Things You Should Know About our Mayor James E. Faircloth, JR.

Larry Walker | lwalker@whgmlaw.com

 

Over

the past three weeks, I’ve written about the living former Mayors of Perry,

to-wit: James O. McKinley (May 6, 1974 to March 31, 1980); Barbara C. Calhoun

(June 4, 1980 to December 31, 1984); and, Lewis M. Meeks (January 1, 1985 to

December 31, 1988).  After Mayor

Meeks, we had Mayor Jim Worrall who served for twenty-one years (January 1,

1989 to December 31, 2008).

 

Today,

I write about our current Mayor, Jimmy Faircloth, and despite his now three

year record, and a good one at that, it’s the man that I want to tell you

about.  Let me do this in a

question and answer format.

 

Jimmy, where were you born?  I

was born on February 8, 1961 in Dawson, Georgia.  My uncle, a radiologist, William D. Bridges, delivered me at

the Dawson Hospital.

 

Where did you go to school?  I attended the first

and second grades in Cochran, Georgia. I moved to Americus in 1969, and in 1979 I graduated from Southland

Academy.  I then attended Georgia

Southwestern University where I received a BBA in Business Systems with a minor

in Accounting.

 

What brought you to Perry?  Banking. I have previously worked at a bank in Americus starting at age 18.  Then I came, after college, to the

Trust Company Bank in Perry.  It

got sold, and I went into partnership with Skip McDannald.  We closed this business, and in

2004.  I went to work at Parrish

Construction as its Human Resources Director.

 

Tell me something about your civic and church involvements.  Among other things, I’ve been active in the Perry Rotary Club, the Perry

Area Chamber of Commerce, having served as its President, have been on the

Convention and Visitors Bureau Authority and was a member of the Houston County

Hospital Authority.  I am an active

member of The Perry United Methodist Church, and have served as Chair of the

Administrative Board of our church.

 

What got you interested in politics and led

you to run for Mayor? Well, I think

as a result of service on so many boards, my interest in public service was

heightened.  Consequently, I

thought if there was a vacancy on the council, that I might run.  Then, when Mayor Jim Worrall announced

he would not run again, I decided I would run for Mayor. Note: Faircloth

was elected without opposition.

 

What do you like least about being

Mayor?  Being in the spotlight. 

 

What do you like most about being Mayor?  Being able

to accomplish things on behalf of the citizens of Perry.

 

What is your number one goal as Mayor for the City of Perry?  To insure that the City of Perry is a desirous place for young people to

return finding meaningful work and helping to see to it that Perry is a good

place to raise a family.

 

Now to some more trivial (I

would call them ‘human type’) questions. 

 

What is your favorite car of all

times?  The 1976 Pontiac Trans Am – the car that was featured in Smokey and The

Bandit.  I liked the movie, and I

liked the car.  It was fast – it

even looked fast sitting still!

 

Given a choice among strawberry shortcake, banana pudding, homemade ice

cream and pecan pie, what would your choice be?  Strawberry

shortcake – It’s my favorite dessert. (Note: This was the Mayor’s quickest and most emphatic

answer!  If you’re trying to curry

favor with Perry’s Mayor, you now have the key to success!)

 

What is your favorite music, other than ‘church music’ and your favorite

song?  Country and country rock.  Jim Croce.  And, ‘It Is Well With My Soul’.

 

What is your favorite book that you’ve ever read and why?  The Bible.  I have several versions.  I enjoy reading and studying it.  I enjoy teaching Sunday School.  Teaching makes me learn about the Bible.  I also enjoy murder mysteries.

 

What is your favorite movie of all

time?  Rain Man with Dustin Hoffman. It is very insightful and it showed me a side of life I had never known

before.

 

Now, back to the more

serious.

 

What do you think is the biggest challenge

facing the City of Perry?  Declining revenues.  Property devaluations, because of the

recession, are causing us to take a closer look at a fee based system – the

users of the service to pay for the service.  Preserving and maintaining our downtown area, with the

commercial and industrial area that rings it.  Maintaining an active and vibrant church community centered

on families.  Some type of a

recreation center in our downtown – perhaps an ampitheater or an aquatic

center.  And, keeping our young

people at home without whom Perry will not grow.

 

So there you have it.  Despite what you have known about our

Mayor in the past, I hope you now know more.  And, I hope you are like me: I feel that Perry is in good hands

with Jimmy Faircloth and our council. Let me list the capable members of council: Phyllis Bynum-Grace, Riley

Hunt, Willie King, Joe Posey, Randall Walker, and William Jackson.

 

I started this ‘Mayor

Series’ with A. M. Anderson in 1934 and ended with Jimmy Faircloth in 2012 – 78

years in all.  And, not a weak

Mayor in the crowd! Remarkable.  No

wonder Perry has been a ‘winner-town’ for all these years and is a great place

to live and raise a family.  Truly,

we are standing on the shoulders of so many fine people as we have stood on the

shoulders of these fourteen stalwart men and our one ‘Iron Lady’. 

 

*For other information, see our website and blog: www.galawyersonline.com