Senator Hardie Davis’s magic number for himself is eight. He’s spent eight years in the Georgia Legislature, first in the House of Representatives and then in the Senate. He plans to spend eight years in the Augusta mayoral seat. “Everything I do is with the number eight in mind. Eight is the number of new beginnings,” explains Senator Davis.

The next eight years begins with his official inauguration as mayor on January 5, 2015. But it is not the number eight that defines what he hopes to accomplish during his term. His number for Augusta is one. “We’ve got to package, promote and present the vision of One Augusta,” a citizenry with common pride for their city led by a government that works for the good of all. Instead of letting outsiders define who and what Augusta is, Senator Davis believes Augusta needs to communicate who and what it desires to be. He plans for the message to be one message for One Augusta.

Having served on the Economic Development Senate Committee, as well as several others, and in both chambers of the Georgia Legislature, Senator Davis has formed relationships with fellow lawmakers that will enable him to advance the cause of Augusta. “I’ve built strong alliances with members of both parties,” he says.

Along with leveraging the bridges built while serving in Atlanta, he also wants to leverage local resources. As mayor, he plans to get business people involved with the schools. Area students will be more motivated to make Augusta their lifelong homes if they know the kinds of career opportunities available locally. Senator Davis would also like to capitalize on the Savannah River frontage. It holds endless possibilities for retail, industrial and housing development.

Senator Davis says, “I want Augusta to be the number one place in the state to do business. We must share our story about why Augusta is the right place to invest, not a good place but the right place.” He believes that the diversity of opportunities in the Richmond County School System, from the specialized magnet schools of Davidson and A.R. Johnson to the International Baccalaureate program at Richmond Academy to the military science track at Cross Creek High School, is attractive to businesses looking to locate in Augusta. Being home to Georgia’s flagship medical university, as well as a thriving collection of healthcare providers, gives Augusta clout. Proximity to the Savannah River Site, Fort Gordon and Plant Vogtle is a tremendous asset.

Economic development, however, believes Senator Davis, is more complicated than “selling” Augusta to potential investors. It also requires rapport with the entrepreneurs and corporations that currently call Augusta home. He explains, “We do a lot of discussion around recruitment of new industry, but we need to increase discussion with existing industry. There’s got to be incentive for existing industry to grow and expand.”

At the same time, he’s willing to listen to input from the average community member. To that end, in the next 20 days he and his staff will roll out The One Augusta Transition initiative in which he will invite citizens from all backgrounds to participate. “People elected me with 75 percent of the vote. I want them to own this over the next four to eight years,” says Senator Davis.

Broad community input from The One Augusta Transition effort will be used to help establish goals. Committees of 10-12 people each will examine eight key areas: Arts, culture and entertainment; economic growth and development; education; transportation; military and veterans affairs; public health; public safety; and intergovernmental relationships. Committees will be asked to provide a report outlining Augusta’s strengths and weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in each area. Lists of short term, mid-range and long term goals will be generated.

“We’re the home of James Brown,” says Senator Davis. “It’s time for Augusta to get on up on the good foot.” He laughs. Nonetheless, he’s sincere. He’s earnest about attracting state, national and international attention, not just for a film debut or a major sporting event, though he sees those as positives for Augusta, too, but for every month of every year. On a more serious note, he states, “In the role of mayor, I’ll be focused on crafting good policy and creating a culture for businesses to grow and thrive and for families to live, work and play.”