One of Bill Lockett's campaign slogans is "Bill Lockett is in nobody's pocket," which is fortunate because it would have to be a mighty big pocket.
Mr. Lockett is 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 310 pounds. But the former military man, federal investigator and schoolteacher said he doesn't believe in throwing his weight around. Instead, he relies on fairness, a no-nonsense approach and persistence to get whatever needs doing done.
"If I believe in something, I can be very persistent," he said.
He said that as a member of the Augusta Commission, he would lead by "good example" and could help diminish the racial divide on the board by reminding his colleagues regularly that they are there for the benefit of the people in all districts.
Mr. Lockett was twice elected president of the Richmond County Board of Education oversight committee for spending sales tax revenues for nonbuilding projects. The committee was made up of people of various races and from different walks of life, and it was constantly praised for being the best in the system, he said.
"I didn't show favoritism," he said.
As for whether he would vote to proceed with Augusta's stalled trade, event and exhibit center at the planned location on Reynolds Street, Mr. Lockett said any modification to the initial 2005 allocation of $20 million to build the TEE center should go back to the voters for approval.
Though Mr. Lockett previously said he would not abstain on commission votes, he now realizes that statement was a mistake.
"Afterwards, I began to give it some consideration," he said. "There are three buttons you can use on a vote -- yea, nay and abstain. They are there to be used. I would like to set the record straight, I made a rookie mistake."
Mr. Lockett is a proponent of the south Augusta master plan and redeveloping the Regency Mall property. Visitors to the city who first see west Augusta and the riverwalk and then drive down Gordon Highway and see the abandoned mall must think they are in two cities, Mr. Lockett said.
His stance on openness and transparency in government is that Richmond County should comply with existing laws on open records and open meetings.
"I'll guarantee you, I will work extremely hard to get access to those things the public is entitled to," he said.
BILL LOCKETT
AGE: 70
FAMILY: Wife, Jewell; four adult sons
EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree in management; master's degree in public administration from Brenau University, 1984; two years of graduate level education courses at Georgia Southern University
CAREER: U.S. Marines, five years; U.S. Army, 15 years, retired in 1988 as a master sergeant; worked as a veterans' representative at the Georgia Department of Labor in Augusta for five years, then for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Federal Investigative Services Division, conducting national security investigations throughout the United States, 1984-94; business education teacher and adviser for Future Business Leaders of America at Butler High School, 1995-2005; extensive work in community organizations since retiring from the school system
LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE: Twenty years in the military; 10 years as a federal investigator, retiring as lead investigator; 10 years teaching in the public school system
CAMPAIGN PLATFORM: Increase job training and employment opportunities by focusing on the development of green technology in homes, businesses and schools; make the community safer by collaborating with law enforcement and fire officials to help neighborhoods develop local covenants that will preserve property values and promote better community relations; backs efforts to ensure quality of life programs and facilities that sustain the needs of the young and senior citizens; will maintain an open-door policy to ensure residents' concerns are heard and addressed
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