Newspaper Page Text
)R R LTI (R R ‘
¥ .3
- "
, » o
R 4
e
- l .
Comptroller says mayor
knew of hank overdrafts
By Rhonda Y. Maree
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
In a letter to Mayor Charles DeVaney dat
ed one day before her resignation, Augusta
Comptroller Aurelia Epperson claimed the
mayor had long known about the city’s defi-
cit, but failed to address
it.
Mrs. Epperson, who
has shouldered the
blame for the financial
problems for weeks,
wrote in her letter that
she informed Mr.
DeVaney in 1994 about
“the tight cash flow and
low reserves which could
not absorb any further
unbudgeted expenses.”
Mrs. Epperson’s letter states that in Au
gust and September of last year, she specifi
cally told Mr. DeVaney about the negative
daily bank balances.
“Your initial concern was that the bank
would honor all checks and if they did not,
you would ‘take our business elsewhere,” she
wrote.
Despite this early awareness of financial
strain, Mr. DeVaney saw the city end Janu
ary 1995 with a $1.89 million negative bal
ance.
Mrs. Epperson, who said she had not re
signed beforc now out of loyalty tothe admin
istration, also wrote that on Jan. 18, 1995,
she relayed to Mr. DeVaney First Union
Bank’s suggestion for the city to process a
Tax Anticipation Note (TAN). A TAN would
give the city a $5 million line of credit.
According to Mrs. Epperson’s letter, Mr.
DeVaney’s initial response was that the bank
could not make him do a TAN.
City Council endorsed the line of credit on
Feb. 6 at Mr. DeVaney’s insistance.
Effective March 28, Mrs. Epperson’s sud
den resignation came at a shaky time for the
city asofficialsscramble to stay out of the red.
It will be business as usual, though, accord
ing to some city officials.
See COMPTROLLER, Page 3
Gallery-style photos of Stewart
L B e ¥
R
by &2 A 45T .
W ITy
R eB D |s v
See ARTbeat page 6
@ National News.........cccceererunvnseressaesusnis 2
0 LoDl TN ........ovisitipicssoesrretbipspinnscion &
B 0 POODIL .ocvcceeussssssssossassasnussisasssassnssstross
A oo s 00oniioninpunsishonsrsiandiiossins
B EEIEE ..o ofsdsnis i sovonsisonibe B
B A OIS LAOK ... oouoniirsosivibuivessisirpriais B
B TRI ... ciiriirciisissrisacsdsomsrssssotasoios B
BEBDREEE .. ... isciciivinsisnssionsbiosicsiassonsases dal
® Employment .........cocoveneniriininenen. 19-20
B Classlfieds .......ccocooiivitossprrmisioress RE-28
R 7 ; .
R 5 i Vi ; 2
e o s : v |
T 4,4”;/;@/;{0 L | o
T BR R ,b;sz'f/;‘-vi;,,,,; 74 ,//,‘4;,,24 BT /»,,,:;,42,__;,‘,,{;_.'.' : e
’ 7 i L i o W i 5 ;7 % s
— % % 5 i % -,z_v"-,';éz;i P", Vil 9‘!’"{, % ,',,,,4‘;;3/‘// . |fh '
G %iR P s AR, sA i /1o
|. s v ; v ooLR i R ~%.«.:J/..-,vv N 5 &; Gh
-o T s cs iAe7 WA s :;_,73-4-?}%*3; R -4_,;,..3'7&;;‘/,,); it A A,v'/l)q(é, "%‘35-9',;/,@:.7 55;;,/ . ;
- evG SR g i % g % ‘r‘_:5;_:44,?_75@",125%‘,“1/” PGs IR 7 !,/,fl;«"!//i;//r, AT 7 .v |
—— c s L s 2 : Ghan sAo 1 i Lol ]
-v. g i oPRG g S !i A TRAoA ie Wi 9: | .y v |
-:.iGg;&LB iR7i ok L /‘57, ioi <e | ‘I I/
5 % : R2IRG 5% A j:‘v':f; _:vz,-,g,;;E-:};;;.;v(,,.Z;,, Ag % i _,;g G i )fls/ i4”ik o ‘o{’ -e ; 8 {ffl, ; l ::; ‘ | : er. s :
X g ; i ,:;,,,, Ag L ; ig.o:6 }.N e ; }”‘4 ‘;2 '? our | ‘ r. i :
g e HSigSJ sSR . : A2£l P| 4 L 0774 7 “"”"I'"'f"l'-?'-’,"i.;::f,:'j-, o 7 -v:. .- : .
