Macon-Bibb commission candidates preach outreach

The two candidates in the Macon-Bibb County Commission’s District 5 race say they will fight to improve a district where blight remains a serious problem.

On May 24, incumbent Commissioner Bert Bivins and retired Macon-Bibb firefighter Leroy Jarrell will find out who will serve the west Macon district that extends toward Interstate 75.

Jarrell said there has not been enough progress made in repairing some of the communities in their district. He said his time being involved with community outreach organizations such as Motivating Youth and Unity-N-Community has given him insight into some of the issues residents face, especially crime and blight. “I feel like I can make a difference with youth and young black men growing up in the inner city,” said Jarrell, who is vying for his first political office. “I want to let them know there is hope, and you can reach for the sky, and you can achieve your goals.”

Bivins said one of his missions is to ensure that poor people are not left behind. That’s why it’s important to spend money on blight and to make sure that when cuts are made to the budget they don’t impact programs aimed at helping the disadvantaged, he said. “There’s no guarantee that you’ll keep things from happening, but you can do the best you can,” he said.

Bivins is a proponent of spending more money on blight, potentially $40 million, in the next round of the special purpose local option sales tax. Jarrell also said he’d like to see additional money used to restore neighborhoods and possibly provide incentives for people willing to rehabilitate homes.

“I want to be able to revive our neighborhoods and restore some of the houses and have more of our people become homeowners,” Jarrell said.

While the candidates are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to political experience, both say their past has prepared them to lead their districts.

Bivins said he’s been able to build key relationships through his experience in government. Since 1995, he has served as a county commissioner, first in Bibb County and now in the consolidated Macon-Bibb County government. He’s also been involved with various boards such as the Macon Water Authority, Macon-Bibb County Health Department and the Middle Georgia Regional Commission.

Bivins said he’s also pushing for Macon-Bibb government — from the County Commission to the school board and Sheriff’s Office — to collaborate more on ways to improve the education system, including having more parental involvement through high school. Many neighborhoods remain in disrepair because of a hopelessness and despair, he said.

“I believe our dropout rates, our crime, our test scores are all tied to that,” he said.

For Jarrell, spending 25 years as firefighter has groomed him to become a commissioner, he said. He wants to bring groups such as churches and gangs together to help solve problems. He cited helping found the Macon Middle Georgia Social Dance Society as an example of a group that crosses economic and racial lines. “I want to be a leader that holds all other leaders accountable, and I want for everyone in the whole county to hold myself accountable,” Jarrell said.

Bivins said he wants to continue the cooperation among commissioners that’s occurred since city-county consolidation in 2014. “I’d like to be a part of continuing to put together the kind of government that would serve all people in the future,” he said.

This story was originally published May 3, 2016 at 4:41 PM with the headline "Macon-Bibb commission candidates preach outreach."