Maybe one visit to the White House to see the president was enough.
As an attendee at last year’s U.S. Conference of Mayors gathering in Washington, D.C., Macon Mayor Robert Reichert was among the first mayors to meet President Obama and hear about the federal stimulus program firsthand. This year, he was too busy advocating for the city.
He left Tuesday for the conference and, at the time, his Thursday schedule was open. So the mayor scheduled meetings with U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall and Sens. Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss.
Only afterward did he learn that a delegation of mayors — Reichert among them — was invited to visit Obama. Reichert chose to keep his previous appointments instead, lobbying for more federal stimulus money for the city.
City spokesman Andrew Blascovich estimated that Macon already has been awarded more than $16 million in federal stimulus money. But he noted that the vast majority of it comes to the city as a “pass through” to outside agencies and authorities.
“In terms of direct funding, we haven’t received much, if any,” he said.
High on the mayor’s list of priorities for federal help: money to solve Macon’s storm-water drainage problems. Some of the city’s existing drain system is made of brick and dates to the late 1800s. Other portions are pipe installed in the 1970s with a life span of about 30 years. Both problems are compounded by the fact that no entity has set aside money to update the system.
A special purpose local option sales tax initiative provided some money, but Macon Water Authority Executive Director Tony Rojas, whose agency manages the storm-water projects, said it isn’t enough.
“It’s the most neglected infrastructure the city has,” he said. “The money the city got from this last SPLOST, it’s like snap your fingers and it’s gone.”
Marshall said Thursday’s conversation was wide-ranging and included “a number of initiatives.” Transportation was a common theme, he said.
The two men discussed a plan for the Fall Line Freeway that would connect the Sardis Church Road interchange to Interstate 16 between ancient Creek Indian land and Brown’s Mount. Reichert also pushed to expand the Macon airport to lure freight traffic away from Atlanta.
They also discussed consolidation, a process that Marshall, a former mayor of Macon, is familiar with after forming the Unification Commission.
“Any local leader who manages to work with others to put the city and county governments together deserves accolades,” he said.
The mayor is scheduled to return from Washington today but will stay in Atlanta through Monday for the Georgia Municipal Association Mayor’s Day Conference.
To reach writer Chris Horne, call 744-4494
