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Sconyers to lead
merged government
By Rhonda Y. Maree
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
Richmond County Commissioner Larry E.
Sconyers, once denounced by the black commu
nity for sabotaging a minority business ordi
nance, defeated Augusta City Councilman C.S.
Hamilton nearly 3 to 1 at the polls Tuesday for
the top seat on the new government.
According to poll figures, black voters helped
Mr. Sconyers significantly in his capturing of
22,614 votes (73 percent). The Rev. Hamilton,
T mmmmms | Who is black, won only
| 7,797 votes (25 per-
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' ¥ mayor-chairman were
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£ A s L A l ers, 295; Claude White,
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¢4 B W Thc Rev. Hamilton,
e e who has served on city
Gl iel council for 14 years, has
attributed his loss to a delayed campaign start
and poor voter turnout. Only 37 percent —
31,956 of 86,019 — of registered voters cast
-ballots.
Asked if he recognized the black community
as a factor in his landslide win, 54-year-old Mr.
Sconyers said, “Absolutely. We picked up a lot
*of support. We've got a lot of friends in that
;community.”
. Mr. Sconyers said former Augusta Mayor Ed
‘Mclntyre, whose campaign against the Rev.
‘Hamilton generated criticism, was largely re
‘sponsible for the black community’s open arms.
“This is a free country, and he (Mr. Mclntyre)
can support who he wants to,” Mr. Sconyers
‘said. “I’'m just glad he supported me. I'm sure
‘he made a difference in getting support for me
because he’s got a tremendous following.”
: See MAYOR, page 3
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JUBILANT: Richmond County Commissioners Willie Mays and Freddie Lee Handy
enjoy election night results. Mays gained the Super District 9 seat and Handy won
the District 2 seat. Photo by Jimmy Carter
Eacially balanced council
lected for new government
By Frederick J. Benjumin
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
Richmond County Commis
sioner Larry Sconyers became
the first mayor-chairman-elect
of the new consolidated gov
ernment on Tuesday by aland
slide margin over city council
man Dr. C.S. Hamilton.
While the Sconyers victory
was not a great surprise,
Rabin legacy honored
B Local Jewish
leaders struggle
with the questions
of identity and soul
in the wake of the
Rabin assassination.
By Rhonda Jones
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
In Augusta, the death of
Israeli Prime Minister
Yitzhak Rabin was mourned
Monday night with a special
service at the Adas Yeshurun
Synagogue on Johns Road.
Its congregation, and that of
the Congregation Children of
Israel, listened in silence to
the Synagogue’s Rabbi Gary
Atkins bid them welcome,
amid the symbols of their
faith.
Many-colored yarmulkes
rested atop the heads of the
men: one ponytailed gentle
man wore one decorated with
the stars and stripes, possi
bly to show patriotism as well
asrespect for the conventions
of his religion. The Star of
Your local newspaper sponsored by your local grocer.
whether or not the new govern
ment would be racially balanced
was less certain. The planned
5-5 black-white balance on the
new governing panel held true,
however, ensuring that the
merger of the two governments
did not impact negatively on
‘black orwhite voting strength.
‘That was the chief concern of
the anti-consolidation forces.
. Another significant result
‘was the strong showing by
Alberta “Jack” Anderson who
was elected to fill the unexpired
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RABBI GARY ATKINS welcomes mourners to The Adas
.
Yeshurun Synagogue Monday night.
Photo by Jimmy Carter
David adorned the podiums,
and two menorahs burned.
Well-planned, well-placed,
unambiguous.
But now Judaism has an
other symbol, unplanned and
poignant. When future stu
dents of history read about
the tragedy that has unfolded
in the Jewish global commu
nity, perhaps they will won
derifthe part about the blood
ied song of peace was an em-
term of Superior Court Judge
Bettieanne Childers Hart in
House District 116. Prema
ture projections that Joanne
Dixon had won that race had
conservative Republicans
beaming. Ms. Anderson, who
is black, ran strongly in Rich
mond County, however and
won the day convincingly with
over 64 percent of the vote.
Mr. Sconyers has vowed to
NEW GOVERNMENT, page 3
bellishment, a too-perfect de
tail later added by a historian
with aliterary bent. But those
of us watching from the pea
nut gallery, who saw the piece
of paper on the evening news,
still glistening with the Is
raelileader’s blood, know that
the symbol, and the irony, is
real. |
Synagogue - President
Norman Shapiro read Psalm
42, a song of sadness. “... My
MR. 808 HENNEBERGER ‘
GEORGIA NEWSPAPER e —
UNIVERSITY OF GA s U.S. POSTAGE
ATHENS GA 30602 12/31/9 Ng/us%z
AUGUSTA, GA
SLAIN
How did the crack Israeli
Secret Service let their man
get taken out?
