Piedmont City Manager Apologizes After 'Pothole Purge Day' Plan Receives Backlash

Those who drive through Piedmont know a drive through town is a bumpy road.

City officials say they have come up with a solution to bring people together and fix the problem. 

The city’s manager Josh Williams said they planned to teach volunteers how to patch potholes. However, he found out this idea didn’t drive home the goal he wanted to accomplish. 

Piedmont’s roads carry their own predictable rhythm. Potholes are the kryptonite of cars and the enemy of the people. "It can sometimes feel overwhelming,” Williams said. "The phones have been ringing off the hook today.” 

Williams listens to residents and comes up with ideas to fix them. “The city has done a lot of projects in the last couple of years,” Williams said. 

The city sent out a potential solution on Facebook called, “Piedmont Pothole Purge Day.” 

Williams called it a chance for volunteers to learn how to patch potholes and embrace community service. “They would be trained,” Williams said. “We thought that that was a good idea.” 

People sang their chorus of disproval on social media. Several people reacted to the news and accused the city of placing their work on residents. "That took a wrong turn real fast,” Williams said. "Had the messaging been a little bit clearer, it would not have gotten the responses that it did.” 

Williams said he never meant to offend people but rather to drive people together. “We apologize if you felt that way,” he said.  

Williams acknowledged some suggestions lead to a dead end and that solutions take time. He said he knows the journey toward mending any conundrum comes with a few bumps in the road.  "We’ll look for opportunities in the future to get our community together,” Williams said. 

Williams said he’ll likely go back to the drawing board after the backlash to this idea. However, he said he has a great team and he's confident they will find a better plan.



Budgetary constraints limit Williams and his department’s ability to fix every road. Williams said grant money helps bridge that gap.