Augusta Mayor Copenhaver Ready for Masters & Tiger, Equipped With Wisdom

Every April, Augusta, Georgia's Washington Road becomes Main St. for the annual golf celebration that is the Masters.  With Tiger Woods set to return to professional golf at the tournament he has conquered four times, Augusta mayor Deke Copenhaver sounds nonplussed about the potential havoc Woods' return could wreak on his city.

"I'm not sure what to expect, but even if Tiger had not played, no ticket [to the Masters] would have gone unused."

Copenhaver describes his city of 200,000 - and it is, he grew up there - as not going crazy with the news about a certain player participating in the town invitational as part of a streak that began in 1995.  Just the same as the citizens of Augusta are not giving the prodigal son treatment to Tiger's re-emergence, the Mayor says that nothing will be different in the partnership that the city has with Augusta National Golf Club.

"We work in partnership with the course.  We make sure that the traffic gets through our town.  Nothing is really different for us.  We are ready to handle it."

Mayor Copenhaver acknowledges that there will be a certain influx of interested reporters that the Augusta tournament typically does not attract.

"We usually have sports media for the tournament," Copenhaver said.  He added, "This year, we will have entertainment media, too."

Copenhaver, though, embraces the influx.  "We welcome all visitors, but they need to act respectfully."

Though the entertainment media may flock to Augusta for very focused reasons, Copenhaver sees the extra attention as an opportunity for the city.  Georgia's second largest city has received glowing praise from Forbes Magazine as the 5th ranked city in bang for the buck - the magazine's phrasing.  As though it were ready in time for what may well be record eyes on the tournament, the city of Augusta is increasing the number of ways that curiosity seekers can get into town through the skies.

Augusta has experienced significant economic growth, but it is clear that Tiger will certainly supplement the attention that the city gets during its annual close up.

"Statistically, with Tiger in the tournament - he is a big draw.  Sure, it has a positive economic impact."

Copenhaver will try to take advantage of the Masters to market the city of Augusta as much more than home to a golf tournament.  The city hosted a massive Ironman competition with some 2000 lunatics embracing an endeavor surely the opposite of the one contested for a green jacket.  The International Mountain Biking Association comes to town on the heels of the Masters.

Despite that, the mayor is grateful to live in the hometown of the Masters.  "We are extremely blessed to have the tournament every year.  I have never been disappointed by it."

Fortunate that his town is not in a tizzy about Tiger's return that is truly a tradition for the city, Deke Copenhaver was a bit of a prodigal son to Augusta.  Now four and a half years into his term as mayor, Copenhaver left Augusta to get involved in banking and real estate in nearby South Carolina after college.  He returned to the city when some friends of his formed a land trust in the area, working on that for four years. 

In his return to his town, Copenhaver became disgusted with the culture of rampant political corruption.  He vowed to run for the next office vacated.  That office just happened to be mayor, when Deke's friend left to take a position as the Southeast Regional Director for the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  Copenhaver won an election to complete that vacated term, and was re-elected to a full term in 2006.

Copenhaver says, "I certainly didn't want a political career.  I do it for the love of the city.  I haven't let it chaned what I do.  I still go to the Y[MCA] each day, work out, and speak with the guys in the sauna." 

(Apparently the guys in the sauna room are quite the group of oracles.  According to Copenhaver, they have not made their Masters picks, though.  Unfortunately, no gambling tips to pass along.)

Though Copenhaver says his daily life is not drastically different in this role, his golf game has suffered.  The mayor gets to play three times per year, though he says, "I llok forward to when I can be back on the course."

The experience of running a city of the size of Augusta, though, has imparted some very applicable lessons on how to handle crises.

When things go wrong, Copenhaver says that the best thing to do is, "Be honest and address it early on.  React [to what has happened] and make the best decisions." 

The mayor's example is not related to Tiger.  Hardly.  It was the passing and burial of music legend James Brown - a good friend of Copenhaver.  Despite that, it was hard not to draw the clear parallel to the 800 pound jungle animal coming into the room.

Perhaps the more apprpro lesson, though, is that of the silent majority.  The Nixon ideology that gave him strength during political crisis is one that Copenhaver has embarced - albeit not by name.

"I keep at the forefront of my mind that I serve over 200,000 people.  I may get twenty to thirty angry calls per day.  So that means that I have 199,000 happy customers each day."