Statesboro Mayor Jonathan McCollar plans to introduce proposals for three citizen’s commissions that will allow Georgia Southern University students to have a voice in the community.

“There are things that I’ve committed to as far as the campaign is concerned and that is to address the issue of poverty, youth development, diversity and inclusion,” McCollar said. “So, we are working hard to get those initiatives underway.”

Each citizen commission will reflect topics McCollar campaigned for this past year.

“The commissions that we are talking about is our Statesboro works commission, which is dedicated to fighting poverty, our diversity and inclusion commission as well as our youth development commission,” McCollar said.

McCollar is a native of Statesboro and a graduate of GS. Before being elected mayor, he worked as an assistant campus director for Armstrong State’s Liberty Center. 

“One thing that I want every student on campus to know is that they have a mayor that was on that campus and was in their position and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that their experience, not just with Georgia Southern but with the city of Statesboro, is an enjoyable and memorable experience,” McCollar said.

McCollar has spoken about the idea for a citizen’s commission shortly after his election win and wants to include GS students in future discussions in the commissions.

“One thing that we definitely want to do is to make sure it is a clear understanding that Georgia Southern and the city of Statesboro has a great working relationship, so we are going to be doing everything that we can to make sure that we solidify that,” McCollar said.

According to The Statesboro Herald, McCollar intends to have the first of the commissions ready for the Jan. 16 city council meeting for review and discussion.