Julia Pierce | July 9, 2026

In a previous publication, I highlighted how George Neal approved a policy where a chairman and vice chairman could only sit for two consecutive terms, but in violation of his own approval for that police, he sat a third term in 2024, a fourth term in 2025, and a fifth term in 2026 as the Marion County Board of Commissioner’s chairman.

In another previous publication, I highlighted that George Neal’s dedimus postatem was not signed until 11 months after he took office in 2021. This may not be an issue at this moment because he is serving as a commissioner in a new term, but for this document not to have been signed until 11 months after he took office, means that a judge – probate and magistrate judge Heather Stuart – did not administer the oath to him until 11 months after he took office. A swearing in of an elected official has to take place before he or she can legally take office. I questioned if any legislation he made during his tenure as a commissioner from 2021 to 2025 were legal.

In addition to these two instances, another issue was presented when a couple of citizens approached me and questioned if it was legal, ethical, or a conflict of interest for George Neal to work for the same bank that our county taxpayer funds for the general fund and the TSPLOST (which funds the road projects in Marion) are stored. I started digging into the validity of this claim.

In a document produced by Ameris Bank on July 8, 2026, the “Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System & Registry Directory” shows that George Neal, Jr., the cousin of sheriff Derrell Neal, Jr., is in fact employed by Ameris Bank. It lists his NMLS number as 718336. This means that he is licensed nationally as a mortgage lender, broker, and/or loan officer through Ameris Bank.

To verify that George Neal works for Ameris Bank, I performed and open records request for his campaign documents, in which he would have had to list his employer and indicate that he held a fiduciary position with them. In the document below, which was dated February 2026, you will see that George Neal, Jr. listed that he is a banker with Ameris Bank in Buena Vista, Georgia.

In the document below, you will see that George Neal DID NOT indicate that he held a fiduciary position with a business entity, yet a banker is a fiduciary position. Why did he not indicate that he held this fiduciary position? Was it an oversight? Was he purposely attempting to evade the appearance of conflict of interest, violation of ethical standards, and/or impropriety?

In addition to these findings that George Neal, Jr. is employed with Ameris Bank, a citizen who was offered a position by George Neal, Jr., in 2024, indicated that George Neal is the branch manager of Ameris Bank. This citizen indicated that the nice conversations that she had with George Neal, Jr., before she and her husband appeared before the Board of Commissioners and asked about the condition of their road and where the county funds were going, whereby George Neal, Jr., Commissioner, told her to “find some grants,” said that those nice conversations with him were no more. She indicated that she believed that he was offended that she and her husband asked about the funds.

What I find interesting about this statement from George Neal, Jr. to this citizen, is that it appears to validate that George Neal, Jr. knew that Marion County had no LMIG grants or money for road repairs. Otherwise, why would he tell this citizen to find some grants?

Was the blame I placed on Connie Harris warranted when I alleged that she had not been briefing the commission as to the financial standing of the county?This same citizen indicated that this may not have been true. She indicated that she saw Connie Harris coming in to have multiple closed-door meetings with George Neal, Jr. She then questioned, how is it okay for him as a manager to have so much access and control of our county funds?

This isn’t the only closed door meeting that George Neal, Jr. has taken part. On October 10, 2024, he called a public hearing, which is titled “Public Hearing #2” to order, at 10:30 AM, whereby only he and the county clerk, Lauren Cook, were at the meeting. This meeting should have been canceled, not called to order. What were they discussing? The millage rate increase, whereby the notes Lauren took of the meeting indicated that there was no public attendance. Things have to be approved by a majority vote of the commissioners, so why did George Neal, Jr. call the meeting to order with no public, no other commissioners, and no county attorney? Why did they have a meeting for 8 hours – the meeting was adjourned at 6:31 PM – with no one else present?

Now, the only way that we can establish that George Neal had anything to do with the county’s general fund and TSPLOST being placed at his own bank, Ameris Bank, is to find the meeting minutes where he approved it and/or the documentation where he signed the paperwork to open the account.

The county couldn’t find the meeting minutes based on the time frame that I gave them.

Therefore, the only documents I found were due to an open records request that I performed with the county manager’s office, for the documents to show who opened the accounts, and wouldn’t you know that George Neal, Jr.’s name is the first name as the chairman on the document that shows the TSPLOST deposits were to be sent to Ameris Bank?

This document below shows that George Neal, Jr., as the chairman, signed for the General Fund money to go into an account in Ameris Bank in 2013.

This document below shows that Cecil McMickle (former commissioner) and Norman Royal (current commisioner) agreed to this account being opened as well. Why did they not question his conflict of interest and/or violation of state ethics as a sitting commissioner? Does that make them complicit?

This document below shows that Steve Young also agreed to the opening of this account by George Neal at his own bank, Ameris Bank, for the county’s public funds.

George Neal, Jr., as a public officer, has a duty to the people as a public servant and trustee of our money. As a fiduciary of Ameris Bank, George Neal, Jr. owes duties of loyalty and care to Ameris Bank, which may strengthen the appearance—or existence—of a conflict when participating in governmental decisions for Marion County that affect Ameris Bank.

Questions that Need Answers

• Why did George Neal, Jr. approve the county tax payers’ money being stored in his own bank, where he has been a loan officer and branch manager?
• Why did he allegedly have closed-door meetings during 2024 with former county manager, Connie Harris?
• Why did he call a public hearing whereby there was no public attendance, no other commissioners, and no county attorney to discuss the increase in the millage rate for the county (which was approved by Neal, Fontaine, and Grier, with the presence of Connie Harris, Phyllis Blocker, and Lauren Cook)?
• Why did he not disclose that he held a fiduciary position with Ameris on his campaign documents for his current term?
• Why is he still sitting as a chairman when his own approvals stated that a chairman could only serve two consecutive terms?
• Is George Neal making decisions for the county behind closed doors?
• Did George Neal in fact know that the county had no money or grants to cover road repairs?

What do you see? Do you think that this is a conflict of interest or possibly a violation of state ethics?

If you have a story, feedback, or questions, please feel free to contact me at Plumblyne Productions by email at plumblyneproductions@gmail.com or call me at 229-329-2179. Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and follow to stay up to date.