Leadership
Frank C. Amerson, Jr., Chair (Bibb Co. at Large)
Frank Amerson joined The Macon Water Authority in 1976 and his name has become synonymous with it.
Frank Amerson is a life-long resident of Macon, where he was educated in Bibb county public schools. He spent time in the Navy, serving on a fleet tanker in the Pacific at the end of World War II.
Upon his return to Macon, Frank Amerson embarked on a professional career working in the construction field and is the owner of The Amerson Company.
Frank Amerson's service to the public does not end on the Macon Water Authority. He was a trustee of The Methodist Home for Children and Youth in Macon. He has also served as the Director and Secretary of the Association of General Contractors of America. Frank Amerson has served on the Boards of many banks in middle Georgia as well.
Frank Amerson and his wife Mary have been married for over 56 years and they have two children. The Amerson's are members of Vineville Methodist Church in Macon.
As a fitting tribute to his life-long service to the people of Macon and Bibb County, through the Macon Water Authority, the Authority recently re-named its Town Creek Water Treatment Plant to the "Frank C. Amerson, Jr. Water Treatment Plant."
Frank C. Amerson, Jr., Chairman, County Wide
(478) 745-3003
Javors J. Lucas, Vice-Chairman (District 2)
Javors J. Lucas has become a fixture on the Macon Water Authority's Board of Directors since he was first elected in 1982.
Mr. Lucas was born and raised in Macon. He left the area as a young man to study at Tuskegee University in Alabama, before heeding the call of duty to serve in the Army in the Pacific Theater in World War II. Upon his homecoming from the War, he took a position with the Air Force as an aircraft woodworker and sign painter. Utilizing that experience formed during his years in the service, he set out to start his own business, Lucas Signs in Macon.
Mr. Lucas is member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, and a former Vice-President of the Georgia NAACP.
He and his wife Mary married in 1946. They have seven children, 23 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
"I can't think of a better way to serve the city I love than to serve on this Board," remarks Lucas. "I am honored to have served as long as I have and I look forward to the future."
The Authority's Town Creek Reservoir was recently renamed Javors Lucas Lake in his honor.
Javors J. Lucas, Vice Chairman, District 2
(478) 742-2722
Dorothy Black (District 1)
Dorothy Black has spent a lifetime serving the Macon community, and she sees her tenure on the Macon Water Authority's Board of Directors as a continuation of that service. She was first elected to serve the residents of the 1st district in 1997.
Ms. Black is a native of Monticello, but has called Macon home for over 30 years. She is a lifelong educator whose subjects ranged from science, to dance, to drama. Recently, she managed the after-school program for the River's Edge Behavioral Health Center.
Ms. Black holds an undergraduate degree from Paine College in Augusta and a Master's degree from Fort Valley State University. She also has completed additional studies at the University of Georgia, Indiana University, and the Butler School of Library Services. While in school, she was a member of Zeta Phi Beta sorority.
Ms. Black is very involved in her church, St. Paul AME in Macon, as well as the Macon Theater and the Georgia Retired Teacher's Association.
She is the mother of two children and has three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
"I enjoy the challenge that serving on this board presents," she says. "I will never know everything, so I am constantly learning in an effort to better serve my constituents."
Dorothy "Dot" Black, District 1
(478) 742-3503
Steve Rickman (District 3)
With more than 30 years of professional experience in real estate and property management, Steve Rickman knows the importance of water, sewer, and sound infrastructure to facilitating quality growth in a community. It's this perspective he brings to his post as the recently elected member of the Macon Water Authority (MWA), representing the citizens of District 3.
Rickman is a native of Macon and a product of Macon's public schools, having graduated from Lanier High School, prior to receiving his Bachelor's Degree in Economics from Georgia Southern.
Today, Rickman is the President and Owner of Heritage Realty, which he purchased in 1996, after joining the company when it was founded four years earlier. He and his staff of property managers at Heritage oversee approximately 800 units locally, spread among 15 multi-family dwellings and 150 single-family houses. As a real estate broker, he occasionally handles real estate sales for his clients, but the majority of his time and energy are dedicated to property management.
As the principal in Heritage Realty, Rickman manages investment property for clients. He reviews all rental applications, making background checks, marketing and showing properties to potential tenants, contracting out the maintenance work as needed, and providing good customer service to property owners and tenants alike.
Thus, he understands the challenges facing the MWA, to not only provide water and sewer services to its 54,000 customers, but also to provide outstanding customer service to those stakeholders as well. A self-proclaimed advocate for smart, quality growth, Rickman sees himself as not only a voice for the citizens of District 3, but for his professional colleagues in the real estate industry, which is so critical to economic development and quality of life in Macon and Bibb County.
"I want to make life simpler for all customers coming in contact with the Authority, especially the investor who may want to develop property here," says Rickman. "I hope I can help facilitate reasonable growth, while providing input through the Authority Board on how that growth takes place. More than anything, I want to have a positive influence on policy decisions."
Rickman began his real estate career in 1976 with Fickling & Walker Development Company. He was a regional property manager who assisted with the development and oversight of 25 multi-family projects throughout Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina.
