With the first full meeting of the Fayette County Commission Thursday night, it was out with the old and in with the new.
Republicans Charles Oddo and David Barlow teamed up with newly elected Democrat Pota Coston to strip Chairman Steve Brown of the gavel he has been wielding for two years and voted in a new slate.
By a 3-to-2 vote Thursday night, Charles Oddo is now chairman and Pota Coston is vice-chair. Brown retains his district seat as one of five commissioners, but loses his base of power, which includes his representation of the county at the powerful regional governing body, the Atlanta Regional Commission. Oddo now becomes that delegate to the power brokers in the metro area.
Brown complained bitterly. “It was a surreal moment watching Commissioner Barlow who bashes ‘the blacks’ in front of his colleagues saying they are all obese, lacking concern over human life and killing their babies, all on government assistance with no work ethic in addition to his comments that Democrat women, in particular, are all ugly and Democrats, in general, are all demon-possessed and evil and then watch a new African-American Democrat female join forces with him on the creation of new officers, not something you would have expected to see after so much hullabaloo over creating a minority voting district and protecting civil rights,” Brown said in an email Friday morning.
“I have never much like politics, but I can honestly say that it never ceases to amaze and bewilder the onlookers. Life moves on and we must move along with it,” Brown said.
Coston, a Democrat and the first African American ever elected to the commission after a federal court ruling created a new majority black district, allied with Barlow and Oddo to accomplish the power switch.
Commissioner Randy Ognio voted for Brown to retain his chairmanship, as did Brown.
The change comes a year after a struggle one year ago matched Brown against Oddo and Barlow. Oddo complained Brown was “too controversial” and objected to Brown writing letters to the editor, posting blogs and making public statements that seemed to imply Brown spoke for the entire board.
Oddo and Barlow lacked the swing vote last year. But with Brown ally Allen McCarty gone — defeated by Coston in November in the redrawn district — a new alliance across party lines brought an end to Brown’s chairmanship.
