With only a week left in their primary elections, Bibb school board candidates are hard at work campaigning.
In District 2, which covers downtown Macon and parts of the Vineville neighborhood, there are three candidates: Angel Davis-Hopper, Thelma Dillard, and Alan Taylor.
Davis-Hopper, a medical assistant by training, is a long-time volunteer in the school district. When the superintendent introduced his strategic plan, she took an interest and started attending board meetings and researching.
She says she's now tuned in to many issues that concern her... especially the presence of gangs in schools, among other safety and discipline issues. So she decided to take her volunteering to a whole other level.
Alan Taylor is a Macon native who taught English in college in Ohio and Texas for many years, but when he got married and had children, he returned to Macon to raise his family.
Now he's a lawyer, trained at Mercer, and he's the chair of the Alexander II school council where his children attend. The school ranks in the top 10-percent of the state for reading and math. Taylor says that success can be replicated across the district.
They're up against Thelma Dillard, a recognizable name in public service in Bibb County. She was on Macon City Council for 20 years, ran for mayor twice, and served on many boards, committees and clubs. But she says she's most proud of her four decades of experience in the classroom.
Watch the extended candidate interviews in the attached videos to learn more about each.