Thursday, January 30, 2025–11:50 a.m.
-David Crowder, WRGA News-
Since 1929, there have been nine seats on the Rome City Commission, but some feel that may be too many.
During the first day of a Rome City Commission planning retreat on Thursday, Rome City Attorney Andy Davis told commissioners that he has been asked about the possibility of reducing the number of seats to seven or maybe even five. According to Davis, any change in the makeup of the commission would have to be done by amending the city charter.
“We would have to come up with a resolution—do local legislation,” he said. “In order for you to change anything about the voting process, it would go down to the state legislature for the local legislative delegation to vote and do that.”
The current system has been in place since 1981 with three commissioners elected in each of the three wards. If the body is reduced to seven commissioners, for example, there could be two elected from each ward and one elected at-large. If reduced to five members, one could be elected from each ward and two elected at-large.
“One of the things that gets lost when you hear about district voting and all of that, in Rome, all nine of you represent the whole city,” Davis told the commissioners. “You don’t represent just your ward. While you may run because you live in that ward–that was designed so that we have geographical representation of people in the different communities.”
Davis suggested that if there is a change, the city needs to keep plurality voting because if they try to go to majority voting, it could create a problem in which the city could end up in litigation. Since he has been with the city, Davis said there have been two challenges to Rome’s voting process. Both of those challenges would not exist today due to changes in the Voting Rights Act.
“Before, when all this happened, everything had to go and be approved by the U.S. Department of Justice–if there was any change in voting or any change in the election process,” he added. “Once the Supreme Court decided that section of the Voting Rights Act didn’t apply, we no longer have to go to the DOJ.”
Some of the commission seemed surprised at the discussion regarding a possible change.
“I got to this retreat, and I hear this, and it’s never been discussed with me,” said Commissioner Bill Collins.
Commissioner Wayne Robinson noted that Rome is one of the few municipalities in the state that has nine commissioners.
“Most of them have five or seven,” he said.
“I didn’t know we were following the leader, I thought we were the leadership,” replied Commissioner Elaina Beeman.
According to Mayor Craig McDaniel, the issue is something that the commission could discuss further to see if there is a consensus.
“If the county commission can operate with five, we don’t need nine,” he added.
In 1915, Rome changed to a city manager form of government with five commissioners. Before that, there was a mayor and ten commissioners. In 1919, it was expanded to seven commissioners with one representing each of the seven wards. In 1929, the 8th and 9th wards were added, expanding the commission to its current nine seats. In 1969, the nine wards were reduced to three with three posts in each ward. That was the system until 1981 when the change was made to the current system in place today.
