The lasting legacy of former Macon mayor George Israel, who bridged political divides

George M. Israel III was undoubtedly a workhorse. 

“He let no grass grow under his feet,” said Patti Chapman, his former administrative assistant.

As a young city councilman, nothing was too small or insignificant for him, said Chapman.

“He might not get back with you the next day,” she said. “But he got back with his people.”

That work ethic paid off for him. He was elected mayor of Macon at the tender age of 31. 

“He was optimistic for Macon,” said Melanie Layfield, who was a shy 15-year-old when she first volunteered for Israel’s election campaign. “He believed and wanted Macon to be as good as it could be.”

Israel — who would go on to serve two terms in the city’s highest office, lead various businesses and preside over the Georgia Chamber of Commerce — died last weekend. He was 78. 

Friends and colleagues remembered Israel, a fiscal conservative, as someone determined to reach across political divides and seek common ground. 

He grew up in Macon alongside his three brothers. His father, George, was a Robins Air Force Base engineer. His mother, Margaret, was a teacher. A Lanier High School graduate, he went on to work as an underwriter for Massachusetts General Insurance Co. 

Then, in 1975, Israel set his political career in motion with a successful bid for Macon City Council.

“He literally knocked on every door in our district asking for votes,” his wife Pam said in a 2006 Georgia Trend magazine article.

Theron Ussery, who successfully ran for city council that same year, remembers Israel for his honesty and thoroughness.

“He taught me a lot,” said Ussery, including how to work with others — to listen more and talk less.

Away from the usual racket of council meetings and late nights, Chapman noted Israel’s kindness.

One night in particular stood out to Chapman. The appropriations committee of the city council worked until 1 a.m., which meant Chapman had to stay to take notes. Israel insisted on walking Chapman, who was eight months pregnant at the time, safely to her car.

When he became mayor in 1979, he was the second-ever Republican elected to that office. 

His election ushered in a new era of promise for Macon, recalled Layfield, who said she felt honored to be part of Israel’s campaign, working the phone bank and calling on strangers to support him.

“I think he’s the best Macon mayor we’ve ever had,” she said.

He was authentic, personable and worked hard to improve his community, said former Macon Mayor Robert Reichert, who served from 2007-2020.

Israel brought a “renewed sense of dignity and moderation to the office,” which was a “welcome change in the eyes of a lot of people,” he added. 

Reichert said that, in his own time in office, he “tried to emulate what George did as far as understanding both sides of an issue.”

Israel — who later served as Georgia chairman of President Ronald Reagan’s 1984 reelection campaign — appealed to people from all corners, many recalled. He earned the support of Democrat Elaine Lucas, a current Macon Water Authority board member and former county commissioner.

“The values he held and the way that he had of connecting with all segments of the populations was one of the things that led many of us to vote for him,” she said.

Israel was a diplomatic leader and a good person, said Lucas. “It was just a no-brainer for people who wanted the community to get back on its feet and regain some semblance of civility” especially coming after the controversial and unorthodox reign of Macon’s first Republican mayor, Ronnie Thompson.

Henry Ficklin, who served on city council with Israel, said he was happy to support him for mayor, even organizing the group Democrats for Israel.

Israel was mayor when Charles Richardson moved to Macon in 1982. The former Telegraph editorial page editor said Israel was accessible, approachable and open to having tough conversations even with the media. 

“I don’t remember a time when he was short with anybody,” Richardson said. “He had a kind of quiet confidence about him.

“Black city councilmen and women were a fairly new thing in Macon. He got along with everybody. It was a new thing, and he adapted to it very well.”

Israel was known for having a strong relationship with the community, Ficklin said, and making connections with people of all races. He was someone you could play tennis with after disagreeing at a council meeting.

Leaving the mayoral office at the end of 1987 didn’t slow Israel down. He went on to work as president of the real estate development company Fickling & Walker and served as president of  Secure Health Plans of Georgia. He was on the board of YKK, the zipper manufacturer, and acted as an economic development consultant for the Macon Water Authority.

Most notably, Israel’s eight years as the president of the state chamber of commerce earned high praise. He was named Georgia Trend magazine’s 2006 Georgian of the Year.

The state chamber grew to more than 4,000 members while Israel was president, and it celebrated the passage of 17 of 18 bills endorsed or supported by the chamber in 2005. 

“George had a perspective that helped us see ourselves differently,” said Sonny Perdue, who was governor at the time.

Israel reshaped how Peach State residents saw themselves and who they could become — overhauling a “Southern inferiority complex” that Perdue said kept some from visualizing their potential.

Israel continued to work for a better Macon for as long as he could before he entered hospice. 

“Even the last time that I saw him,” Reichert said, “he was still thinking about what could be done to improve this community.”

Staff writers Laura Corley and Casey Choung contributed to this report.