Gurr steps up to the plate, overcomes Adams’ empty argument that discussion, vote are ‘out of order’
In spite of Mayor Willie Adams’ objection, the Albany City Commission is scheduled to consider Tuesday whether to move the city-county unification process forward.
City Commissioner Morris Gurr says the commission should make a decision “regardless of what the county does.”
Mayor Willie Adams attempted to prohibit Tuesday’s discussion – and certainly a City Commission vote on the matter.
“It hasn’t passed the county and other than the point of discussion,” Dr. Adams said. “It would be premature and out of order if we vote before seeing what the County does.”
Mr. Gurr retorted that “it doesn’t matter which body takes it up first.”
Dr. Adams did not offer an explanation of why the City should sit the issue out until or unless the County agrees to move the matter forward to the state General Assembly.
Indeed, there is no explanation. And although Mr. Gurr didn’t need the commission’s approval to put the matter on Tuesday’s agenda, he got it – over Dr. Adams’ objections.
Already, Dougherty County commissioners thus far are on record – in a 3-3 stalemate — as being opposed to allowing citizens to decide at the polls whether local governments in the county should be merged. All six county commissioners – the District 2 seat has been vacated by Brenda Robinson-Cutler, who is ill – agreed to honor the Albany-Dougherty Charter Commission’s request in November for action by both the city and county commissions.
The Charter Commission consisted of three city commissioners, three county commissioners, and two citizens – George Brown and Rev. Don Kea – who served on the 19-member consolidation study committee that unanimously supported the notion of city-county unification.
While Mr. Gurr and some of his colleagues have criticized county commissioners Jack Stone, Art Searles and John Hayes for voting against taking the unification notion to the next level, Mr. Gurr is the only Albany commissioner to concede the criticism is unwarranted unless the City Commission, too, takes a vote. Indeed, the three county dissenters are no guiltier of temporarily halting consolidation than the seven elected city officials who haven’t voted yeah or nay. Only county commissioners Jeff “Bodine” Sinyard, Dr. Charles Lingle and Lamar Hudgins have voted present the unification charter to state legislators and ultimately to Albany and Dougherty County voters.
The City Commission meets at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday in room 120 of the Government Center, 222 Pine Ave. It likely will be considerably later than 8:30, however, before the commission addresses the consolidation issue.
