The national focus this election year is on the presidential race, but Bibb County residents have several choices to make in May. Races for Mayor, Sheriff, the District 1 School board and County Commission Districts 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are all coming up May 21.

Early voting for the May 21 primary is April 29, early Saturday voting is available May 4 and May 11, with some precincts also open May 5 and 12. Absentee ballots will begin to be mailed out April 22, and the deadline to request an absentee ballot for the May primary is May 10. The last day of early voting is May 17. Check your precinct, sample ballot, and registration status at mvp.sos.ga.gov. 

Mayor

Lester Miller has served Macon-Bibb County as mayor for the last four years, combating blight and gun violence in the area with projects like the Macon Violence Prevention Program (MVP) and his “Blight Fight” initiative through code enforcement, which has demolished hundreds of dangerous rotting and blighted homes in the area. 

His opponent, Shekita Maxwell, is a scientist and Macon native, who wants to divert city spending away from projects like the Macon Mall amphitheater and toward problems like homelessness. Maxwell, a U.S. Army veteran, works as a public health officer for the FDA.

WMAZ reported that Maxwell was recently accused by MVP Program Coordinator Jeremy Grissom of improperly spending nearly $21,000 out of a $180,000 grant to her program Royal Science. Maxwell also faces pending battery charges for an Aug. 31 incident at her former apartment complex.

County Sheriff

Sheriff David Davis, a 45-year veteran of the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, won his third term as sheriff  in 2020 and has his sights set on his fourth. He beat out the current code enforcement director JT Ricketson in the last election and faces five opponents this year. 

A major public safety concern during Davis’ most recent tenure has been violent deaths, including a peak of 70 in 2022. Violent crimes were down 43% in 2023, according to data from the sheriff’s office, although homicide numbers remain much higher than five years ago.

Davis’s opponents — Chris Paul, DeAndre Hall, Marshall Hughes, Chris Patterson and Ronald Rodgers — all have their own ideas about how best to handle violent crime in Macon. Hughes and Rodgers have had their candidacy challenged.

Board of Education, District 3

Barbara Pike is challenging incumbent Kristin Hanlon in District 3, which houses Porter, Heard, Skyview and Southfield Elementary schools, as well as Rutland Middle and High Schools. 

District three is in South Bibb, toward the Middle Georgia Regional Airport. 

County Commission Districts

District 2 incumbent Paul Bronson is running against challenger Wallace Herring.

District 3 is a race between three newcomers all looking to take over former county commissioner Elaine Lucas’ seat. Lucas, who was term-limited, was originally elected to the Macon City Council in 1983, and has served Macon almost 40 years. The three candidates are a local government employee Melvin Flowers, former educator Everett Slay and former mayoral candidate Stanley Stewart. 

Current District 5 commissioner and mayor pro-tem Seth Clark, the executive director at Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative, is competing to keep his seat against challenger Caitlin Mee, a historic landmark preservationist who has helped preserve Macon in areas like Pleasant Hill and the Rose Hill Cemetery since she moved to Macon from California.

District 6 incumbent Raymond Wilder is also facing a single challenger: George Thomas, the office and leasing manager for NewTown Macon, who is a Macon native and Westside High School graduate.

Aubrey Barfield, a CFO, and Robins Air Force Base program manager Michael McKeever are challenging District 7 incumbent William Howell.

District 8 is without an incumbent after Virgil Watkins Jr. was term-limited, and four candidates — Danny Angelo, Donice Bryant, Kim Jenkins and Michelle Parks — are vying for the central Macon seat.

Brendalyn Bailey, the incumbent commissioner for District 9, is facing three challengers: Thomas Hudon, Renoalda Scott and Greg Turner. Bailey was recently appointed to fill Al Tillman’s seat after he resigned in January, giving her a few months in office before the May election.