MACON, Ga. — Macon voters will soon decide who will fill Macon-Bibb’s vacant District 5 Commission seat, so 13WMAZ sat down with all six candidates for in-depth, on-camera interviews to focus on issues that directly affect families and businesses in the district. We asked each candidate the same core questions to give you a clear, side-by-side look at their priorities and plans: Below, you can hear from the candidates in their own words before you head to the polls. Candidates are in alphabetical order by their last name. Andrea Cooke was born and raised in Macon and still lives in the house her grandfather purchased in the 1980s in Napier Heights. A mother of eight, she has deep roots in the community and a long history of advocacy. Cooke is the project director for Macon Mental Health Matters, a no-cost mental health initiative that has operated for five years and served more than 13,000 people. A marriage and family therapist, she has been politically active through groups such as Georgia Women (and Those Who Stand With Us), and has helped spearhead efforts such as putting period supplies in every public building and securing a mental health day for county employees. She has als
