Former Augusta mayor wants investigation of current mayor

A former mayor of Augusta wants a civil investigation into how the current mayor is spending money.

Former Mayor Bob Young told local news outlets Tuesday he had sent a letter to Superior Court Judge Daniel Craig urging that he empanel a special grand jury to investigate Mayor Hardie Davis.

“Records are being withheld or their release stonewalled, unchecked spending has occurred in violation of county policies and a state investigation is under way concerning the use of public resources for political purposes,” Young wrote to Judge Craig.

The grand jury would not bring criminal charges, but Young said it could forward evidence of any crime to law enforcement.

Davis, who has nine months left in office and is barred from seeking a third term, could be sanctioned by the state ethics commission for failing to file campaign finance reports in 2019 and 2020 even as he collected more than $10,000 in contributions. In a divorce filing last week, his wife accused him of having an affair with a consultant paid by the mayor’s office, which Davis denied. He’s had his credit card spending curbed by the city-county commission.

A minority of Augusta commissioners have called for forensic audits of the mayor’s office or the entire city-county government, but lack enough votes to proceed. Young said a special grand jury could have a similar effect.

Young discussed the call in a speech before a civic club. He said an investigation could take more than year, but said it’s important for citizens of Augusta-Richmond County to know what happened, even if Davis leaves office before an inquiry concludes.

“It’s a disservice to past and future mayors to allow the office to be demeaned and tarnished,” Young told WJBF-TV.
Davis said in a statement that Young “is now a private citizen, and, as such, he is free to offer his opinion.” An accounting firm is already examining Davis’ use of city credit cards.

“This issue continues to be discussed by the city’s elected leaders,” Davis said in a statement. “I believe that it would not be wise for the court to insert itself into this discussion and may only lead to a further loss of confidence in our judiciary.”

Craig told the Augusta Chronicle it would be inappropriate for him to comment.

When Young was mayor 20 years ago, he called for a special grand jury to investigate an Augusta fire chief. A jury was empaneled, with Craig then serving as district attorney. Grand jurors found the chief violated city policy and awarded unfair promotions, but no criminal charges resulted.