Robert J. France appointed to Richmond County Charter Review Committee

Robert J. France was appointed to the Richmond County Charter Review Committee after Commissioner Tanya Barnhill Turnley submitted his name at her swearing-in ceremony. The nomination was announced from the dais and France took the oath for the Charter Review Committee at the same event.

“As my first official act, I would like to… submit his name, and he's been accepted. Robert J. France is my replacement for the Charter Review Committee,” Turnley said after her oath. The oath for France was administered by Rev. Judge Ashanti Lily Pounds, after which France repeated the standard oath to support the constitutions of the United States and the State of Georgia and acknowledged being an employee and a recipient of public funds.

France spoke briefly after his oath and framed the appointment as service. He said he had long experience in government: “As being a federal employee and a [retiree] for military for over 45 years in federal government, I believe we all have something to give.” He said he would bring his experience to committee work and expressed readiness to “give my very best to this community, Augusta Richmond County, to move this city forward as a part of this charter review committee.”

The transcript records the nomination and oath-taking but does not show a formal vote or ordinance creating the appointment on the record. The appointment was presented and accepted at the ceremony; next steps for the Charter Review Committee (meeting schedule, scope, deliverables) were not specified in the recorded remarks.