Cliffard Whitby: Meet the Macon mayoral candidate who wants to fight causes of crime and blight – 13WMAZ.com

MACON, Ga. For decades, Cliffard Whitby ran businesses and helped bring them to Macon and Bibb County as developer and chairman of the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority

In October 2018, Whitby faced 75 years in prison. Instead, he walked out of Macons federal courthouse a free man.

A federal jury acquitted Whitby of federal laundering and bribery charges.

Accompanied by his wife, daughter and several friends, Whitby walked up to a group of reporters.

This community has been split and divided, Whitby said. We want to do everything we can. We love our community. We want to play the part and help the healing process.

RELATED: Cliffard Whitby celebrates after being acquitted on federal bribery charges

Less than a year later, Whitby announced he would be running to be Macon's next mayor.

When 13WMAZ recently asked Whitby about the criminal case and his acquittal, he said the issue has no place in the present-day mayors race.

"We are a system of rules, and the case the U.S. Government presented against me was completely rejected, Whitby said. A jury of my peers, nine whites and three blacks, heard all of the evidence and unanimously rejected what the U.S. Government had brought against me.

RELATED: Less than a year after acquittal, Cliffard Whitby formally announces run for mayor

He added that he doesnt know why this is being brought up now.

If you want to call me, call me about something else, he said.

Whitby is also a longtime civic activist and public official who has been active in community-building and charitable groups.

He was interviewed recently at the WMUB Studio at Mercer University by 13WMAZ and partners the Telegraph, Georgia Public Broadcasting Macon and the Center for Collaborative Journalism.

CRIME: Start by fighting the causes

Some Macon communities, Whitby said, are hit harder by violent crime. He said the communities need to come together to address the causes of crime, which he said is simple. The young people committing the crimes dont have the opportunities they need to further their educations and pursue their dreams.

I think its going to take a significant amount of resources that are devoted to our youth training and retraining and actually being supportive to the families, Whitby said. If we support the families of these young people some of these parents are working two, three jobs, and were dealing with children raising children. This community must get serious about the issues that really impact these young peoples lives and get involved.

RELATED: 'This is a fight for our community': Cliffard Whitby announces six-point plan to reduce crime in Macon

BLIGHT: Its not enough to clean up a lot

Whitby said hed worked with the last five mayors to combat blight while operating a construction company and property management and development business.

Weve made tremendous strides when we were intentional about the work of blight, Whitby said. When I started this work, it was called substandard housing. Substandard housing is just the blight. Its just a new term for substandard housing.

Whitby said he was involved in a first-time home buyer program that built or renovated more than 1,000 homes.

We won two national awards, Whitby said. I dont think any community in the country had ever won two national awards for the work that was done under those administrations."

Blight is a byproduct of poverty, he said.

So, weve got to get intentional about the issues that cause blight. Its not enough just to clean up a lot, Whitby said. We must address the human component that impacts these neighborhoods and these communities.

The people of Macon must come together to fight blight, he said.

Im excited as I talk to our young people. The talent is here. All we need to do is harness the wheel to get out of the silos, to break down the barriers, Whitby said. We all want the same thing. We all want opportunities.

ROADS: Whitby talks about SPLOST success

When we asked about what he could do to improve Bibb Countys roads, Whitby said hed worked with local officials to get the last two Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) proposals approved. SPLOST means an extra one-cent tax on every dollar spent in Macon-Bibb County.

Its going to take far more than just creative ways to persuade a community to be okay with the millage going up, he said. What its going to take is the commitment to support our young people. No community...no community can maintain the level of services when it's losing our number one asset, and thats its young people.

EDUCATION: This is our system

While Whitby didnt address the question about roads, he did discuss what the county government could do to assist the Bibb County Board of Education. Other mayoral candidates said the school board is a separate government entity, and its members are elected by the people. They said county officials should support the board whenever possible, but have no direct role in the schools.

Whitby would have none of that.

With all due respect, it is not a separate system, Whitley said. This is our system, were citizens of this community. We elect school board members from this community. The mayor of the consolidated government is the top elected official in this community. We have a serious problem with education.

State benchmarks say some Bibb County schools are failing.

Its going to take all hands on deck to get our hands around what really plagues our public education. We must get intentional. We cant survive as a community if we dont commit.

Bibb County has some of the most dedicated educators in the nation, Whitby said. But theyre dealing with a community problem that must be resolved through community efforts.

When asked for specific suggestions for improving schools, Whitby said there are many success stories around the nation.

But what its truly going to take is a commitment to families, a commitment to the grandmother whos raising the school-aged child," he said.

That means, he said, a community goal of helping children succeed in school.

COUNTY STAFFING: Appoint an advisory committee

The Bibb County Sheriffs Office has complained for years about being understaffed, primarily because salaries are lower than other counties.

When asked about over and under staffing in the county departments, Whitby said hed put together an advisory committee that would look at every department to determine staffing needs.

RACE RELATIONS: Its about working together

Whitby said the topic of race relations cant be discussed without mentioning privilege.

There are those in this community that benefit from race division, he said.

But Whitby noted that hes served on various boards and authorities where different races worked together to accomplish things, including his service as chairman of the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority.

I will say to you, Whitby said, what I would do as mayor is commit to bringing everybody to the table and leaving race outside the door and making decisions thats in the best interest of the community.

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Cliffard Whitby: Meet the Macon mayoral candidate who wants to fight causes of crime and blight - 13WMAZ.com