Story on pagelß
Amphitheater to
be named after
Jessye Norman
City council and
Mayor DeVaney
decide on a fitting
tribute to the
world-class opera
diva.
By Rhonda Y. Maree
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
When Augusta native
Jessye Norman returns
home in the spring, it will
be to a gala celebration of
her stellar career as a
world famous operatic so
prano.
Augusta Mayor Charles
A.DeVaney and city coun
cil members passed a res
olution Monday to name
the Riverwalk amphithe
ater and Ninth Street pla
zain honor of Ms. Norman.
A 1963 graduate of Lucy
C. Laney High School who
grew up on Forest Street
near Wrightsboro Road,
Ms. Norman has achieved
international acclaim by
gracing the stages of ma
jor opera houses around
the world.
Members of the Augus
ta Opera Association, led
by third vice president
Ellis M. Johnson, initiat
ed efforts to have a city
landmark in Ms. Norman’s
honor.
“Because of her national
and international accom
plishments as asinger and
a humanitarian, and be
cause she is a native of
tears have been my meat day
and night...” heread, fitting the
verses to the occasion. “I will
say unto God my rock, Why hast
thou forgotten me? why go I
mourning because of the oppres
sion of the enemy?” Yet his
choice of material suggests that
Minister Rabin’s assassination
has not quenched their hope for
peace for their Israeli sisters
and brothers: “Why art thou
cast down, O my soul? and why
art thou disquieted within me?
hope thou in God: for I shall yet
praise him, who is the health of
my countenance, and my God.”
Dr. Diane Solursh, president
of Congregation Children of Is
rael, read Psalm 49, a declara
tion of inner strength: “Hear
this, all ye people; give ear, all
ye inhabitants of the world ...
My mouth shall speak of wis
dom; and the meditation of my
heart shall be of understand
ing.” The psalm goes on to speak
of man’s transient nature, as
opposed to the everlasting na
ture of God and that of God’s
people.
Dr. Michael Rivner, president
of the Augusta Jewish Federa
tion, read an article by New
York Post writer Thomas
Friedman, which spoke of yet
another irony. The peace-lov
ingleader had considered it “im
practical” tobe overly concerned
about weapons in the crowd.
Mr. Friedman’s article was
about Jewish polarization, and
the dangers of extremism. The
far right pose a danger, he said,
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Opera diva Jessye
Norman will return in
the spring for ceremony.
Augusta, it is only proper
to honor her by naming
something for her,” Mr.
Johnson said.
Mr. Johnson and others
on the special projects com
mittee weren’t sure at first
what that something was;
perhaps a street or a build
ing.
But Mr. DeVaney offered
them the ideal spot.
“There’s no other facility
in Augusta comparable to
her style of performing,”
said Mr. Johnson, noting
that the civic center isn’t a
performing arts building.
The amphitheater, onthe
other hand, has become the
home for shows and con
certs, outdoor summer
movies, family outings, arts
festivals and a host of oth
er performing arts enter
tainmenton the city’s grow
ing cultural corridor.
Expecting to make Ms.
Norman’s hometown visit
a memorable one, Mr.
Johnson said the occasion
See NORMAN, page 3
because of their need to force
others to their point of view,
and are willing to do anything
to accomplish that end, even
kill their own. The far left are
dangerous because they reject
their heritage and would let
Jewish tradition die. But the
majority of Jews, he said, are
somewhere in the middle,
“struggling with the questions
of identity and soul.”.
Rabbi Jordan Parr, of the
Congregation Children of Is
rael, also spoke of the dangers
of extremism. He said that
Minister Rabin’s murder car
ries implications for America
as well as for Israel. “When
such a desecration occurs ... it
behooves us to come together.
Shalom, the virtues and bless
ings of peace, is what we all
want.”
He went on to acknowledge
acertain appropriatenessthat
the individuals in the Jewish
community disagree on how to
go about achieving this peace.
“But,” he said, “to disagree on
the end is ... a sin before God.
“Remember it,” he said of
the blood-soaked paper, “but
moreimportant, remember the
song.”
In uniform, Lt. Col. Yitchak
Peretz, of Israel Defense Forc
es, spoke softly of his country
asit was under Minister Rabin,
and the executive director of
Augusta JCC/Federation,
Michael Pousman, read “one
See RABIN, page 5