Members of the Georgia Conference of Black Mayors met in Macon to discuss the revitalization of the group during the upcoming state elections and plan for next year's legislative session.<br>
<br>
Last weekend's gathering was the first meeting since Macon Mayor Jack Ellis was elected president of the group.<br>
<br>
Among other things, the group agreed to draft a letter to Sen. Zell Miller, D-Ga., suggesting the inclusion of three black state universities in Miller's Black Belt Initiative, a plan to fund education and building infrastructure.<br>
<br>
"We should take the grass-roots approach to get the Legislature to work with Albany State, Fort Valley State and Savannah State University, not just the University of Georgia," said Richland Mayor Olan Faulk.<br>
<br>
The Black Belt Initiative would create a federal commission or regional authority to benefit the poorest counties of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.<br>
<br>
