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Vol. 143, No. 30 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830 Established in 1882 Wednesday, September 13, 2023 - $1.00
Sheriff accuses BOC of defunding; predicts catastrophic consequences
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
In a September 7 letter addressed
to the Board of Commissioners,
Sheriff Alfonzo Williams accused
the panel of “defunding” the police
and predicted that people will die
because of their fiscal management
practices.
“The Commission is on a very
dangerous path seeking to defund
and dismantle law enforcement ser
vices, which will have catastrophic
consequences on public safety,” Wil
liams wrote. “.. .People will die due
to dangerous defunding. We do not
have alternative means of protecting
the public.”
In the letter, Williams alleged
he would be forced to terminate
12 uniformed deputies who were
previously paid by Plant Vogtle,
The Governor’s Office of Highway
Safety and the Department of Justice
Administration, and one jailer previ
ously paid by Burke County. He also
accused the BOC of attempting to
defund and dismantle the BCSO by
not providing the $650,000 needed
to house inmates outside of the
Burke County Detention Center and
the $600,000 for an inmate medical
contract that is currently out for bid.
“If you do not adequately fund the
sheriff’s office, you are essentially
asking that 13 deputies be termi
nated,” he wrote. “We cannot afford
to revert to crime rates prior to our
administration in 2017. Your inac
tion has the potential to get deputies
hurt or killed, increase gang activity
in our schools and communities, and
cause a huge spike in violent crimes
(i.e., aggravated assaults, domestic
violence, school fights, robberies,
murders, and other criminal activ
ity).”
Threatening costly litigation, Wil
liams stated the BOC is poised to
underfund his department by $2.25
million.
“I assert that without
this funding, it becomes SHERIFF,
a legal issue of whether 8
Five BCHS cheerleaders
chosen for Border Bowl XI
Each year in January, some of the best senior
high school football players and cheerleaders
in the CSRA face off against one another in
the annual Border Bowl as Team Georgia and
Team South Carolina, for a chance at victory
and of course, the coveted trophy.
(L-R) Kaneria Wesby, Stalayah Crawford,
Tommie Conner, Catelyn Rodriguez, and Ka-
meryn Cooper are five of the 17 cheerleaders
who were chosen to represent our hometown
and state on the Georgia Cheer Squad.
For the first time in WJBF Sports Border
Bowl history, the Border Bowl will be played
in the Bear Den at Burke County High School!
The game is scheduled for Saturday, January
13, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. This annual game is a
"Non-Profit Game", the proceeds from the
ticket sales are given to the Ronald McDonald
House Charities of Augusta. Congratulations to
our five outstanding Bears!
Keysville ignores
state department
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetuecitizen.shelliel@gmail.com
Although the City of Keysville
supplied copies of their 2018 and
2019 audits to The True Citizen
after a complaint was filed with the
Attorney General’s Office, Keysville
has failed to respond to the Depart
ment of Law.
Assistant Attorney General Kris
ten Settlemire has given Keysville
Mayor Linda Wilkes 10 days to
respond to their inquiry regarding
the two open records requests made
by The True Citizen in July asking
for 2018-2022 Agreed Upon Proce
dures. The True Citizen requested
the financial documents after it was
made public that the city did not have
the funds to pay for their second well
despite receiving American Rescue
funding and more than $500,000 in
SPLOST funds.
In a September
11 letter to Wilkes,
Settlemire stated she
had made numer-
SEE
KEYSVILLE,
3
BEN ROBERTS
benroberts@bellsouth.net
Collateral damage is defined as
“an injury or other damage that is
an incidental result of an activity.” It
was first used in war-time to describe
actual injury or death to people or
property in close proximity to mili
tary targets.
In today’s world, it can mean
anyone or anything that gets un
necessarily caught up in something.
Currently, in Burke County, “collat
eral damage” has come to describe
the very citizens of this community.
About two years ago, in August of
2021, Burke County Sheriff Alfonzo
Williams took his dispute over his
office’s budget with the county man
ager and the Board of Commission
ers public. At the time, it appeared
that Williams was simply upping the
ante on his wish list for his depart
ment. It was a poorly kept secret
that Williams had wanted a new jail
and Sheriff’s Office since his first
day in office. In that August com
missioner’s meeting he demanded
four-hundred thousand dollars and
50 acres of land for the first stage
of construction on a state of the art
training center and firing range. The
large amount of acreage would one
day also house the new jail and sher
iff’s office, a massive complex built
as an effigy to Williams’ stature as a
lawman.
The commissioners SEE
didn’t bite, and Wil- g|pp qqg
liams threatened to g
sue, a threat he made
Local candidates weigh in on their bids for office
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Editor’s Note: This is part 2 on a
series of interviews involving candi
dates running for local public offices.
Vickey Bates
Incumbent Vickey Bates has
served on the Waynesboro City
Council since 2020, representing
Ward 3 Post 3. She is running against
Portia Washington this time.
“I trust in the Lord and want to
do all I can to glorify God through
my work on the council,” she wrote
in a recent email. “We have accom
plished many things since 2020 but
there is always more to be done for
others.”
Bates believes Waynesboro needs
to continue working to bring in more
business and job opportunities and
learn to work better together. The
council and commission should
meet a couple of times a year as they
should all be working together to
glorify our community for everyone,
she said. If they were doing this, the
recent situation involving the new
trash company could have been
handled better to help everyone with
their needs.
She pointed out the city has made
improvements to sewer lines, water
wells, parks and other infrastructure,
but believes more progress needs to
be made. She also pointed out that
6th Street park is looking better and
is being improved with grant funds.
The city is constructing the well on
Hwy. 56 to provide for an additional
water source and the sewer lines
from the cemetery to 4th street are
being worked on also. The council
has worked hard to improve salaries
in the police department.
“I am a good candidate because I
stay engaged within my ward and all
of Waynesboro,” she said. “I listen,
attend meetings, am involved in my
community and do my best to vote on
behalf of everyone I represent. I am
always easy to reach, eager to meet
and willing to listen to everyone for
the betterment of Waynesboro.”
Brenda Lee Lewis
Mayoral candidate Brenda Lee
Lewis served on the Waynesboro
City Council, representing Ward 3
Post 3 when she was first elected
in 2012. She served as Vice-Mayor
under former Pauline Jenkins and
interim mayor upon Jenkins’ pass
ing. Lewis also
& cpF
served as Vice- occ
mayor under for- CAN Dl DATES,
mer Mayor Greg 6
Vickey Bates
Brenda Lee Lewis