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How did a state representative of Macon get paid for the organization he created?

The idea is to pump millions of dollars into Macon's historic Pleasant Hill neighborhood, but part of that money ended up in the pockets of the legislator behind the idea

#13INVESTIGATES — Right now, millions of dollars are being poured into Macon's Pleasant Hill neighborhood for revitalization.

The man overseeing much of that work is a familiar face -- State Representative James Beverly.

His salary? $65,000 a year.

But some are asking why Beverly is taking money for the job in the first place.

'The problem is poverty'

When State Representative James Beverly sees the Pleasant Hill Neighborhood, he sees possibilities.

"You think about it...they've got Little Richard's house right here. They've got the Big House right over here. You've got Otis Redding School is going to be across the street. I mean this is the music capital of the south as far as I'm concerned, and it all started within a mile of Pleasant Hill," Beverly said.

When the Georgia Department of Transportation announced I-75 expansion plans would impact the historic black community again, Beverly saw an opportunity to tackle what he sees as the area's top problem.

"What's the #1 problem in Bibb County? People say it's crime. It's education...no. The number one problem is poverty".

Some might call his plan ambitious.

Take an organization he created through the legislature called the Community Enhancement Authority, team with the Department of Transportation and pump in several million dollars to move and restore homes impacted by the interstate project, build parks and bring in resources to turn the neighborhood around, and do it all in a way that will keep the improvements going long after the construction wraps up.

The first batch of houses are now on the market, but there are critics.

'I brought it up in public hearings'

Even members of the Bibb County Commission are concerned after Beverly's board made him executive director of the authority. It's a job that comes with a salary of $65,000.

The issue came to a head as commissioners debated funding a community center in the newly renovated childhood home of entertainer Little Richard, which is in Pleasant Hill.

Bibb Commissioner Mallory Jones said, "I brought it up in public hearings."

Bibb Commissioner Valerie Wynn added, "It actually isn't coming out of that $90K budget [from the city of Macon to the Little Richard House]. It's coming out of the project with the DOT."

Jones says no matter the source, he has a problem with the entire set-up.

"We think it comes from GDOT, but if you are doing something good for the public, you shouldn't be making a $65K salary when you're doing something from the good of your heart," he opined.

Representative Beverly, who is an optometrist by day, says he never intended to get so involved.

"I said I'm only doing this until we finish our first house and it's turned into this thing to where I'm doing it all the time now. Like this is my, for lack of a better term, this is like my new love, my new passion, my new job," he said.

Beverly says because there were large gaps in state money coming in during the development, he doesn't believe the project would have worked out any other way.

"You can't bring in an executive director and pay them $50,000-$70,000, but oh you might not get paid in March, you may not get paid in November [and] so my board said, 'If you're willing to take that on, we'll do that for an interim basis until we get the cash flow situation stabilized,' and that's what we did."

Who made the decisions?

So who was on the board that made the decision?

Members included Beverly, who recused himself from the vote, local Attorney Brian Adams and Isaac Culver, who later stepped down after being found guilty in a federal fraud case involving the Bibb School system. A fourth spot held by the city of Macon was open at the time.

But now, Beverly says his time as Executive Director is done.

"It made sense at the time. After 18 months, the houses are done. I'm done," he said.

Beverly tells us he planned to have the new Executive Director for the Community Enhancement Authority in place by December 1, but the hiring process is taking longer and the position remains open.

Last Friday, Beverly told 13WMAZ he has stepped down from that position and is no longer getting paid.

He says he will continue to hold the unpaid position as chairman of the advisory board.

The local legislative delegation, which was lead by Beverly at the time, originally approved the bill that set up the Community Enhancement Authority.

Member representative Robert Dickey says he wants the delegation to review some of the guidelines for the authority, including pay and who can serve on the board or as the chairman.

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