A ceremony marking the renaming of the Bibb County Courthouse is slated for 3 p.m. Monday. Bibb County commissioners will gather outside of 601 Mulberry St. to name the building after the late State Court Judge J. Taylor Phillips.

Commissioners voted in February 2012 to name the building after Phillips, who had been a judge since 1964. He retired from full-time service in 1998 and died last June at age 90.

Georgia’s power list

In case you haven’t seen it, Georgia Trend’s January issue serves up its roster of 2013’s “100 Most Influential Georgians,” and in terms of sheer numbers, let’s just say that Middle Georgia has had a better showing.

Atlanta and Atlanta-area power brokers dominate the list, of course, but four midstate residents did crack the 100: Bruce Drennan of Cordele, executive director of the Cordele-Crisp County Industrial Development Council; Chuck Leavell of Twiggs County, described as a musician, tree farmer, conservationist author and entrepreneur; Willie Paulk of Dublin, president of the Dublin-Laurens County Chamber of Commerce and executive director of the Laurens-Treutlen Joint Development Authority; and Bill Underwood of Macon, president of Mercer University.

Gone -- at least for now -- are the days when much of Georgia’s political influence, particularly under the Gold Dome, came from the midstate, at least according to Georgia Trend magazine.

Coming together

The full task force that’s working to consolidate Macon and Bibb County has scheduled its first meeting of the year. This is the last full year that the governments of Macon, Bibb County and Payne City will exist.

The task force is scheduled to meet at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. The task force’s human resources committee has scheduled a meeting for 1 p.m. Thursday, followed by a 3:30 p.m. laws committee meeting. All meetings will be held in the offices of the Middle Georgia Regional Commission, 175 Emery Highway, Macon.

State Bar honors Cranford

Attorney Mike Cranford of Macon, a former City Council member, will be among the recipients of the 14th annual Justice Robert Benham Awards for Community Service, scheduled to be presented Feb. 26 at the State Bar of Georgia in Atlanta.

Since 1998, the awards have been presented to honor lawyers and judges in Georgia who have made significant contributions to their communities beyond their legal or official work.

Addleton tapped for state board

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal has named David F. Addleton of Macon to the state’s Consumer Advisory Board. Addleton is owner of Addleton Ltd. Co., and he previously served as the chief litigator in the Atlanta office of the USAW Legal Services Plan. He received a law degree from John Marshall Law School in Chicago and a master’s degree from Western Kentucky University.

Scratching post

Public Policy Polling of Raleigh, N.C., recently asked important questions such as “What do you have a higher opinion of: Congress or lice?” (The answers: 19 percent Congress, 67 percent lice, 15 percent not sure.)

Traditionally, people love their congressman but dislike Congress as a whole. There’s no word yet on any sponsors for a similar but local poll as Macon City Council enters its final year of existence.

Election board meeting

The Macon-Bibb County Board of Elections is holding its monthly board meeting, which is open to the public, at 4 p.m. Jan. 17, according to the elections board. The meeting will be at the board of elections office, 2445 Pio Nono Ave.

Lucas reception

There will be a public reception Sunday for David Lucas, D-Macon, as he gets set to take the state Senate’s District 26 seat.

“Please come and congratulate David as he prepares to represent us once again in Atlanta,” wrote his wife, Macon Councilwoman Elaine Lucas, in an e-mail invitation.

David Lucas served 37 years in the state House, until he resigned in 2011 to rival former Macon City Council President Miriam Paris for the Senate seat vacated by the late Sen. Robert Brown. Brown had stepped down to run unsuccessfully for mayor of Macon.

Lucas lost that special election but came back to defeat Paris in a runoff rematch last August, and then easily beat Irwinton Republican Bobby Gale in November.

The reception for David Lucas will be from 2-4 p.m. at Steward Chapel AME Church, 887 Forsyth St. in Macon. Guests are asked to RSVP at 257-6767.

Writers Oby Brown, Jim Gaines and Mike Stucka contributed to this report.