Dougherty County Commission discussion of GCAPS issue grows testy

ALBANY — Some often terse and testy comments were exchanged by members of the Dougherty County Commission Monday morning as the board continued its discussion of an incident involving District 2 Commissioner John Hayes and Assistant County Administrator Mike McCoy during an April 30 Georgia Civics Awareness Program for Students field trip in Savannah.

Commission Chairman Chris Cohilas said he initiated the discussion to determine what action, if any, might be taken in response to an incident in which Hayes has been accused of “physical and verbal abuse” of McCoy, a county employee. The assistant county administrator has filed a formal complaint against Hayes, saying that the 11-year commissioner, among other things, “made several remarks and I asked him if he was threatening me. He immediately sprinted toward me with his fist balled up and again violated my personal space. He cursed me, put his finger in my face and pressed it against my nose and advised me he would ‘(expletive) me up.’”

“I’ve spent a lot of time dealing with this issue we’re dancing around,” Cohilas said Monday. “The fact is, we could get sued. We’ve all seen the report claiming physical and verbal abuse, racial epithets and threats. And with a program that deals with children.

“I’m raising this issue (in an open meeting) in hopes that we can finish it. Frankly, I think people hate politicians because they don’t talk about hard things. This is a hard thing. We’re facing a possible lawsuit, and I think how we deal with this issue is going to define us as a commission.”

District 3 Commissioner Clinton Johnson, in a pointed reference to Cohilas, said there was not enough “mutual respect” around the commission table to have the discussion in such a public forum.

“I would think that you, as the commission’s gatekeeper, would open the gate to a genuine discussion in an executive session because there is not enough mutual respect around this table to have this discussion (in an open meeting),” Johnson said.

When Cohilas said that he would like to “respond respectfully” to Johnson’s comments, the District 3 commissioner said, “Hmmm,” drawing a reproachful response from the chairman.

“I gave you the respect to listen to your comments,” Cohilas said. As he continued with details of his discussion of the incident with County Attorney Spencer Lee, Hayes momentarily walked out of the meeting room into the commission’s adjoining anteroom. He returned a short while later.

“Let’s just make a decision and moved on with it,” Johnson said after Cohilas indicated an investigation that could lead to censure of Hayes was a possibility.

District IV Commissioner Ewell Lyle said he wanted to hear Hayes’ side of the story.

“I’ve read every word in this report, as I’m sure we all have,” Lyle said of a package that included McCoy’s formal complaint filed against Hayes and a Savannah Chatham Metro Police officer’s report on McCoy’s complaint he made shortly after the incident, which occurred in a Savannah hotel. “What I haven’t heard, though, is Commissioner’s Hayes side of this.

“Before I’m asked to make any kind of decision, I’d like to hear from Commissioner Hayes.”

Lee interrupted at that point, saying Hayes was being put in a “disadvantageous position.”

“Commissioner Hayes has legal counsel, and I’m sure his counsel has told him not to discuss this issue without (counsel) being present,” Lee said.

Hayes did finally speak before the commission adjourned to go into executive session.

“I think I’ve given this community 11 years of pretty exemplary service,” he said. “This GCAPS program that I helped establish, that’s one of those things I don’t think bureaucracy should have any part of. This has been a successful program, and I think we have to be careful not to let these children become pawns in this discussion.

“I’ve been on this commission almost 11 years, and I think I’ve done a pretty good job. A lot of the progressive things we’ve done, I’ve had a hand in. As you consider your personal adjudication in this matter, I would call these things into question if I were interested in a fair disposition of all of this.”

District I Commissioner Lamar Hudgins indicated that he would like to see an investigation into the matter, although he never formally asked for one.

“These allegations are very serious,” the commission’s longest-serving member said. “I didn’t go to Savannah (for an Association County Commissioners of Georgia meeting that was also held in Savannah over the same weekend), but when I got a call about this situation, it made my stomach roll.

“I’d like to see us do something, but what can we actually do? You (Cohilas) mentioned an investigation, but can we do that? As I understand it, there’s nothing in our policy that addresses an employee-commissioner situation like this.”

District 5 Commissioner Harry James, as he’d done at the commission’s last meeting, said the commission’s Public Affairs Committee — which he heads — should determine the future structure of the GCAPS program. He made a motion to that effect, but Lee pointed out that all committee assignments are made by the chairman. James withdrew the motion.

District 6’s Anthony Jones suggested the board look beyond the Hayes-McCoy issue.

“Whatever’s going to happen in this situation is going to happen,” Jones said. “We can’t stop any legal ramifications. What I’d like to see us do is put in place something to address this kind of issue if it comes up again.”