Albany City Commission Upholds Systemic Racism with vote to spend Federal COVID relief money on sewer
To The Albany Herald:
The City of Albany is set to receive $20 million in Covid relief money as per the Biden Rescue Plan, Executive Order 13985; $10 million this July, the other $10 million July of 2022. In the Executive Order it directly describes Albany, GA when it refers to areas hardest hit by COVID-19. The order uses words like “systemic racism” and “people of color… who have been historically underserved… and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.” The Albany City Commission voted to misappropriate $10 million of federal money from its intended purpose of COVID-19 relief and swept it into the sewer. Mayor Bo Dorough chuckled as engaged citizens voiced their discontent. Commissioners 2 through 5 and the mayor voted to silence the community from expressing their views on how their own tax dollars should be spent. Instead of demonstrating the care and concern they claim to have for the underserved parts of this city, they showed the depths of their disrespect and entitlement as they voted to reroute $10 million of OUR money to contractors who will not spend that money with local Albanyl businesses. They aren’t going to spend money at 7 Cherries Bakery on Westover Road; they aren’t going to The Clay Spot; they aren’t taking their families to Albany Strikers on W. Broad; and their kids aren’t enrolled in our schools. That money was Albany’s collective stimulus check, and the Albany City Commission just took it.
There’s an Albany, GA that is seldom talked about. In this Albany, all the youth sports and activities are always free to all because they are fully funded. That same Albany is reportedly reversing its rates of household food insecurity because they invested in community-owned urban farms. They’ve also seen sharp declines in the diagnosis rates of preventable diseases such as kidney disease, heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure because their citizens have access to healthy food options. The crime rate here is almost nonexistent. THIS City of Albany took common sense steps to invest in the psychological training of their law enforcement, as well as invest in the necessary tools and resources that help law enforcement better respond to the needs of the community. And along with those free youth activities, there’s no one with the time to commit crime! How can we get to this amazing place?! An opportunity to realize THIS Albany just came across the table of the Albany City Commission. Instead of choosing to fund the above-described Albany, they decided to fund a sewer project that will only serve the Commission’s interest in avoiding EPA fines. We can’t get to this place because we are shackled to poverty by our City Commission.
Background: The EPA has levied a decree that Albany’s decades old sewage system, which is connected to the stormwater runoff system, must be separated. Currently, raw sewage just spills into the Flint River on a daily basis. The EPA says you gotta fix it in 5 years or face fines. We’ll get into the absolute sickening fact that raw sewage has been pouring into the Flint for decades at a later time; because it deserves its own unpacking. But the total project has projected expenditures of well over $100 million. Besides it being unlawful and in complete opposition to the needs of the constituents, the decision to use the COVID Relief funds for infrastructure is further exasperating when faced with the fact that there is more money coming in the next round of Biden Rescue funds that is specifically earmarked for public works and infrastructure. THIS $20 million is supposed to go to the people. A closer look at the City’s budget will show that they’ve collected more than $20 million in stormwater/sewage fees paid on Albanians’ bills since 2014. There’s also a $6 million surplus in their accounts that has sat untouched. In addition, they’ve also already begun exploring various loans to cover the costs of the sewage undertaking. There’s no reason to gobble up this tiny morsel of sustenance from the people. That’s blind greed and blatant disregard for the suffering people of this city.
The Albany we hear about is a bleak and destitute place; wrought with chronic poverty, chronic disease, and plagued with gnats on a Biblical scale. Youth sports aren’t funded here and grocery stores have vanished into thin air, leaving a large swath of people without healthy food options and the youth without healthy activities to engage in. This Albany is writhing in pain from decades of molestation. The people of Albany are childlike in their innocence of thought in regards to the wealth that visits this place on a regular basis. The few leaders that hold office take advantage of that innocence and put their hands in the most inappropriate places. It’s uncomfortable to talk about and much easier to just direct our attention elsewhere. But we need discomfort so that we can change our position. There must be an immediate and intentional action on the part of the people to hold these so-called leaders accountable. After we express how wrong what they’re doing is, we must take action in the form of calling, emailing, showing up, asking questions, filing public records requests, and yes, even voting them out. The City Commissioners’ emails and phone numbers are listed on the City of Albany website: https://albanyga.gov
Adam Inyang
