Special Election for Macon County (GA) Sheriff March 18. Richard Martin is the Choice

In March, voters will have the chance to select the next leader of the Macon County Sheriff's Department for a four-year term. From my personal perspective, the choice is clear: my friend Richard Martin is the ideal candidate for the position. This decision transcends party affiliations or personal preferences; it is about identifying a leader who can bring solutions to the challenges facing the Department. The Sheriff's Office is a complex entity, but his 30 years of experience make him uniquely qualified in my opinion to address its issues. He has compassion and a proven track record of accomplishments.

His experience working with the Houston County and Peach County Sheriff's Departments, as well as his state-certified credentials, demonstrate his experience. Richard's background is impressive, with work in the Governor's Office of Highway Safety and the Georgia Department of Corrections.

He is a multifaceted individual with a wide range of skills. His commitment to the Sheriff's Department includes returning to the basics, prioritizing essential issues, and ensuring community safety. It is time for the county to move forward and put the recent drama behind them. To hear and see how this entire drama has made my native county look is embarrassing. Richard Martin has the leadership necessary for Macon County's progress.

I encourage voters. ALL VOTERS to look beyond the distractions and elect a true leader. It is essential to approach this decision with seriousness and select a candidate who can elevate the Macon County Sheriff's Department to its full potential.

Turn the lights off on you way out!

When any small rural county, less than 10,000 population, and more especially less than 5,000 population, start seeing a drop in its city and county population, it also tends to loose a very large majority of total county tax base dollars. Normally those tax base dollars are tied to the industry within any county. Population and Tax base seem to always be tied together. These tax dollars are what keeps vital services operational inside any city or county. Critical vital services at the top of that list for rural counties which are directly tied to the county tax base, are the county healthcare, the local hospital and often including the local rest home, and the public school system. This tax base for any county is very important for a rural county’s survival.

Why? More often than not, when you see people moving out of a small community, its not because they want to, they are more or less forced to because of the lack of jobs. A County has to sustain a good job base to keep residents. It must maintain and sustain Industry. More often than not, Industry is the largest job base and tax base within the county. And its very important for any county to remember the rules of economics applied. You have to have industry come first, not retail. If you create industry first, retail stores will always follow. Industry will not follow retail. 


The one single source regarding loss of population for rural cities and counties is "jobs", or lack of jobs and industry. When a county starts loosing jobs, that normally means that the jobs, businesses that were once there, have abandoned the community, leaving a void of both jobs and the tax base which they once where supporting or paying to the local authorities to keep vital services in place. First you see small stores board up the storefronts. Usually mom & pop, local owner stores and services. Next you see the local healthcare system(s) suffer and needing new additional county tax dollars to stay open, or loose their local hospital, or doctor. And last be not least is your public school system. 

When most local citizens finally start to notice and pay attention to the problem at hand, just now realizing what is happening, "what I call connect the dots", is when their local school goes from 11-man football down to a 6-man football team. Then most local citizens finally notice all to well, the slow and steady decline that has been going on for years but has just now registered on them. Where did all our students go? What happened to all our local owned stores? Why is our local tax rate rising higher and higher each year? Why is our town, community, and public schools loosing all our young people?

For most Georgia counties such as Macon, Hancock, Telfair, Randolph, Dooly, Taylor, Clay, Calhoun County, the loss of population is the greatest in the age range from 24 to 42 years of age. That's why most rural community public schools all across Georgia are getting smaller and smaller each year in student population. Because these are the age ranges of the younger population, couples with children, needing full-time jobs and a good paycheck. Without the industry your county will lose jobs. As each job goes, normally that means the industry left first, then the job followed.

So not only did the county loose it's younger population it also just lost the industry or tax base that helped support most vital services inside the county. Which also lead to the family moving, which in turn had a house, paid taxes on it, a family that bought local goods and supplies, etc........so the county now is having a domino effect with the repeat of loss in jobs, tax base, loss of tax on the business, loss on the family home when the couple moved, loss of health care, loss of students, and loss of many other community wide issues. Now that same tax base loss has to be made up from the fewer local citizens remaining within the community or county, either through higher taxes, higher property valuations, or both.

Typically what a declining county does gain, is now most of its citizens left behind are over 62 years of age. Communities of retired individuals and couples. Many rural counties show a higher countywide age range than that. With a county population only taking a rise in older citizens, one could only ask yourself this? If the average citizen is over 60 years of age, and there are no new jobs to support our city/county which will retain or bring in younger residents, where will our county be in 10 years, or 15 years from now? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out, if you as a county citizen, or county leader, set there and do nothing to help find new jobs and bring industry into your community now, in 10-20 more years, your town and community will be a ghost town. With no changes in regard to gaining new industry, you may end up being the last one left. As the old saying goes, "Turn the lights off on you way out!"

