Mayor Chuck Shaheen was assaulted with motions from council members he clearly did not like, and the end result was the proposed $9.5 million Law Enforcement Center was set in motion.
Four council members – Bob Wilbanks, John Williams, Mike Daley and Paul Shealy – were successful in approving the original concept and building for the center, and directed City Attorney Jim Elliott Jr. to research funding opportunities and make a report at the March 15 meeting.
The center was listed on the agenda as a discussion-only item, and it was obvious Shaheen did not expect any action to be taken Monday.
There was a lot of political jockeying going on, and the mood turned both emotional and contentious.
The location of the center is a flashpoint, and Shaheen is not in favor of Jimmy Perkins Park being proposed for the center.
Shaheen even brought in Annette Perkins Alexander, sister of the late Jimmy Perkins, to address the council in a plea for leaving the park as it is for area youth. The park is located to the west of the Homer J. Walker Civic Center on Watson Boulevard.
Alexander reminded council members the park was there because Perkins was “a genuine icon” for the city’s youths over the years, and “this part of town needs the park.”
“I don’t want to say the police aren’t worth anything,” she concluded, “but I would not like to see the center on Jimmy’s field.”
Wilbanks then said his motion was about the building of the center, not about its location, and discussion about that was out of order.
His motion passed, with Tom Simms and Daron Lee voting against.
Lee protested he was not part of discussions about the center, saying there “was something fishy here.”
Shaheen, apparently addressing Wilbanks, said he hadn’t heard from “your group,” but added he knew what was going on. “I’m not stupid,” he added.
What was going on has been going on for the past two months, it seems. Shaheen, new to government, was being outflanked by members of city council.
During the campaign last fall, Shaheen stressed he was all about building relationships with other area governing entities. He seems to have forgotten about building relationships closer to home, namely with the city council.
City council meetings have been characterized by some council members, most notably Wilbanks, getting items passed without the mayor’s knowledge beforehand. A clear example was the successful reappointment of Tracy Richardson as municipal judge at the Feb. 16 meeting.
Shaheen’s business background has not sufficiently prepared him for the rough-and-tumble that describes Georgia politics on all levels. Politics does pervade business and Shaheen has an extensive business background, but the ways of public service are different from private business. He needs to cut short his learning curve if he wants to be an effective administrator.
And he’s right – he’s not stupid. But he’s apparently not wholly prepared for council meetings and keeps getting blind-sided by those who are more experienced in the ways of politics and government.
The city is not immune from the economic forces helping shape government actions and policies across the country. The tough times will continue for the foreseeable future, and if Chuck Shaheen wants to be effective he’s going to have to get smarter about politics, relationships and pubic service.
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