Macon-Bibb commission candidates field questions | Elections | Macon.com

Candidates for five of the nine new Macon-Bibb County Commission seats answered questions Thursday at a forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

Many of the rivalries for the District 1 through 5 seats are friendly, with candidates such as Gary Bechtel and Harold Young — vying for the District 1 spot — saying they agree on most issues.

Others generated a few sparks, such as the District 3 race between Elaine Lucas and Terry Tripp. Asked how to make the city-county government merger smoother and more amicable, Tripp said the new elected officials need to be people who supported consolidation and are willing to work across party lines. Lucas was a vocal opponent of the consolidation charter that voters approved in July 2012 and frequently clashes with local Republicans.

“I thought consolidation was a great idea,” Tripp said. “I think we should have done it 30 years ago.”

In reply, Lucas said she supports greater efficiency but doubts that will materialize.

“First of all, you have to be smart enough to read a consolidation bill and to understand that there are a lot of hidden challenges in it,” she said. Lucas predicted that local taxes will increase and said someone with her experience — more than 20 years on Macon City Council — is needed to run the new government.

“You don’t have to have supported it,” she said. “It’s the law now, and we’re going to have to work with it.”

via Macon-Bibb commission candidates field questions | Elections | Macon.com.