The Jimmy Davis Park Partnership Advisory Council held a scheduled meeting last Wednesday evening at the downtown Eatonton but county-owned and operated facility at 125 Hogan Boulevard, led by appointed advisory council Chairperson Janie Reid, who is also an elected City of Eatonton councilmember.
With just over 20 citizens in the audience (and two Eatonton Police Department officers on hand), the event marked the advisory council’s best-attended meeting by far since its creation just over a year ago. Previous District 2 County Commissioner Daniel Brown named Reid to its leadership position.
Brown was defeated, however, by current Commissioner Richard Garrett in last November’s general election, and Garrett is now seeking to name his own appointee to lead the JDP Advisory Council.
The public comments portion of the meeting, which took place early on, featured familiar faces at the podium, including Jennifer Ray, cofounder of the Facebook-based Putnam County Taxpayer Watchdog group. She suggested installing a plaque, photo, or even a mural to honor Jimmy Davis, who made local history in 1982 as one of the county’s first two Black commissioners, at his namesake park.
Next, Karen Garrett, the commissioner's wife, advocated for a less formal meeting approach. She suggested the park needs more activities planned. She said she would like to be able to participate more as the meeting progressed, rather than being limited to a formal, three-minute window during the prescribed comments period.
Finally, local resident Don Sadler complained that Reid consistently refers to the JDP Advisory Council as a “board” instead of a committee. He also claimed Reid maintains a policy of allowing no public comments.
“The other thing I find very interesting is they have no obligation to respond to any citizen or taxpayer that asks a question or to comment,” Sadler said. “That tells you how badly this committee — not a board — is being run.”
A relatively routine meeting followed, during which the Chairperson, Reid, nominated board member Kilee Reid to serve as the advisory council’s secretary, responsible for recording meeting minutes. Kilee Reid accepted the nomination, and the board unanimously approved it.
The meeting was then largely dominated by a 35-minute discussion of a “Stuff the Bus” initiative suggested by Chairperson Reid to provide donated school supplies to needy or less fortunate Putnam County students before school resumes in August.
Details remain to be worked out.
The meat of the meeting, what the gallery came to witness, began about 47 minutes into a park advisory council meeting that turned out to be mere seconds short of 90 minutes long.
The second half of the marathon was dominated by Reid and Richard Garrett sparring over the way minutes had been recorded from a previous JDP Advisory Council meeting. Specifically, Reid took exception to Garrett’s suggestion that if the minutes were not updated with reference to a discussion they had over public comments during a previous meeting, that he would alter himself.
“Well, all right, let’s talk about that,” Garrett responded. “So, the reason I wanted the minutes changed is because there was a big gap in the minutes. There was no reference to the discussion we had about public comments at that meeting. It was completely absent, and I didn’t see the value in waiting.”
Essentially, it came down to a debate over intention and legal duties.
Reid maintained that, as a county entity, the JDP Partnership Advisory Council should adhere to the same rules of public engagement as the county commission does.
Garrett, however, said that level of formality is not required by law, citing a discussion he had with county attorney Adam Nelson.
“It’s entirely a matter for the council to agree upon,” he maintained. “There’s no obligation.”
Reid countered that she was directed by the commissioners from the start to conduct park council meetings under the same constraints as all official county meetings.
“I am absolutely in favor of public comments to the degree that we have outlined in the bylaws,” she insisted. “Any person can come in, speak for three minutes, and if I or anybody else chooses to answer them, then answer.
“But my comments will be in writing,” Reid added. “Any response from me will be in writing.”
Several members of the audience spoke up out of turn at this point, a response that quickly turned into an indecipherable hubbub. The police officers present positioned themselves between the crowd and tables where the council sat, though no threats of force were required.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this meeting is adjourned,” Reid said. “Thank you.”