Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1340266
until I was elected president of the school board. Then I got to do the food bank, Chamber of Commerce and NewTown. I knew about the community as a volunteer, but through those board appointments I learned about networking and finance and how things work behind the scenes. I met new people and made contacts for the school board. If I hadn't been on the school board, I probably would never have been asked to be on anything. PUBLIC SAFETY JG: MACON-BIBB ENDED 2020 WITH AN ALARMING MURDER RATE OF 51. PEOPLE ARE SCARED AND WEARY OF DEPUTY SHORTAGES. YOU CAMPAIGNED ON PUBLIC SAFETY. HOW WILL YOU ADDRESS CRIME? MAYOR: You'll see me very involved. I want to get the sheriff's immediate help without raising taxes. Law enforcement saw salary increases on Jan. 15 from the previous administration and we will fund the pay scale and incentive pay. We do have more applicants now because of salary increases, and once deputies see real changes I think those who were considering leaving will stay and return if they've left. We need another approach to decreasing crime because what we're doing isn't working. We can't have a 16-year-old get killed and not do something. We didn't pull the trigger or sell the guns or drugs, but regardless of the circumstances, we failed that child and the person who killed him. I don't want to see deputies sitting behind a desk or standing around the jail. My goal is fewer people in corrections and more in the streets on patrol. We'll build a training center and strengthen community policing. I told the sheriff I want him to accelerate hiring and work with the civil service board to speed the process. Financially we can't hire 150 deputies, but we can rehire retired officers part-time. It may mean fast tracking people straight out of the military and reducing the time deputies work in the jail. There's no need for us to pay $55 a day per inmate in the jail and pay for their mental health and other ailments when we can establish a program called Justice Works to reduce the number of non- violent inmates waiting to go to court. Offenders work during the day to support their families, and depending on the category of their crime, they can be electronically monitored at home or returned to the jail at night. This isn't being weak on crime, it's being smart and it will reduce the number of deputies needed in the jail. JG: HOW ABOUT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT? CHIEF MARVIN RIGGINS RECENTLY RETIRED. HOW WILL YOU SELECT HIS REPLACEMENT? MAYOR: Deputy fire chief Shane Edwards will serve as our interim chief. I've asked him to spend a few months fast tracking some projects for me. Then I'm going to post the position and we'll hire the most qualified person. JG: WILL THAT BE A NATIONAL SEARCH? MAYOR: Yes. I always want to provide an opportunity to promote from within, but at the end of the day, I want the most qualified person. I'm not going to rush the process. PRIORITY PROJECTS JG: WHAT PROJECTS ARE HIGH ON YOUR PRIORITY LIST? MAYOR: The O-LOST (Other Local Option Sales Tax). I will sponsor a resolution and I'm confident we can put "I'M NOT AFRAID TO CHANGE SOME THINGS, EVEN IF IT'S THE WAY WE'VE ALWAYS DONE IT. BUT IF WE'RE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT, THE LAST THING I WANT TO DO IS UNDO IT." -MAYOR MILLER 36 maconmagazine.com | FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021