Council Investigates Mayor's Wreck
The Douglasville City Council voted unanimously to investigate an accident Mayor Harvey Persons had with his city-owned vehicle on Valentine's Day.
The Douglasville City Council voted, during Monday night's meeting, to unanimously investigate an accident Mayor Harvey Persons had with his city-owned vehicle on Valentine's Day.
Persons was driving his 2013 Chevy Tahoe when he struck a light pole in a parking lot at about 4 p.m., causing $10,132.66 worth of damage, according to the accident report, the Douglas County Sentinel said. The vehicle's front quarter panel and left tire were damaged. The accident happened near Park’s Cleaners on Fairburn Rd.
"I want to make a motion to start an investigation into the accident that involved the car; how it was reported; if any laws were broken or regulations of the City, let it fall where it may," Council Member Carl Pope said. "If rules were broken, it should be reported to the District Attorney. If it was an ethics violation, let it go to the ethics board. And if there was nothing wrong, it will be forever put to rest that nothing was done wrong."
Douglasville resident Gary Warner questioned the need for the Mayor to have a new car at a City Council meeting in January. He said, in part, "I disagree with what was stated in the committee that you needed a new automobile and the reasons behind it.
"To have a four-year-old vehicle with only 48,000 miles on it, in my opinion, is not a good enough reason to spend $15,000 and the trade-in value of the current vehicle, to get a new car for you to use."
Persons said he did not want to comment on the matter because there is now an on-going investigation.
In This article
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O'Neal Plaza
8434 Price Ave, Douglasville, GA -
Park's Cleaners
2135 Fairburn Rd Ste A, Douglasville, GA
Rick Acree
2:03 am on Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Let's get to the bottom of this and get a real danger (Persons) off the streets. This is a public safety matter after all.
Chiggerbug
12:12 pm on Tuesday, May 22, 2012
I think that Mayor Persons is the real public safety concern. I go by that parking lot everyday and with the lack of businesses in that center, the parking lot is never full. How the hell do you hit the pole in an empty parking lot that is about 10 acres? Wow, is about all I can say. Thanks goodness it was in a parking lot and a light pole and not on the street where he could have caused some real damage or cost someone their life. Wonder if we can get his old car back from the dealership, especially if he is just going to use them as demolition derby practice vehicles.
Virginia D
9:20 am on Tuesday, May 22, 2012
I find this ironic that the mayor gets a new toy and then crashes it, and then nobody cares enough to investigate until he veto's the Sunday sales/extended pouring hours vote.
Just Me
9:35 am on Tuesday, May 22, 2012
TIt for tat...
Suzanne Caricari
10:15 am on Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Should have been investigated from the beginning! However, I do find it funny he vetoed the Sunday Sales... Well Mr Mayor seems like the county is going to send you a message!
Douglasville frustration
11:44 am on Tuesday, May 22, 2012
From what I understand, a check was written in the amount of $10,000 to cover the deductible for this accident. Who signed that check? The city manager is not authorized to write checks in that amount.
Melaine
1:17 pm on Tuesday, May 22, 2012
I have several questions about the entire car issue. Why is the Douglasville budget taking a $10K hit for a single vehicle accident? In this era of very tight budgets, why is there money for an exclusive use brand new vehicle? Why does any elected non-first responder need a taxpayer provided vehicle? Is there a car pool to check one out for official business? Who pays for the gas and maintenance? Is it only used for official business or 24/7 use? I realize that in government budgets that a new vehicle is only a teaspoon but it does not take long for those teaspoons to add up.
D'ville Citizen
10:41 pm on Tuesday, May 22, 2012
yup, I have a few thoughts that come to mind... why, oh why, can't Persons front the expense that he incurred on the car? If the city was good enough to pay for it, Persons can pay for the damage or go back to driving his old car. And, wouldn't it be ironic if alcohol had something to do with this accident in a big empty parking lot... what with Persons anti-libation stance in the city. I understand that celebrities and officials tend to get preferential treatment, but what's right is right... and in this case, what's wrong is wrong. A full investigation should have been done... as full of an investigation that any accident would have had.
Silence Dogood
11:19 pm on Tuesday, May 22, 2012
go check out the accident site. The evidence of the mayor doing donuts in the parking lot adjacent to the Bonz Sports Grill remains. Clear to see he lost control and hit a pole.
Lisa Poole
4:29 pm on Thursday, May 24, 2012
I am glad the council is investigating. It's pretty difficult to hit a pole in a parking lot - in a City Vehicle one should take more care. If he isn't capable of driving such a large vehicle properly, maybe a Kia Rio or something along those lines would be more appropriate for him. What kind of city business goes on at the dry cleaners anyway?