Legislative Delegation Fails To Name New Augusta Coliseum Authority Chairperson

Augusta, GA—The seat stays empty….as Augusta’s state lawmakers fail to name the top seat on the new Augusta Coliseum Authority.

The legislative delegation met Tuesday morning to appoint the chairperson of the new James Brown Arena board.

The one nomination was Mtesa Wright, a local attorney who serves on the Richmond County Board of Elections, and is a vice president of the local Democratic party.

But, Wright was the wrong choice for some legislators, as she failed to get the needed votes.

Her supporters could not understand why she wasn’t selected.

State Representative Wayne Howard, (D) Augusta: “She has not shown any sign of not having the qualities that it takes to work, and move forward for this city, as a whole, or not. Partisianship is not the issue on this Coliseum Authority.“

George Eskola, reporting: “The public that is watching this wanted this board changed. For the delegation to not move forward, today…what message does that send? Is it going to make your job harder to bring public confidence and credibility to this board?“

State Rep. Howard: “No, I think we’ll come back and, real soon, and we’ll get it done.“

Last week, Augusta Commissioners got it done, naming its six new appointments to the Coliseum Authority. The new board is scheduled to take over at the Entertainment Complex on June 1st.