C. Jack Ellis
Ellis in 2002
Mayor of Macon, Georgia
In office
December 14, 1999 – December 12, 2007
Preceded byJim Marshall
Succeeded byRobert Reichert
Personal details
Born (1946-01-06) January 6, 1946
Macon, Georgia
Political partyDemocratic

C. Jack Ellis (born January 6, 1946) is a politician and the former mayor of Macon, Georgia.

Early life and career

Prior to taking office, Ellis served 20 years in the United States Army as a paratrooper, then served two years in Vietnam as a combat soldier. Upon retirement from the U.S. Army, Ellis managed a used car business, served as an executive for the United States Census Bureau, and hosted a public access television show focusing on public and political affairs in the black community.[1]

Mayor of Macon

1999 and 2003 campaigns

Ellis ran for mayor of Macon in 1999.[1] He defeated former Macon Mayor Buck Melton in the 1999 Democratic primary election,[2] and was elected as the city's first African-American mayor in the mayoral general election.

After his first term, he was re-elected in 2003 after defeating several challengers in the Democratic primary and write-in opposition in the general election.

2011 campaign

On April 16, 2011, Ellis officially began a third campaign for mayor of Macon against incumbent mayor Robert Reichert.[3] In the July 19 Democratic primary, he placed second in the four-way race, with 37.6% of the vote. Because Reichert fell just shy of 50% of the vote, a run-off election was scheduled for August 16 between Ellis and Reichert.[4] Ellis lost the election by 537 votes, receiving 9,770 of the 20,077 votes cast.[5] Ellis did not rule out a future run for office.[6]

2013 campaign

[7]

Religious views

Early in 2007, Ellis announced that he had become a Sunni Muslim during a ceremony in Senegal, and was seeking to change his legal name to Hakim Mansour Ellis.[8] During a forum in the 2011 campaign, Ellis refused to comment on this topic, except to say that he was a member of Unionville Missionary Baptist Church.[9]

Controversies

In August 2007, C. Jack Ellis sent a letter of solidarity to Hugo Chávez, socialist President of Venezuela and vocal ally of Iran and Cuba. Public reaction in and around Macon was largely negative, with some residents calling for demonstrations and boycotts. Ellis maintained that the declaration was about Chávez's humanitarian efforts, not his political policies.[1][10][11]

On April 2, 2008, Macon mayor Robert Reichert received a letter from U.S. Attorney Max Wood accusing the City of Macon, under the Ellis administration, of misusing federal funds and making false statements to government officials. The accusation was in regard to the $900,000 "Safe Schools Initiative grant" given to the city in 2002. The government could also demand that much of the grant money be returned, as well as impose a civil penalty, which the letter stated could be in excess of one million dollars. Ellis stated his confidence that the city had correctly spent the money, and that no wrongdoing had occurred. No criminal charges have been filed.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Divisive Georgia mayor nears end of tenure". NBC News. Associated Press. September 25, 2007. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  2. ↑ Fabian, Liz (March 6, 2014). "Melton lauded for helping shape 'the modern era in Macon'". The Telegraph (Macon). Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  3. ↑ GRANT, CARYN (April 17, 2011). "Ellis officially launches mayoral campaign". Macon.com. The Macon Telegraph. Archived from the original on April 20, 2011. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  4. ↑ GAINES, JIM (July 20, 2011). "Mayor vs. ex-mayor: Reichert, Ellis to vie for repeat". Macon.com. The Macon Telegraph. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  5. ↑ GAINES, JIM (August 16, 2011). "UPDATE: Reichert re-elected as Macon mayor". Macon.com. The Macon Telegraph. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  6. ↑ GAINES, JIM (August 18, 2011). "Turnout surge key in tight Macon mayoral race". Macon.com. The Macon Telegraph. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Reichert vs/ Ellis 2013 Runoff Results: http://www.13wmaz.com/news/elections/results/results.aspx?raceid=100 Archived October 16, 2013, at archive.today"
  8. ↑ "Macon, Ga., Mayor Converts to Islam, Wants to Change Name". AP. FoxNews. February 2, 2007. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  9. ↑ GAINES, JIM (July 1, 2011). "Democratic Macon mayoral candidates attend debate". Macon.com. The Macon Telegraph. Archived from the original on August 4, 2011. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Macon, Ga., Residents Upset by Mayor's Letter of Solidarity to Hugo Chavez". FOX News. August 14, 2007. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Macon Ga. Mayor loves Hugo Chavez". Youtube – Fox News. August 17, 2007. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  12. ↑ Fain, Travis; Barnwell, Matt (May 5, 2008). "Ellis confident 'people did what they were supposed to do' with grant money". The Telegraph (Macon). Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
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