Mayor Robert Reichert prepares to leave office after 13 years leading Macon-Bibb

MACON, GEORGIA (41NBC/WMGT) – In matter of days, and after 13 years in office, Macon-Bibb County Mayor Robert Reichert will finish his final term. Reichert has spent decades serving the people of Macon and Bibb County. The Democrat is a military veteran and attorney. He served as a Georgia State Representative and a Macon City Council member before becoming Mayor in 2007. And while his time in office is growing short, he says his to-do list is pretty long.

“You never get everything done, buttoned up just the way you want it,” said Mayor Robert Reichert. “There is always something else to do and something else you really meant to do before your time was up.”

Reichert says he wanted to do more to address homelessness in Macon, along with underlying factors of mental health and addiction. He also says he wanted to help more people in Macon qualify for new jobs entering Middle Georgia.

“We got to do something to incentivize young adults, especially young adult males, to get the training that they need and get the soft skills training that they need, so they qualify for these good jobs we are bringing into the community,” said Reichert.

Mayor Reichert has the honor of being the City of Macon’s last mayor before consolidation. And voters selected him to be Macon-Bibb County’s first mayor after consolidation. Voters approved the consolidation in 2012. Reichert says it took about 16 months to finalize the merger of employees, services and codes. The new consolidated government started in 2014, with Reichert running lead. He was later re-elected for his most recent and final term in 2016. Reichert says consolidating two governments into one is his biggest achievement as Mayor.

“It’s less expensive. It is more efficient. It is more effective,” said Reichert. “Yes, we are still not perfectly consolidated and functioning, but over the last six years we have done so much to establish, undeniably, that consolidation is good for Macon and Bibb County.”

The Mayor says his second success is the Second Street Corridor through downtown Macon. The bike, pedestrian and retail-friendly corridor connects the east side to the west side.

“I think it is really going to expand everybody’s concept of what constitutes downtown,” said Mayor Reichert.

Reichert is also leaving office at a tough time. Macon-Bibb is fighting both COVID and crime. The county set a new record for the most homicides in one year. Reichert says he is proud of the partnership between the county and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office. However, he says community support is needed too.

“it is awfully hard for the Sheriff’s Office to try to prevent some of this interpersonal violence that happens within a home.”

Macon-Bibb is also handling the coronavirus pandemic–a health emergency and Reichert’s second extreme economic experience. Within his first two years as mayor, Reichert had to revive Macon after the 2008 Great Recession. Now in his final year, he’s working to keep revenue going and businesses running during a pandemic. It is a job he will now pass on to Mayor-Elect Lester Miller.

“He is very aggressive about taking over and making good things happen quick,” said Reichert. “So I am excited and enthusiastic about his administration.”

As he prepares to leave office, Reichert can’t help but to keep helping Macon. He says he plans to return to his Macon law firm to focusing on economic and community development. When asked about seeking another political office, Mayor Reichert said no.

“I don’t think so,” said Reichert. “You can put a fork in me I’m done.”