Idol judge and alumnus runs for city council

     Phillip Joiner is a GCSU graduate, Milledgeville resident and a future City Council District 4 candidate. He writes for the Baldwin Bulletin, works at Z97.7 FM, and has been a member of the GCSU Jazz Band. Recently, he served as a GCSU Idol judge for the fourth year in a row. These are just a few highlights on his resume. Joiner sat down with The Colonnade to give readers an opportunity get to know the man who may be representing them and the rest of the historic district in the near future.

Where were you born and raised?

     I was born in Louisville, Ky., in 1976, but I was raised in Athens, Ga., where I spent most of my childhood all the way through high school.

What made you decide to attend GCSU?

     Well, I had a music scholarship to the University of Georgia but having lived in Athens for a long time, I kind of wanted to do something different. When I was looking around at different colleges like Belmont and LSU – which are some good music programs – I came down to visit GCSU, because I had some mutual friends who were already here, and my best friend in high school said he was coming here. I researched it and thought it was a charming place to go for a year or two to transfer somewhere else and about a year into it, I decided I liked Milledgeville too much and just stayed.

What would you say is the most important thing you learned at GCSU?

     I think just having the college experience and actually growing into who I am now. I didn’t really know who I was or what I wanted to be. I think being here for those five and a half years kind of morphed me into what I want to be, and that is still a continuing growing process. One thing about being in my thirties now is that when I was a freshman in college, I knew that I knew everything. When I graduated college, I kind of thought that I knew everything. Now, in my thirties, I know that I know absolutely nothing, and I am always going to be looking to grow. I think the thing about being here was the growing up, really.

What was your favorite part of college?

     I really enjoyed the relationships I made not only with people here at the college but with people in the town, and sort of finding a new place to be and establishing roots. As far as the academia part, I really enjoyed the music department. Georgia College’s music department is interesting and neat in the way that if you go to Georgia or even Georgia Southern, you are sort of in the pack of people. Here, if you have a degree of talent, you have a chance to shine and there are a lot if great opportunities.

You stay really involved with the campus and community. What are some things you have done recently?

     I was asked for the fourth year in a row to be one of the judges for GCSU Idol. Two years ago I was asked to come back to be in the GCSU Jazz Band again. For the next year and a half, I was featured as a musician with them. They invited me to go with them to the Czech Republic for a month last summer.
That was a blast.

What are some of the reasons you would run for the District 4 seat on the City Council?

     When I first came here, my original plan was just to take some classes, enjoy a small campus and move on. Even later when I graduated, I had plans to go to graduate school elsewhere. I had a scholarship offer at Northern Illinois University, but I continued to choose to stay. I got a job offer to work radio in Atlanta and I turned it down. Finally I realized what I should have known all along, and that was that I just really like this place. I just like to think that I can help affect change. District 4, where I live, is the historic downtown district. A majority of the college students live there. The policies of the district directly influence GCSU students, sometimes in ways they don’t realize. From the housing issues, to the downtown business policies, the votes that happen in our city council have a profound effect on student quality of life.  I have been in business here for 12 years and I am familiar enough with the college having been a graduate. I understand the mindset of both the town and the college. I think the biggest problem is the split between the locals, if you will, and the college students. I feel like I fit a niche in the middle. I can speak to both and see both sides.

What do you hope to accomplish if you are elected to the City Council?

     I never want to be a career politician. I don’t want to be a politician of empty promises, but I can tell you what things I am interested in trying. There are a number of things. One would be finding a instrument of compromise to deal with the divisiveness between the community and the college students. Two: I have noticed in the past 12 years the problem with the parking situation. A comprehensive parking deck seems to solve some of the issues. Parking spots have been slowly eliminated to make things more aesthetically pleasing, but I want to assist in getting some grant funding so the college doesn’t have to foot the entire bill and the city doesn’t have to foot the entire bill, but we can have a comprehensive parking strategy. Bringing and recruiting industry so that the residents of our community can elevate themselves financially – which is really important in today’s economy – is something else that needs attention.

To wrap things up, is there anything else you would like the reader’s to know about you?

     I am big on being an open door. Most people think that politicians are hard to see. I am always willing to sit like I am sitting here with you today and just talk. No problem is too small or insignificant. If any student would like to give me some thoughts and ideas or help with the campaign, I encourage them to contact me. I am open to any suggestions and any help.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Apr 11 2008. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry