Local & State Headlines

Albany City Commission fills board seats

• The Albany City Commission fills out the rosters of various community boards and authorities.

Carlton Fletcher

ALBANY — After the pomp and circumstance of swearing in Mayor Willie Adams and commissioners Tommie Postell, Jon Howard and Roger Marietta at its traditional organizational meeting Monday night, the Albany City Commission methodically went through the process of appointing more than 50 people to 24 boards and authorities.

When all was said and done, commissioners had voted to replace some key members of vital boards — Brenda Hodges-Tiller with the Water, Gas & Light Commission and the Revs. Jimmy Hall and John Burr with the Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority — before calling it a night.

“I really hate that I will not have the opportunity to work further with Mr. Hall and Mr. Burr,” Downtown Manager and ADICA President/CEO Don Buie said. “They will certainly be missed as we transition our board into a working board. I think as ADICA becomes the face of redevelopment downtown, this board will have a greater impact.

“I don’t expect this body to be a rubber-stamp board, but I do expect us to work very closely with the ATI (Albany Tomorrow Inc.) board to bring about the changes needed to redevelop downtown.”

The City Commission, after hearing Assistant City Manager James Taylor’s report on new state requirements of the ADICA board (at least four members must own or have business interest in property downtown), voted to appoint current Chair Jane Willson and Elvis Muldrow and LuJuana Woods to the board.

Buie said Wednesday that Woods, who is Muldrow’s sister, had withdrawn her name for board consideration. Commissioners are expected to fill that position at Tuesday’s business session.

In addition to reappointing the city attorney (Nathan Davis), city clerk (Sonja Tolbert) and assistant city clerk (Sissy Kelly) to two-year terms, the commission also voted to approve reappointment of the current Municipal Court judge (Willie Weaver, who formally announced Tuesday he was running for the Dougherty Superior Court judgeship that will become vacant with the retirement of Chief Judge Loring Gray), public defender (Ingrid Driskell), city solicitor (Christopher Warren) and interim Municipal Court judge (Ralph Scoccimaro).

Other appointments approved during the meeting:

• Albany-Dougherty Aviation Commission — Commissioner Dorothy Hubbard;
• Pension Board — Commissioner Bob Langstaff;
• Southwest Georgia Regional Development Center Board — Stephen Kaplan, Skylar Martin, Commissioner Morris Gurr;
• Albany Police Department Civilian Review Board — Kay Hind, Jerome Lowery, Patrick Flynn;
• Citizens Advisory Committee — Princella Stegall, Morris Blaylock, Lynwood Shelton, Wylene Jones, Mary Ligon, Gerald Reid, Jibri Jimmerson, Jawahn Ware;
• Albany-Dougherty Planning Commission — Stephen Kaplan;
• Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful Board — Jeanette Henderson, Jeremiah Paschal, Teresa Edwards, Perry Revell;
• Water, Gas & Light Commission Board — Carol Fullerton, Jim Deal;
• Albany-Dougherty Joint Board of Zoning Appeals — Buster Wasden, Heath Fountain, Ulysses James, Louis Bridges;
• Joint Electrical Board — Wayne Raper, Reginald Pollard, Ronald Randle, Bill Bamford, Willie Emerson;
• Joint City-County Gas Board — Mark Holloway, William Walker;
• Joint Plumbing Board — Thomas Driggers, Eural Chastang;
• Joint City-County Air Conditioning Board — Thomas Driggers, Reginald Pollard, Herbert Pollock;
• Joint City-County Fire Code Board — Rosa Malone, Bruce Campbell.

Appointments to the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Authority and the Citizens Transportation Committee were tabled for further discussion.

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