Although a seven-member committee is now in place to monitor spending of $190 million in special purpose local option sales tax funds in Macon and Bibb County, several Macon City Council members are unhappy about how the city’s three representatives on that body were chosen.

Councilwoman Nancy White said she expected that a list of nominees would be openly discussed and voted on. Yet despite recent “histrionics” about the need for the council’s nominees to advisory boards to personally appear with a résumé, that didn’t happen in this case, she said.

“It’s tantamount to a secret election,” White said.

But Councilwoman Elaine Lucas, who successfully recommended her own husband for the committee, angrily dismissed any dissent, claiming that “nobody else thought that it was going to be brought back for a vote.”

“We need to move on. People need to get over it,” she said. “I don’t see anybody asking a single question about the four (representatives on the SPLOST oversight committee) from the county.”

Council President James Timley, who submitted the city’s choices based on a tally of nominations from council members, did not respond to numerous calls seeking comment for this story.

Before the Nov. 8 SPLOST referendum, city and county officials promised to name an oversight committee to keep watch on project spending over the next six years. That description changed post-election to an “advisory committee” with no formal power.

On Nov. 17, Bibb County Commission Chairman Sam Hart sent a letter to Mayor Robert Reichert asking for three nominees. Reichert passed the request on to the council in early December. Council President Timley asked all council members to give him “three or more” choices within two days. The resolution stipulated that the nominees could not currently hold office and must live within city limits.

Several council members said, then and later, that the list of nominees should be discussed before a final decision. But Timley sent the top three names on to Bibb County without further debate: former Mayor C. Jack Ellis, former state Rep. David Lucas and road activist Lindsay “Doc” Holliday.

When county commissioners got the results, several appeared to be dismayed by the council’s choices. Commissioners themselves chose Dan Slagle, who led the pro-SPLOST Macon Bibb Wins effort; Monica Smith, who leads the Macon-Bibb Convention and Visitor Bureau; former Macon Councilman Theron Ussery and restaurant entrepreneur Bruce Freeman. Slagle is the committee’s chairman.

Hart openly nominated those choices, and after having two weeks to consider the nominees, commissioners approved them.

City Attorney Martha Welsh said that since there’s no legal mandate that a SPLOST advisory committee exist at all, there aren’t any set rules for forming one.

“Typically, the mayor appoints and council confirms,” she said via e-mail. “But in this case, the mayor chose not to appoint anyone. Instead, he wanted the council to make the choice.

Councilwoman Lauren Benedict said she fully expected more discussion, especially to include at least one female on the committee.

“I don’t think submitting three names is voting. That’s the problem,” she said. “It seems to me that it was not handled in an appropriate manner.”

Other council members such as Lonnie Miley and Virgil Watkins, however, said they never expected Timley to bring a list back for a council vote.

Since there were three clear winners, it would have been a “second action” to vote again, Watkins said.

There were 18 nominees overall, but not all council members turned in the same number of nominations. According to the tally sheet, Councilman Henry Ficklin made eight nominations -- including council president, president pro tempore and chairman of the Appropriations Committee, despite the instructions not to name any current officeholders. Ficklin just listed the titles, since those positions had yet to be voted on when the new council was seated in mid-December. Timley and Councilman Larry Schlesinger returned as council president and pro tem, respectively; while Councilman Tom Ellington became new Appropriations chairman.

Jaime Kaplan, who left the council shortly after nominations were made, sent in six names including her own and Mike Cranford’s, who also left office. Cranford submitted just two names, his own and Kaplan’s.

Timley and Miley each turned in four recorded nominations, according to the tally sheet. Benedict, Watkins, and Council members Charles Jones and Elaine Lucas nominated three each. White and Councilman Rick Hutto nominated two, while Councilmen Ed DeFore and Frank Tompkins nominated one each. Ellington and Schlesinger are not recorded as having turned in any nominations.

Despite having been present for the resolution that specified sitting officials couldn’t serve on the committee -- Ficklin cast the only vote against it -- he said recently he wasn’t aware current council members were not acceptable nominees.

He said he made his eight nominations expecting the choice would be handled the way council standing committee assignments were made in previous years, and how he thinks those assignments should have been made this time.

“I think Mr. Timley is doing things the fairest way,” Ficklin said. “He let every member of council make their nominations and then he decided who got the most votes.”

Schlesinger and White said they intended to nominate Kaplan verbally, and both expected further discussion. If their mentions of her had counted, Kaplan would have gotten more votes than Ellis or Holliday.

Ellington said he thinks he did submit nominations, but that the issue is not worth arguing over now. If such a committee is formed again, however, the process should be made clearer, he said.

“I think the confusion was regrettable, but the committee’s in place now and we’re going to work with them,” he said.

To contact writer Jim Gaines, call 744-4489.