Danny Glover, former Bibb County Democratic Party chairman and unsuccessful 2011 candidate for Macon City Council, announced Monday afternoon that he’s running for the District 3 seat on the new consolidated Macon-Bibb County commission.

That will pit him against Macon City Councilwoman Elaine Lucas for the district which encompasses east Macon and much of eastern and southern Bibb County. Lucas announced her candidacy last week.

About three dozen supporters were in front of City Hall on Monday to back Glover, including former mayoral candidate Paul Bronson, former Bibb County Sheriff candidate Bill Lucas, “Morning Roast” co-host Irving Martinez, former state Sen. Miriam Paris, former school board candidate Brenda Sutton and local activist Al Tillman.

Retired Southwest High School principal Gail Fowler introduced Glover, a 2006 graduate.

“I can tell you that Danny Glover is a young man experienced in getting things done,” she said. Glover was a galvanizing leader from his arrival at Southwest, and feels a responsibility for public service, Fowler said. It’s time for a new generation of leaders in Macon-Bibb County, she said as Glover descended City Hall steps to the microphone.

Glover stressed his deep roots in east Macon, going back to his grandfather Willie “Smokie” Glover, who lived on Maynard Street. He grew up in the area himself, he said, and returned to Macon after graduating from Tennessee State University with a bachelor’s degree in political science.

Glover delivered a fast-paced, impassioned speech calling for “transformation” and the renewal of east Macon. He didn’t give specifics, and afterwards wouldn’t answer policy questions.

Over the coming month, Glover said, he will listen to area residents and business owners to learn what they want from the new consolidated government.

One question he’ll likely face is whether he meets the residency requirement. In his unsuccessful 2011 campaign for a Macon City Council seat, Glover said he lived on Knott Street, in what will be the new government’s District 8.

On Monday, Glover said he’s lived on Gray Highway, within District 3, “for a minute now.”

The city-county consolidation bill says that among other qualifications, a candidate for the new commission must meet eligibility standards for the Georgia House of Representatives. That standard says representatives “shall have been legal residents of the territory embraced within the district from which elected for at least one year.”

Glover said Monday that he is nevertheless eligible, and would be even if he moved into the district immediately before the deadline to qualify for office.

Soon after his return from college, Glover ran in the Democratic primary for City Council against incumbent Tom Ellington. In that campaign, Glover said he wanted to coordinate community leaders to work on education and crime reduction; call for volunteer cleanup days on city streets; and fine “slumlords” to fund wider code enforcement.

He lost the primary election, but in January 2012 ran unopposed to become the new Bibb County Democratic Party chairman after a period of party infighting over city and state offices. Glover stepped down four months later, citing resistance from party’s old guard, particularly over his support for consolidation.

Information from Telegraph archives was used in this report. To contact writer Jim Gaines, call 744-4489.