Macon County: Change on the Horizon?

Rarely I dive into local elections in my home county, but I am now....July 31 could shape up to be a  memorable for Macon County. Incumbent Charles Cannon, (Sheriff) Incumbent Mack McCarty (Probate Judge) are facing strong challenges in Matthew Woodard & Coroner Mickey Barfield (Sheriff) & Scotty Layfield & Dennis Johnson (Probate Judge). Also there's a open  seat  for county coroner Gary Hobbs & Brenda Oglesby as well as County Commisison 2 seat Mark Poole & Ben Haugabook & Commission 3 seat Mickey George (Incumbent) & Jerry Harris. In addition there's the open HD 139 seat (which I will get to later this week). All are democrats. No republicans are on the ballot.

Im not going to make any predictions on any of these races, but I will say this..there is a 60% chance one of these incumbents will not be re-elected & one or two will go to a runoff...... that's the farthest I'll go with it. I know each of the canddiates who are running for these countywide seats, except for Coroner. All are good people who will serve the county well.

I hear all the time that change needs to come to Macon County, well let's see if that's the case. Stay tuned!

Montezuma, Georgia: A City on the Decline

Rarely I don't dwell on local politics here in my home county (Macon), but this time, I am. Montezuma, Ga once a thriving city is now only a shell of itself. It doesn't help that its also located in the second poorest county in the State, with Hancock (1) & Randolph (3). Macon is ranked 89th out of the 100 poorest counties in the United States 100 counties with the lowest per capita income.

Macon County is one of the poorest counties in Georgia. According to data collected in 2000 by the U.S. Census bureau, 22% of families and 25.8% of individuals in Macon County live below poverty levels

As you ride downtown Montezuma, you see buildings that was once booming with business are now sitting vacant & deteriorating & there seems to be no progress on the horizon anytime soon.

Job losses due to closing of the former Integrated Composites Technology (ICT), Riley's Manufacturing & the uncertain future of Allen's Inc ought to have many citizens of Montezuma worried.

But the biggest problem is within the city government where strife between the mayor & city council at times look like a episode of Jerry Springer, with the name calling, shouting, drowning out the opinion of others. There have been protest concerning the direction of the city to charges of nepotism & cronyism, which is in someways true!

Current Mayor Willie James Larry (D) is up for re-election this year, along with councilmen Norman Carter (D) (who was appointed to fill the term of late councilman Cordel Jackson), Charles Ivey (D) & James R. Trask (D).

Larry who was elected back in 2000 became the first African-American Mayor of the City has been subject to controversy concerning his tenure as mayor of the troubled city. No word on whether he will run for re-election, but one thinks that it time for mayor to step aside. When there is friction between the council & mayor, you know its time for a change.

Now I admit, I know a few of the councilmen who are currently serving over there, but hey you know me, I call it like I see it & time for the people of Montezuma, MTZ to make their voices heard & elect new leadership to get Montezuma back on its perch once again.

New councilmen Bobby Lewis & Carl Peaster have tried to shake things up since being elected in a almost sweep back in 2009 when the ticket of Lewis, Peaster & Riley (Tarschea Fudge-Riley) almost made it 3 for 3, with Riley losing by a razor thin margin. Some citizens like the things they are doing, while others say they are going too far & going over the edge when criticizing the mayor.

Now the question is will another anti-incumbent wave hit the city of Montezuma? Time will tell, depending who's running against who.

You can go to meetings & say this & that, but if you want change, its going to have to happen at the ballot box this November.

But in order to do that, someone will have to rise to the occasion to do what's necessary. You can't let fear rule the day!

Local Races: Macon County BOE & Commissioner Races

I rarely talk about happenings in Macon County, but I am now. There are contested races for the Macon County School Board.

In District 1: Wayne Fowler (I), Roger Ann Davis

In District 2 (Open Seat): Wayne Bellew, Rose English Marshall (No Photo)

In District 4 (Open Seat): Gary Hobbs, Gail Spikes










Macon County County Commission Races


District 1: Gordon Sutton (I), Larry Wallace

District 5: Roosevelt James (I), Brother of State Rep. Lynmore James (D-Montezuma), Bob Melvin, Roy Yoder



This is who I'd vote for come July 20

School Board, District 2: Wayne Bellew

School Board, District 4 : Gary Hobbs

School Board, District 1: Wayne Fowler

County Commission District 1: Larry Wallace

County Commission District 5: Bob Melvin

Now there is a strong possibilty that all of these these races will end up in a runoff, so stay tuned.

Now I admit, I have't paid much attention to these races, but Hobbs, Melvin, Wallace, Bellew all will bring some new blood, a new voice to their perspective races, which is desperately needed to help turn the page & to build a better future for our children & grandchildren