Former Eatonton Mayor John Reid announces state House bid

John Reid, a former Eatonton mayor and City Council member, said he will run for the state House this year.

"I'm running because I bring a lot of years of experience in local government," said Reid, a Democrat.

Reid, 60-year-old insurance agent, was first elected to the City Council in 1992. After 11 years, he moved to the mayor's office, where he served 12 years. He's also a past president of the Georgia Municipal Association and is a former chairman of the governing council of the Middle Georgia Regional Commission.

Reid is running in House District 145, which covers part of Putnam County and all of Baldwin County.

"Local government gives you, in my opinion, gives you an insider advantage when you're at the Capitol," Reid said. He said the Capitol often looks after Atlanta but has a "disconnect" from other communities.

With the loss of major employers in the Baldwin-Putnam area in the past couple of years, including the closure of Plant Branch, he said the community is in a bit of a "recovery" mode.

"Anybody you're going to talk to is pretty much going to tell you economic development is the top priority, trying to create jobs in our community," he said.

Qualifying for the primary officially begins March 7. The primary vote is on May 24. The general election is on Nov. 8.

The race so far is set to include incumbent state Rep. Rusty Kidd, I-Milledgeville, and Democrat Floyd Griffin Jr., who has served as Milledgeville mayor and as a state senator.

To contact writer Maggie Lee, e-mail mlee@macon.com.

This story was originally published February 9, 2016 at 11:45 AM with the headline "Former Eatonton Mayor John Reid announces state House bid ."