; o . v"e(%w, v"’.4.<"<3ls:'E“}g'-’_‘;:\‘,,g-:i;_;g_,;:;;.’Ezv‘v:-_3::;:15;;::_::‘,:\:‘;::‘_:::E (#o R ¥ pBTSL| G- }' :,”9;‘o {’%i% /,f///“,”:/’;, G 7G7 25 s
e i SAs. &Sl e T jg!., G G i i G
pi SR sf% L v":,'Zflé;v-,'g.,.??’?fi:"fi:f‘a'-‘v'v_;s;;g:f: ve 2 ’! - _-::_if"ffi;.;v:j: 22,;44;,, é,‘ .":é'i/( },;%‘Vé”%%(%/ i ‘ i. v vv‘
7i i G B SER BB . 3 "- Ay ‘;’,Ji; ;?f//% W gGk
‘.. i ) ookl gi ol »‘923 %;/yz “’fi / ”rfle, ?’%/ G g
i R iA i &AR (Jf,.s/ oo . v ’/}%’h’?{fl o [ g
S : es3T GWi i "_‘;-v.__.,.:;:;/,.:fl‘-,az:g-,‘,,';;;f;fi,;g;f%@-,_..',;y;";},-;.a» '-’,,.‘1.,:-;1’;-;’;:::5:?_«_::’%;,/-52{,/5,{8 )) o /&% W‘//(
A o fvwx, eg s il Wf {,(7/74@,, %/;;;4/;4"‘4’/ . .
2 . By elaa ioeM ii G
e; i £ i «%}x;fi,*‘m@/ e R ,f,;/,g" %»i’,& T
B 3 : iy gl — i ‘%,,‘; W,,;«»Vf‘f S At o r{&y B
io i ~‘J¢,¢ ""'f":?fj;rizv si R s ":::'_;"::,?g(g%filfifi‘ifi:f:: ';ssvfi';;/:i;‘.5;;;;;5:5’.:::;":,:»;-:;(_'-f',,;_v iG, ’ iARA Te A
otk S ;.::-,._.,f::y;e% ‘-’o*-a; Y GOA 4 ",;;;5:;;;;‘qg-:fzfgs:_;g?g;-g;;j: (,7"’&» e 7 o G
ko LGOI g”
BAN A o aflfixfi”}*’g*f“’< M
E. 8 e L
i
%:’1 b 2
b
DeVaney: How
much did he
know and when?
March 30 - April 5, 1995 VOL. XIV NO. 693
AT ot '
~ Augusta
Metrd A’u‘gusta's Finest Weekly Newspaper
Who will serve in the new
consolidated municipality?
« o
A
C.S. Hamilton:
Leaning toward
running.
B Of the 22 elected
officials in Rich
mond County and
the City of Augusta,
only 11 can hold
office in a consoli
dated government.
By Rhonda Y. Maree
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
Consolidation of Augusta
and Richmond County is al
most certain, but who among
the 21 present elected officials
will vie for the newly created
10 seats is a question most
shrug off.
City Councilwoman Colis
Ivey’s attitude reflects that of
most city council members and
county commissioners.
“I haven’t made a decision
RACEMAYYERS @33 @' @909
Affirmative action debate
indicates change in policy
B White House not
ready to abandon all
race-based remedies
to discrimination.
By Marcy Gordon
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON
(AP) The Clinton administra
tion is defending affirmative
action as a key weapon in the
fight against discrimination,
while indicating it doesn’t con
sider affirmative action to be
always the best remedy.
“Affirmative action is not al
ways right. But neither is it
always wrong,” Deval Patrick,
assistant attorney general for
civil rights, told a House sub
committee hearing Friday.
“Regrettably, discrimination
on the basis of race, ethnicity
and gender persists in this coun
try,” Patrick said. “This admin
Jim Tarver:
Would hate to
drop out.
wi%
P
Melvin Ford:
There is much
to consider
yet, although I know it’s a 99
percent chance that consolida
tion will pass,” she said. “I don’t
want to decide until it’s law.”
Councilman C.S. Hamilton
said, “I'm leaning toward run
ning. There have been reports
that I wasn’t interested. I want
to wait to see how things turn
out.”
Councilman James Tarver,
who said he would “hate to just
drop out of sight,” said he has
not thought much about his
political future.
He has, however, scrutinized
his possible competition. With
fewer districts under consolida
tion, Mr. Tarver is pitted against
Council members Margaret
Armstrong, Lee Beard, J.R.
Hatney, the Rev. Hamilton and
Ms. Ivey, as well as Commis
sioner Willie Mays.
“I'd be running against six
blacks, alot ofthem my friends,”
Mr. Tarver said.
He continued, “I'd probably
be in the run-off, but I'd get
istration is committed tothe goal
of expanding opportunity for all
Americansineducation, employ
ment and the economy general
ly. There will be no retreat from
that commitment.”
The White House is doing a
top-to-bottom review of affirma
tiveaction programs, which were
first instituted during the Nixon
administration to expand pro
fessional or educational oppor
tunities for minorities and wom
en.
The White House review may
recommend some adjustments
but will likely leave the bulk of
the programs in place, adminis
tration officials have said. The
review is designed primarily to
eliminate any instances where
affirmative action has been used
to benefit unqualified people, the
officials said.
Areas being examined include
reverse discrimination, fairness
to non-minorities and whether
unqualified candidates are get
tinggovernment jobsor contracts.
. % s.fi“ 4
Larry Sconyers:
Plans to run.
Margaret
Armstrong:
ready so run
wiped out after that.”
Mr. Tarver considers Mr.
Mays to be the strongest con
tender among these because of
his name recognition.