Rickman and his wife currently reside in North Macon and enjoy spending time with their four children and four grandchildren. He also has served on the board of trustees for Forest Hills Methodist Church, and on the board for Tatnall Square Academy.
Steve Rickman, District 3
478-743-0056
Frank Patterson (District 4)
Frank Patterson was elected in 2004 to serve the people of District 4 on the Macon Water Authority.
Mr. Patterson has worked in local government for over 35 years. He spent 29 years with the Tobesofkee Recreation Area as the assistant director. He also spent four years with the Bibb County Engineering and Public Works department. Currently, he is an inspector and project manager with Moreland and Altobelli.
Mr. Patterson was born in McRae, Ga., but has lived in Macon since 1965. He graduated from the Georgia-Alabama School of Commerce with a certificate in accounting. He has also received certification from the National School of Conservation and the University of Georgia program for local government management.
He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Crisis Line and on the Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful "Trees Macon" committee.
Mr. Patterson and his wife Patricia have been married for over 34 years and have three children and four grandchildren. They are members of the First Evangelical Church in Macon.
"I have made it my goal to make sure that the people in my district and all of Macon and Bibb County have the best water authority in Georgia," says Patterson. "I am honored to have been selected by the people of District 4 to serve them in this position."
Frank Patterson, District 4
(478) 808-2020
Ed DeFore (City of Macon)
He's the longest tenured elected official, at 35 years and counting, currently in either Macon or Bibb County, serving the citizens of Ward 2, Post 3, since 1971. He is also the first person, to his knowledge, to be elected locally to two public offices at the same time, serving simultaneously on the Macon City Council and the Bibb County School Board for 12 years, from 1972 to 1984. And, he's even served on the MWA Board of Directors before, as the City's Representative from 1992 to 1996.
Ed DeFore is a native of Macon who graduated in 1950 from Lanier Senior High School. After graduation, he was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals and played three years of minor league ball. He is also a proud member of the Macon Sports Hall of Fame, inducted as much for his dedication as a civic leader to Macon area children for more than 50 years, as for his accomplishments in athletics.
Following professional baseball, DeFore was hired as a machinist for Georgia Kraft Company, where he worked for 25 years. After that, he worked locally in real estate and insurance. When reflecting upon his career as an elected official, though, several issues come to mind that he highlights on his public record as a City Councilman.
First, DeFore was elected on the promise that he would seek to repeal the garbage tax that had been in place since 1968. Thanks to the implementation of the local option sales tax in 1976, the garbage tax was repealed and the millage rate has dropped steadily ever since.
In addition, DeFore says he is proud of his work as Chairman of the Public Properties and Public Works & Engineering Committees of the City Council, where he and fellow Council members were instrumental in paving an estimated 92 miles of dirt roads and streets across the city. He also serves on the Fort Hawkins Restoration Commission, working to preserve this 200-year-old local landmark.
Finally, DeFore notes his support for service men and women in the military, as well as in local police, fire, and sheriff's departments. He has secured funds to build three memorials to honor all of those public servants from Macon and Bibb County who have fallen in the line of duty. This includes construction of a bronze statue of Marine Sergeant Rodney M. Davis, a Congressional Medal of Honor winner who lived in his district.
Yet, DeFore says there is still work to be done at the City Council and the Water Authority.
"They're doing a great job at the Macon Water Authority, which is one of the most efficient and financially sound organizations in the state," says DeFore. "We've had great leadership in Chairman Frank Amerson, our Board Members, and Executive Director Tony Rojas. We also have excellent employees dedicated to doing their jobs on behalf of the citizens of Macon and Bibb County."
Ed and his wife Pat have been married for 55 years. They have three children, eight grandchildren, and five great grandchildren.
Ed Defore, City of Macon Representative
478-474-0754
Bert Bivins, III (Bibb County Representative)
Bert Bivins, III may have been born in Kathleen, Georgia, but he makes it known that Macon is the place he calls home. He moved to the area when he was two years old and has been here ever since. Throughout that time, he has felt a calling to community service. That calling has, most recently, led him to serve as the Bibb County Representative on the Macon Water Authority's (MWA) Board of Directors.
"Ever since I was 18 years old, I have made the effort to serve those in need in my community," explains Bivins. " I feel like my appointment to this (MWA) Board on behalf of the County Commissioners is a great way to extend that service."
His appointment to the MWA Board is just another in a career of public service. Bivins was elected in 1995 to serve the residents of District 2 in Bibb County on the Board of Commissioners. In addition to his service on the County Commission and the Macon Water Authority, he is also President of the Land Bank Authority and sits on the Macon-Bibb Board of Health.
Bivins spent 30 years as a civilian electronics worker at Robins Air Force Base, followed by another 10 years as a 5th and 6th grade teacher in the Macon School System.
He graduated with a degree in middle school education from Fort Valley State University. Bivins and his wife Barbara have been married for over 35 years and have two children.
Bert Bivins, III, Bibb County Representitive
(478) 738-9466