Sam Massell

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Sam Massell (born August 26, 1927) is an American politician and served eight years as Atlanta's vice mayor under Ivan Allen until being elected as that city's first Jewish mayor in the October 1969 election.

Among other achievements, his administration as Mayor is credited with establishing MARTA (Atlanta's mass transit program), with developing the city's first enclosed arena (the Omni Coliseum), and with providing the Central City Woodruff Park, all with no call on ad valorem taxes. He also pioneered minority opportunities in city government, appointing the first female to Atlanta's City Council and the first Blacks as City Department heads.

Massell was defeated by his vice mayor, Maynard Jackson, in a runoff election in 1973. He remains in public life as the unofficial "Mayor of Buckhead" due to his position as the president of the Buckhead Coalition.

Massell is a member of Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity, founded as the Nation’s first Jewish Fraternity.

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