Hakim Mansour Ellis

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Clarence Jack "C. Jack" Ellis, is the current mayor of Macon, Georgia.

Clarence Ellis, a Macon native, was born on January 6, 1946.^[1] Prior to taking office, Ellis served in the United States Army, worked for the United States Census Bureau, hosted a public access television show, and sold used cars. He fathered a son with Mireille Severe, and has been involved in legal action concerning his failure to pay child support. ^[2] He ran for mayor in 1999, and was elected as the first African-American to hold the position. After a somewhat controversial first term, he was re-elected in 2003 after defeating several challengers in the Democratic primary and substantial write-in opposition in the general election. His second term has led to further conflicts with the city council and several failed attempts to recall him. He is currently the focus of several federal investigations.

Due in part to the sometimes fierce opposition, Ellis has had few major accomplishments during his terms. The city successfully won a federal Hope VI grant to improve public housing, in addition to other grants and federal aid. The use of these funds has been the topic of several investigations and audits^[3] ^[4]. Ellis has also gained personal influence through the use of his position in numerous national conferences relating to city government and urban issues, as well as becoming a frequent international traveler and ambassador, mostly to Africa. He has taken several goodwill trips to Africa which are controversial because they take him away from the city for extended time periods at the tax payers' expense^[5]. Ellis has repeatedly insisted that previous mayors had similar expenses.

In February 2007, Ellis made headlines by announcing his December 2006 conversion to Islam, including plans to legally change his name to Hakim Mansour Ellis. Ellis, who had previously been a practicing Christian, became a Sunni Muslim during a trip to the west African country of Senegal, saying it was like going "back to [his] roots" — claiming that some West Africans brought to America as slaves practiced Islam. ^[6]^[7] Ellis's term expires in 2007, and he is ineligible to run for a third term.