7/31/2009

written by Jim Hendricks.

ALBANY - It appears the traditional political symbols of the elephant and donkey will be joined by a broom-pusher, at least in Albany. From 9 a.m. until noon Saturday at Westover Crossing, members of the Dougherty County Taxpayers Association will be handing out free brooms, the symbol the organization has chosen for its Sweep Albany Clean campaign that is aimed at electing three Albany city commissioners this fall.

The event is designed to generate interest in the taxpayer association, which is attempting to increase its political muscle. Richard Thomas, chair of the non-profit association, said Thursday that the organization hopes to generate $30,000 that it would then use to help fund campaigns for candidates in city Wards 2, 3 and 5.

Commissioner Morris Gurr, who represents Ward 3, has announced he will not seek re-election. Commissioner Dorothy Hubbard represents Ward 2 and Commissioner Bob Langstaff represents Ward 5. All three seats are to be decided in the Nov. 3 municipal elections.

"What we have is a perfect political and economic storm," Thomas said. "People can make a big difference."

The majority of that storm is swirling over downtown, where Downtown Manager Don Buie was fired Wednesday. The taxpayers group, which formed two years ago in reaction to property tax revaluations, has been battling in Superior Court a plan to use a city-backed $6 million bond issue to fund downtown redevelopment. The Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority, of which Buie was chief executive officer, is to be the vehicle for spending that bond money.

Buie was fired after a city audit found he was operating with no oversight and that thousands of dollars on expenditures on ADICA accounts, many questionable, were being made with little or no documentation and accountability. Buie's handling of ADICA's business is also the target of a probe by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

While the court decisions on the bond issue so far have gone ADICA's way, the taxpayers' association has not officially decided whether to appeal those decisions and is asking ADICA to not make it post a $600,000 surety bond against losses ADICA could incur that a Superior Court judge said will be required before an appeal can move forward. ADICA is expected to address that request at its meeting Wednesday.

"The commissioners - the mayor included - have been completely silent on these issues we have raised," Thomas said. "This is their responsibility. It's just very disturbing. The biggest problem we have is they have just sat on their haunches and have gone into hiding while this storm is going on. We have people downtown who are not doing their job."

Dr. Charles Bullock, a political scientist with the University of Georgia, said Thursday that the political challenges being undertaken by the taxpayer group is "atypical for Georgia."

"To actually come up with a slate of candidates is pretty uncommon in Georgia," Bullock said. "That really is fairly sophisticated. To recruit is a lot more than to wait and see who comes forward."

Thomas said the brooms, which he described as a "real nice industrial type," will be handed out free to those who come by. He said that at the group's last meeting; they debated which style of broom would best symbolize the effort at the last association meeting. "One lady said, "I want the kind of broom men like to use," he said.

Thomas said officials with the taxpayers' organization will interview each potential candidate who volunteers or who is recruited before the slate is chosen.

Each candidate supported by the association will have to sign a pledge that has not yet been drafted, Thomas said. The political contract, he said, basically will require the candidates to promise to support "transparent, conservative government."

"The worst thing that can happen is for someone on the City Commission in this political and economic environment to run for election unopposed," Thomas said. "I think that would be a big black eye for the people of Albany."

If the association is successful in generating the $30,000, the organization plans put $10,000 behind each of its candidates. If, however, one race is closer than another, some of the money would be shifted where it was needed, Thomas said.

"If they get an attractive candidate, it (the funding) should mean they're competitive," Bullock said. "This is more citizen involvement than you usually find in Georgia municipal elections."

Bullock said it is more typical of the Texas model than Georgia. The problems in Texas, he said, has been when the organizations make decisions along racial lines. Thomas said the Dougherty County group is attempting to make sure it crosses racial lines in its recruitment efforts, both for potential candidates and members.

The organization currently has 1,000 dues-paying members, Thomas said. The goal is to have at least 5,000 members, which would greatly improve its political clout. "That would give us tremendous leverage," he said.

The taxpayers' association has already shown it can attract money. According to information on its Web site, it has spent 71 percent of its funds - $37,628.49 - on legal fees. Other expenditures include $6,798.05 for an auction, $4,122.50 on media, $3,574.99 on flyers and $655 - 1 percent of its overall spending - on administration. The site says the annual membership fee is $50.

The organization is listed as non-profit, but it is not a 501(C)3, which would prohibit it from engaging in political campaigns. Since it is not involving itself in federal elections, it doesn't fall under political action committee or 527 organization requirements.

It appears the Dougherty County model may become more common in Georgia, at least in the southern portion of the state. Thomas said his group is working with individuals in Lee, Worth, Tift, Thomas, Turner and Lowndes counties who want to organize.

"We help anyone who wants to start this," he said.

Thomas said that a couple of wins this fall would be a "shot across the bow" to the mayor and the remaining three commissioners, but that a clean sweep would be a "torpedo." Bullock agreed that victories are essential to gaining credibility as a political organization.

"Maybe they're starting a wave," Bullock said. "If they get their three elected, that's going to get them a lot more attention."