Councilman Henry Brigham,
whosaid heis considering run
ning, also voiced concern about
stiff competition.
“I'm sure it will be tough,” he
said. “I would have to cam
paign very heavily.”
Commissioner Lee Neel said
he hasreceived numerous calls
from constituents encouraging
him to run. However, he said
he has not thought that far
ahead.
“I'm going to leave my op
tions open,” he said.
Mr. Neel, who would be chal
lenged by Council members
Travers Paine 111, Gerald
Woods, Carolyn Usry, William
Calhoun, and others, said he
would be in a “field of strong
See CONSOLIDATION, page 3
Already the issue is becoming a
theme in the 1996 presidential
race. Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas,
has said that as president he
would issue an executive order
eliminating federal hiring and
contract practices based solely
on race or gender.
Senate Majority Leader Rob
ert Dole, R-Kan., who formerly
supported affirmativeaction, has
become a leading critic. Dole has
said he plans to seek the GOP
presidential nomination.
Referring to the White House
review, Dole said, “If the presi
dent is seeking a magical ‘third
way,’ I suspect he’s going to run
intoa dead end: Whenit comes to
the issue of group preferences,
you areeither for them or against
them. There can be no splitting
the difference, no ‘third way.”
“Equal treatment, not prefer
ential treatment, should be the
standard,” Dole said. “Equal op
portunity, notequal results, must
See ACTION , page 2
|
(93¢
(((S} — (S
Bowers, attorneys
=
ask court to review
‘ # o ’ -
racial intent’ ruling
M State Supreme Court ruling says
that life imprisonment for crack
cocaine second offenses have
disproportionate impact on blacks.
By Dick Pettys
Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA
Attorney General Michael Bowers and all 46 of the state’s
district attorneys asked the Georgia Supreme Court Mon
day toreconsider a ruling that requires prosecutors to prove
they have no racial motives in certain drug cases.
“The decision of this
court will inevitably re
sult in a criminal justice
quota system,” the prose
cutors said in their ap
peal. And, they argued,
the March 17 ruling was
“asubstantial step toward
invalidating Georgia’s
death penalty statute.”
In its ruling, the court
said there was over
whelming evidence that
a law requiring life im
prisonment for a second
conviction of selling crack
cocaine was used almost
exclusively against
blacks.
As a remedy, it said e
prosecutors must show they have no racial intent if they
seek to try a defendant under that law.
The ruling leaves intact the district attorneys’ option of
prosecuting repeat drug defendants under a separate law
that provides jail terms of up to 30 years.
While prosecutors have condemned the ruling, some
defense lawyers and college law professors have offered
praise for the court’s action.
Donald E. Wilkes, a law professor at the University of
Georgia, said last week, “This has nothing whatever to do
with the death penalty — nothing whatever to do with
quotas. It simply reflects the long-established principle that
you can’t have racially discriminatory law enforcement no
matter how fair the law is on its face.”
Wilkes, who once taught law to Bowers, said, “All persons
who believe in justice will applaud this decision. If you
believe in racism — if you are a person who always takes the
side of the prosecution or the police, you won't like it.”
However, Gov. Zell Miller, who has appointed four of the
court’s seven judges, was among the critics.
v
GOP investment, anyone?
Contract could have mixed impact
By David E. Kalish /
AP Business Writer
NEW YORK
If you’re considering an investment play based on the
GOP’s Contract With America, proceed with caution.
The outcome of the Republican proposals to overhaul
government is by no means certain, and could have a
| mixed impact on U.S. stock and bond markets.
~ “As a general observation, it's those firms that are
overly regulated, litigated and taxed” that might do
well, said Thomas D. Gallagher, political analyst for
Lehman Brothers Inc.
_But, he adds: “We’re not recommending any contract
_plays or Republican plays” because of doubts over the
_final look of proposed changes.
| A“Contract” play might seem tempting at first glance.
Republican proposals to curb business regulations and
product lawsuits and cut taxes could give a lift to U.S.
stocks, since lower costs and fewer restrictions boost
. business profits. -
Some specific stock sectors could benefit. Tobacco,
_securities and drug firms, among others, contend they
_aresaddled with onerous regulations and expensive and
needless lawsuits. In addition, changes such as a capital
_gainstaxcutcould aid profits at companies that regular
ly sell assets of increased value, such as those with large
timber holdings, o ,
__“The discounting of a capital gains tax cut is probably
~oneofthereasons that the equity market is doing so well
_and small-cap and low-dividend stocks have been rela
_tively outperforming the stock market since December,”
CS First Boston research analyst Jeffrey Applegate
wrote in his weekly letter. o
. Conversely, the bond market may get hurt by the loss
i See GOP,page 2
US. POSTAGE
PAID
NO. 302
AUGUSTA, GA
TIPS ON
FINANCING
COLLEGE
) EDUCATION.
SEE
LIVINGBETTER,
PAGE 10
“All persons who
believe in justice
will applaud this
decision. If you
believe in racism —
if you are a person
who always takes
the side of the
prosecution or the
police, you won't
like it.”
— Donald E. Wilkes,
UGA Law Professor