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Macon Mayor
"Farewell"
Mayor C. Jack Ellis
17 November 07, as Macon welcomes Oprah Winfrey, at the same time, the city is gearing up to bid farewell to its Mayor. Of planned events, tonight A Farewell Gala Celebration in honor of Mayor C. Jack Ellis will be held, commemorating eight years of success.
Mayor Ellis, the 40th mayor, was sworn into office December 14, 1999, becoming its first African-American Mayor in the 176-year history of the city of Macon. He leaves office on December 11, 2007, after two four-year terms.
Mayor Ellis is a member of the United States Conference of Mayors where he serves on the Economic Development and Smart Growth committees; he was elected co-chairman of the U. S. Conference of Mayor’s Advisory Board to Amtrak; and he is a member of the National Conference of Black Mayors. He is a member of the Governor’s Greenspace Commission and was one of the speakers at the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, CA. GA Trend Magazine named Ellis one of the 100 most influential men in the State of Georgia.
Since taking office, Mayor Ellis has applied for and received over $33 million dollars in grants to assist the youth in job training, mentoring, tutoring, after school programs, and other crime reduction programs such as midnight basketball, boxing, and other athletic programs. These programs were implemented through collaborated efforts with the Faith Community, Communities in School, 100 Black Men of Middle Georgia, the Booker T. Washington Center, and other community-based organizations.
Using Federal and State grants, he purchased the historic Terminal Station for $2 million. With the assistance of non-profit partners, he built over forty affordable houses marketed to first time homebuyers, which were constructed in targeted areas of South Macon, Tindall Heights, and West Macon. With a $20 million Hope VI grant managed by the Macon Housing Authority, he is presently, constructing hundreds of affordable and market-rate houses in the Beall’s Hill area. Mayor Ellis hired a chief of police who has reduced the over all crime rate by some seven percent over the past two years. He acquired the old Durrs Lake property in the Bellevue Community for the purpose of developing and building a State of the Art Recreation Center for the youth, senior citizens, and families. He purchased the historic Ft. Hawkins building in the Ft. Hill Community. He joined forces with the school system in building a new community center at L. H. Williams School.
He assisted homeowners in repairing over 2,300 houses; he dedicated two new parks, one in the Unionville Community and one in the Village Green Housing Development in the Bloomfield Community. At no cost to the homeowners, he repaired over (12) miles of sidewalk. The recycling program has increased over fifty percent bringing the city near the national average of forty percent.
He established a senior citizen advisory council and created a diversity committee. Collaborating with Newtown Macon, he developed the Development Ocmulgee Heritage Greenway. He embarked upon a $5.5 million dollar renovation project at the Middle Georgia Regional Airport and has begun talks with Delta and other major airlines to interest them in direct jet service to the Northeast, Mid-West, Southwest, and other parts of the country.
He improved the use of technology throughout city government as well as made computers available to all citizens by establishing a main Computer Cyber Center in downtown Macon and made Computers Available to youth in most recreation centers. Mayor Ellis’ efforts were recognized by Technology Magazine as one of the top cities in America with a program to close the Digital Divide. Macon’s web site was recognized as one of the best in the nation. The Fire Department was recognized By International City Management Association (ICMA) for its innovative efforts to prevent fires and save lives. He was successful in replacing the hockey and baseball teams.
The farewell celebration will be held at the Macon Centreplex Ballroom starting at 7 p.m. Guest will be served dinner while being entertained with live music provided by Mark Brooker and The Sole Proprietors.
Proceeds from this event will go toward The Ellis Youth Foundation, a charity for improving the lives of children.
