Augusta charter review member says he was removed from committee without due process

Robert France, a member of the Augusta City Charter Review Committee for District 4, told the committee on Nov. 13 that he learned that morning he had been removed from a subcommittee without notice and replaced by another person. "Where is my due process?" France asked, saying he received no resignation notice, was not contacted, and that his CRC email account had been disconnected.

France said the committee was formed by resolution to work under the Carl Vinson Institute of Government and "independent of the commission," and that the committee bylaws specify a procedure for removing someone and filling a vacancy. He said he had attended meetings, completed assigned work and that, two weeks earlier, the same dais had seated him and another member to the subcommittee. "I'm being ambushed," he said, adding that the incident felt like a public humiliation.

France asked the chair to take the matter before the full commission so commissioners could "weigh in" and consider whether an individual who was sworn in as commissioner had the authority to send the removal letter. He also said his CRC email account had been disconnected and requested restoration so he could access committee materials.

Chair acknowledged France's request and said the committee would continue with roll call and the scheduled agenda; France asked explicitly that the issue be placed before the commission for its consideration.

The transcript records the allegation and France's request for a formal review; the committee did not take a formal vote on his complaint during the Nov. 13 meeting. The chair thanked France for speaking and proceeded to business; France's statement remains on the record and he urged the chair to refer the matter to the commission.