Mayor Robert A. B. Reichert has claimed victory in a runoff over former mayor C. Jack Ellis for the new consolidated Macon-Bibb government. As of Tuesday night, all 40 precincts reported; Reichert won 39 precincts with a total 25,899 votes cast for Reichert and 15,182 for Ellis.
“To those people who did not vote for me, I want to say come join us,” Reichert said. He continued, “When we first ran for mayor of Macon back in 2007, the inaugural address said move on, move in, move up, and now with this consolidation with Bibb County, I think we’re ready to take our position again as the premier city, and I am thrilled to be a part of it.”
Reichert secured his race with 63 percent of the vote. When asked if he considered that win to be a mandate from voters, Reichert said “I’d call it a strong margin of victory. We just want to remind everyone of our goal of working together, because only when we work together can we expect to achieve our success.”
Other runoff races included Adah Roberts and Ed Defore, Beverly Olson and Mallory Jones, Rev. Charles Jones and Virgil Watkins, and Rabbi Larry Schlesinger and Henry Ficklin. While Defore, Mallory Jones and Watkins each secured their runoff wins above the 1 percent necessary for a recount, Schlesinger did not, winning his race by 27 votes. That race will undergo a recount of votes.
