Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1546131
August/September 2026 | maconmagazine.com 95 T H E C L E R K S W H O R E C O R D H I S T O R Y What we don't see is what they do. STORY BY BRITTNY JOHNSON | PHOTOS BY DSTO MOORE H O W S T U F F W O R K S B ehind every city meeting, public record, and elected official is an unsuspecting team quietly keeping Macon-Bibb County running. When people think about city government, they usually picture elected officials and senior staff: standing behind lecterns, debating policy, showing up at city events, or cutting ribbons at new developments. What they don't often see is the team working long after the public meetings end; those who are filing documents, preparing agendas, and preserving records so that the showstopping moments can happen. Without them, local government would slow to a halt. Inside the Macon-Bibb County Clerk's Office, leadership doesn't always look like the person who is standing behind a microphone. Instead, it looks like preserving history, solving problems before anyone notices them, being clear on the rules, and making sure everyone else can do their jobs. But what is noticeable instantly is a team of people who truly enjoy working together for the betterment of the city. At the center of that team is Janice Ross, the longtime clerk of the Macon-Bibb County Commission. "Our office supports the pension boards, the Pedestrian Safety Review Board, the Martin Luther King Commission, the Friends of Rosa Park Square Board, the Construction Board of Appeals, the Complete Streets Commission and several others," Ross explained. "By support, we do agendas and meeting minutes for all of that." Most of that work happens quietly in the background, but it has a direct impact on how local government functions. In recent years, Ross has also worked to modernize the office. Through a Janice Ross has been the clerk of Macon- Bibb County Commission for decades.