Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1538147
August/September 2025 | maconmagazine.com 37 K e i t h M o f f e t t H E R O E S A M O N G U S M Ke i t h M o f fe t t c a n b e a q u i e t l y c o m m a n d i n g fo r c e b e h i n d M a c o n - B i b b 's g o v e r n m e n t m a c h i n e – p a r t p o l i cy w o n k , p a r t c i v i c w h i s p e r e r. INTERVIEW BY EDNA RUIZ ADAMS | PHOTO BY MATT ODOM Of all these departments and duties, what is the best part? The people I get to meet every day, the citizens that I get to interact with, and then the employees that I get to work with. I've been blessed with a phenomenal internal team and an extended team, and I kind of call them my family. It's true what they say: "If you find a place you love to work, you never work a day in your life." I really feel that way sometimes even though the job is challenging, even though the job is frustrating. At the end of the day, if I can leave here knowing that I helped somebody, that makes this job just worthwhile. Did you always know that you wanted to work in public service? It kind of just happened. I actually ran for Macon City Council in 2007 and lost. But it gave me an opportunity to get to know Mayor Robert Reichert at that time on the campaign trail, and when he was elected Mayor, he asked me if I would come work on his staff. It just blossomed from there. ost people know the mayor, but behind the priorities of an elected official, it's Moffett who has to get it done. Typically, the county manager changes with each mayoral administration, as it's the only role in Macon-Bibb government that can be fired or hired as a political position. Yet Moffett has remained a steady force over two very different leaders, showing the value of an experienced hand. With a Ph.D. in political science, Moffett keeps the gears turning smoothly whether he's streamlining small business initiatives for a new ordinance or solving seemingly intractable spats between employees. Basically, if Macon had an official city dad who wore snappy suits and refereed problems before breakfast and a er bedtime, it'd be Keith. So, behind the scenes, who is Keith Moffett? I'm married to Dr. Melinda Robinson- Moffett, father to four kids and two puppies, and grandfather to two grandkids. I am a lifelong resident of this wonderful community, Macon-Bibb County. I was born here [and] only le for a little while, while I was in the military. I spent nine years in the Navy aboard two nuclear submarines, went in the military for the education, and came back home and started working at the Chamber [of Commerce] in Economic Development, which led to a career in local government. What exactly does a County Manager do? I have direct oversight of 21 departments – and then partnership with about another 15 departments, which are our constitutional officers and our judges. I'm responsible for the day-to-day operations of all aspects of the local government. I kind of define it as diversity, complexity, and volume. Diversity – everything from animals, to potholes, to airport, to blighted houses, to vehicles. Complexity – that is a number of working with their [departmental] budgets, working with positive and negative citizens' complaints. And then we talk about the volume – the sheer volume of the work that is done in this county is just tremendous. It never stops.