Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller has ambitious plans that might not fit into the final 30 months of his second term, but believes his focus on growing revenue from tourism and conventions will continue. (9:25 into the video)
“The vision is going to get done. We’ve got the people in place and the funds in place to do that, and I think it’s going to carry on,” Miller said while recording the June edition of “Ask Mayor Miller.”
The program taped a day before Macon-Bibb County revealed the final design for the $350 million arena, and news broke that the Ocmulgee Mounds Redesignation Act was going before a U.S. House subcommittee July 1.
Many of Miller’s initiatives are years ahead, such as the hotel and convention center planned at Walnut and First streets, and the East Bank site across the street from the Coliseum, Wilson Convention Center and Marriott City Center that the Macon-Bibb County Urban Development Authority is exercising its option to purchase.
If the Georgia General Assembly does not approve a third mayoral term, Miller pledged to continue to serve in some capacity. (10:25)
“I’m not going anywhere, and certainly the life of the city of Macon doesn’t revolve around Lester Miller, and I think people need to remember that,” he said. “I’m just laying the foundation. My children are still going to be here, I’m going to be here, my family’s still going to be here. So I’m very concerned about the future of Macon Bibb County, and I’m going to do what I can today to make sure we leave it a better place.”
On the eve of the big arena reveal, Miller couldn’t contain his excitement. (8:40)
“It’s going to really show what Macon is all about. It’s going to be the top facility in the whole state of Georgia. You can bet on that,” he said.
In one of the resident-submitted questions, Beth Sherouse expressed concerns that the unhoused, mentally disabled and substance-addicted populations are hurting the city’s image. Sherouse asked what was being done to expand services? (21:21)
Miller replied that the county has applied for multiple grants, increased housing opportunities and plans to use money from opioid settlements to address substance abuse.
“When we shut down the mental health institutions years ago, we started this problem, and Macon-Bibb County appears to be the hub for that. Number one, we provide such great resources for everyone. Number two, we’re on the river, we’re on the railroad, and we have a large city right in the middle of an interstate, so we’re always going to have those challenges,” Miller said. “The good thing is, people still come to Macon, they choose Macon to live here, visit here.”
Deanna Thomas asked what the county is doing to reduce violent crime and increase public safety. (11:32)
The mayor pointed to the Macon Violence Prevention program he initiated in his first term.
“If you look at the homicide rate in 2022, we had 71 homicides. Last year, we had 29 — that’s a 60% drop,” Miller said. “We’ve had initial uptick up again this year, we’ll see how it finishes there. We continue to fund good programs.”
When it comes to Flock cameras, Miller said using that high-tech surveillance equipment is a decision the sheriff makes. (14:03)
“The commissioners can’t take the Flock cameras away from the sheriff. No vote could have taken that away from the sheriff,” Miller said. “This sheriff’s been elected by over 70% of the people in our community, which leads me to believe that they feel like he’s making these decisions that are proper for policing, and if he chooses to have Flock cameras, we’re certainly going to support our sheriff in that process.”
Economic development
On the subject of equity in economic development, Jane Grant asked why the county doesn’t incentivize new businesses to open in underserved areas of the community. (19:46)
Miller said businesses, like residents, have freedom to locate where they want.
“If I tell you where you have to live, are you going to go live there if I give you an incentive? Most people are not. We’ve got lots of acres over in Bloomfield, but I can’t get someone to move from North Macon to Bloomfield, and I think the same thing goes for businesses. You can’t force them to locate,” he said.
When it comes to data centers, Miller generally does not favor them, but does want to have input on where they should be. (15:37)
“If there is a situation where a data center must come to a particular community, I’d like to be able to have some say-so, where it goes. It’s going to be a place that’s in a large industrial area, and it’s not in a residential area where it’s going to harm people. Also, I think data centers are going to continue to evolve over a period of time, their use of water, how clean they are, how noisy they are,” Miller said.
He also reiterated his plan to build a county solid waste transfer station under new restrictions that prohibit them within a mile of residences, schools, parks and churches, which prevents owners of land on Mead Road from reapplying for an expired permit. (18:09)
Politics and parties
Miller called the recent special session of the Georgia General Assembly a “waste of time,” (0:26), and predicted we’d see a lot more high-dollar campaign ads in the months leading to the November election. (1:34)
Recent tensions on the Macon Water Authority and District 1’s Elaine Lucas calling for an investigation are “not good for the community,” he said, but expects things will settle down. (3:40)
“We just hope there’s an open and transparent process, and hope they can heal some of the wounds over there,” Miller said. “You’ve got a good board over there now. I think you’ve got a solid board. I don’t think you’ll have quite so much division.”
The Sparks over the Park celebration July 4 at Lake Tobesofkee will be the county’s premiere fireworks celebration for the nation’s 250th birthday.
“People have their own events going on. Warner Robins is doing some things, as well. It is great to celebrate the 250th anniversary, and certainly I’m going to celebrate the Fourth of July with my family,” he said. “And we just recently had the Juneteenth celebration. There was a lot of people at the parade, there was some fireworks there, as well. So it’s always great for people to celebrate good, wonderful things, and we like when people enjoy themselves in Macon Bibb County.”
Send questions for the next Ask Mayor Miller to [email protected].
— Peyton Anderson Civic Journalism Senior Fellow Liz Fabian covers Macon-Bibb County government entities and can be reached at [email protected] or 478-301-2976.
