in Trump case fight off challengers
She s incumbent Catherine Smith McKnight, who won re-election by a resounding margin, and Francine Scott, who defeated former Commissioner Marion Williams to keep her District 9 seat.
Don Clark also says one of his top priorities in beautifying the city.
“Ensure that our constituents feel a part of the growth and development that they see and hear about a let them see it a lot closer and personal, which is right there in their homes,” said Clark.
Clark beat incumbent Bobby Williams for his seat, and Clark says he is ready to get to work.
“Walking the neighborhoods, talking to the neighbors to constituents, hearing their concerns, and seeing it firsthand, really opens up your perspective of, you know, we’ve got a lot of work to do,” said Clark.
As far as giving the mayor a vote on the commission, it’s not just something voters ed but something they ed by an enormous margin.
In Tuesday’s election, 74% of voters said yes to the referendum question, compared to 26% who said no.
“With more than 70% of the voters coming out in of the mayor having an equal vote, I think that shows that we’re truly interested in how we make Augusta better,” said Augusta mayor Garnett Johnson.
In other Richmond County races, change is a mixed bag.
Incumbent District Attorney Jared Williams easily won re-election, getting 68% of the votes compared to his challenger Amber Brabtley, who got 32%.
At the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, the jury’s still out.
Incumbent Sheriff Richard Roundtree got the most votes in a three-way race in the Democratic primary – which could decide the contest if independent Richard Dixon doesn’t qualify for the November election.
But Roundtree didn’t quite get the 50% plus one vote that’s required for him to win. Instead, he faces a June 18 primary runoff against challenger Gino Brantley.
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