Decision 2024: Meet Stanley Stewart, candidate for Macon-Bibb Commission, District 3
Election day is June 18.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Two candidates are qualified for the upcoming Macon-Bibb Commission, District 3 runoff election.
Melvin Flowers and Stanley Stewart are competing in the upcoming runoff election.
41NBC’s Monica Diaz-Meek spoke with each candidate ahead of the June 18 election.
Candidate name: Stanley Stewart
Running for: Macon-Bibb Commission, District 3
Campaign Website: Facebook
MONICA– Good afternoon. Today we have Stanley Stewart, who’s running for Macon County Commission District three. Thank you for being here today.
STANLEY– Monica, it’s a pleasure to be here with you. I appreciate you so much.
MONICA– I’m glad to have you here. I have a few questions for you. We’re getting ready for the runoff. Right. So, first off, what do you think is the biggest issue or challenge that needs to be addressed? And how do you plan on solving that if you’re elected?
STANLEY– Well, is making District three is a special district to me. And I think the biggest challenge is economic development. There are three tenants to my campaign economic development, public safety and infrastructure. But of those three, economic development reigns supreme. We’ve had a lot of closures on Schilling Drive and Great Highway, and through those closures, we want to make sure that we find businesses that come back into those areas so as citizens. Stanley Stewart I’ve already met with people across the country for that matter, and talked about who’s making developers try to bring them, bring that interest to East Macon. So that’s that’s the biggest the biggest thing.
MONICA– Alright. Now, how has your background and your experience prepared you for this role?
STANLEY– Well, I’ve worked in East Macon for years all my life, basically, you know, and neighborhood associations, individuals. We’ve always worked together to try to solve problems. And so that’s the biggest thing, I think that makes me the perfect candidate and the perfect choice to be commissioner from district three.
MONICA– Alright. Now, what would progress look like to you if you are elected for this position?
STANLEY– Well, I think by seeing more development, quite honestly, you know, public safety is something that we always talk about. But the numbers in East Macon aren’t as bad as other parts of Macon and making sure that we have an ongoing and strong relationship with the Bibb County sheriffs Department, also with Jones County sheriffs and each county because they border east Macon infrastructure. From the standpoint of lights, you know, where you don’t have lights, sometimes you have crime and also human infrastructure. My goal is also to bring all the neighborhood associations in East Macon together. So once you do all of that and once you see positive dividends, if you will, from your actions, I will have known I’ve done my job.
MONICA– Alright. So you talk about this economic development. That’s one of your main threes that if not the most important. What would that look like to you? Do you want to see, like you said, more light? Is it more businesses? What does that look like to you if elected?
STANLEY– Yeah, well, the goal is to bring those businesses that left back, you know, not necessarily per se, each business, but make sure that developers from across the country and mainly local developers as well, bring those businesses back to those areas. And another thing is minority businesses want to make sure that more minority businesses are are seen in East Macon, make sure the contracts that come from the city have minority and female contractors involved in it. So as a conglomerate, if you will, of ideas and making sure those ideas converge as one central idea for a better East Macon.
MONICA– Alright. And so why is that so important to you that you see this change in East Macon? What does that mean to you?
STANLEY– Well, you know, East Macon was the place where Macon birthed from. You know, it’s the home of Macon, if you will. And you’ve got citizens out there who have worked hard all their lives in neighborhoods all throughout East Macon, who want to see the sentiment that you hear from every single neighborhood association is the same. And so, you know, as a person who’s elected, as I’m fortunate to be elected, you want to make sure that you bring those people’s wishes to the table and have their voices heard. And my main concern is to make sure that the voices and the people of East Macon are reflected in my leadership and my time as a commissioner.
MONICA– Alright. Well, thank you, Mr. Stewart.
STANLEY– Thank you so much.
Snippets from all candidates’ interviews will air on 41NBC News at 6 p.m., 11 p.m., DayBreak and 41Today. All interviews will also be posted in full on 41NBC.com on the following days:
Monday, June 10: Stanley Stewart
TBA: Melvin Flowers
