Monday, March 24, 2025–9:00 p;m.
-David Crowder, WRGA News-
It appears as though the Rome City Commission will remain a nine-member board for the foreseeable future.
During a city commission planning retreat in January, Rome City Attorney Andy Davis discussed what steps would need to be taken should the commission be reduced from nine to seven or even five members.
Some of the commissioners, like Bill Collins, seemed surprised at the discussion regarding a possible change.
The matter came up again during Monday’s city commission caucus.
“I am proud of our mayor because whatever he does, he does it for the interest of this here city,” Collins said during the commission’s regular meeting. “After getting input from the attorneys and some of the other colleagues, he made the determination, and he made if rightfully so because he can make that call, he’s no longer interested in pursuing that situation.”
Mayor Craig McDaniel also commented on the sometimes heated discussion, calling Collins a friend of 55 years.
“We agree on more than we disagree on,” McDaniel said. “We can go at it like two old tomcats, but there is a lot of respect there.”
City Commissioner Jamie Doss said he believes it is up to each and every commissioner to explore ideas that could make Rome a stronger and better city.
“I think we concluded that maybe we do have a lot of commissioners, but everyone has an equal seat,” Doss added. “If we make a change, that equality could be interrupted. I appreciate each and every one of the commissioners always exploring new ideas.”
The commission has been a nine-member board since 1929.
The current system has been in place since 1981 with three commissioners elected in each of the three wards.
