Walter Maddox

Walt Maddox
36th Mayor of Tuscaloosa
Assumed office
October 3, 2005
Preceded by Al DuPont
Member of the Tuscaloosa City Council
from the 6th district
In office
October 1, 2001 – October 3, 2005
Preceded by Clell Hobson
Succeeded by Bob Lundell
Personal details
Born (1972-12-27) December 27, 1972
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Stephanie Roberts
Education University of Alabama, Birmingham (BA, MPA)
Website Official website

Walter Maddox (born December 27, 1972) is an American politician who has served as the 36th Mayor of Tuscaloosa, Alabama since 2005. From 2001 to present, he served on the Tuscaloosa City Council and served as executive director of personnel for Tuscaloosa City Schools. Maddox was a field director for the Alabama Education Association from 1996 to 2001.[1]

In 2005 he successfully ran for Mayor of Tuscaloosa and has been re-elected three times since. [2]

Early life and career

Maddox was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, attended the Tuscaloosa City Schools, and graduated from Central High School in 1991.[1] He attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he received a bachelor's degree in political science and a Master's in Public Administration.

From 1996 to 2001, Maddox served as a field director for the Alabama Education Association. In 2001, Maddox was appointed executive director of personnel for Tuscaloosa City Schools, serving until his election as mayor.[1][3] On August 28, 2001, Maddox was elected to the Tuscaloosa City Council, defeating incumbent Clell Hobson, 61% to 39%. Maddox ran on a platform of education reform and crime reduction.[4]

Mayor of Tuscaloosa

In 2005, longtime Tuscaloosa mayor Al DuPont retired. Maddox was an underdog against former city councilman Sammy Watson. Maddox came in second place in the initial round of voting, receiving 31.1% to Watson's 38%.[5] This forced a runoff on September 13, which Maddox won with 54% of the vote to Watson's 46%.[6] Maddox was inaugurated on October 3, in front of Tuscaloosa City Hall.[7]

On August 25, 2009, Maddox was re-elected without opposition.[8]

Maddox was re-elected again without opposition on August 27, 2013. [9]

On November 4, 2013, Walter Maddox was sworn in for his third term as Tuscaloosa’s 36th Mayor. Since his first inauguration, he has led initiatives to increase economic development, improve customer service with the implementation of Tuscaloosa 311 and provide quality pre-k education for academically at-risk four-year-old children.

For the first time since 2005, Maddox faced a challenger in the 2017 mayoral election. His opponent was the founder of the Urban Progressive Party, Stepfon Lewis. [10] Maddox defeated Lewis [11] by receiving 89% of the vote to Lewis's 11%. Maddox was sworn into his fourth term as Mayor on May 22, 2017.

2011 Tuscaloosa tornado

On April 27, 2011, a large tornado struck Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, killing 53 people in Tuscaloosa and inflicting $100 million in damage.[12] Two days later, Maddox toured the tornado damage with public officials including President Barack Obama and Governor Robert Bentley.[13]

Mayor Maddox has been nationally recognized for his crisis management following the EF-4 tornado that destroyed 12 percent of the City and severely damaged or destroyed 5,300 homes and businesses. The New York Times stated that Maddox "emerged as an efficient, earnest, unwavering hero of the storm," and American City & County magazine named Maddox its 2012 Municipal Leader of the Year.[14][15][16] Mayor Maddox is currently serving as a fellow with the Program on Crisis Leadership at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "About Mayor Maddox". waltmaddox. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  2. ↑ http://www.al.com/news/tuscaloosa/index.ssf/2017/03/walt_maddox_wins_fourth_term_a.html
  3. ↑ "Maddox is new Mayor". The Tuscaloosa News. 12 September 2005. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  4. ↑ Bowen, Kevin. "Maddox unseats Hobson on City Council". tuscaloosanews.com. TuscaloosaNews.com. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  5. ↑ Stevenson, Tommy. "Watson, Maddox trade barbs". tuscaloosanews.com. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  6. ↑ "Tuscaloosa, AL Mayor - Runoff". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  7. ↑ Taylor, Stephanie (4 October 2005). "Passing the Torch in Tuscaloosa". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  8. ↑ "Tuscaloosa, AL Mayor". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  9. ↑ http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/news/20130827/tuscaloosa-municipal-election-results-lee-garrison-wins-boe-chair
  10. ↑ http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/news/20160905/tuscaloosa-activist-announces-mayoral-bid
  11. ↑ source: http://abc3340.com/news/local/tuscaloosa-mayor-walt-maddox-wins-4th-term
  12. ↑ Dean, Charles J. "April 27, 2011 tornadoes: Mayor Maddox is Tuscaloosa's eye in the storm". blog.al.com. Alabama Live LLC. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  13. ↑ Pasztor, Andy. "Obama Keeps Recalling Images of Tuscaloosa". blogs.wsj.com. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  14. ↑ Severson, Kim; Brown, Robbie. "Mayor’s World Remade in an Instant". nytimes.com. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  15. ↑ "Tuscaloosa Mayor Says Faith Helped After Tornado". npr.org. 9 May 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  16. ↑ Barkin, Robert. "2012 Municipal Leader of the Year: Building a championship team". americancityandcounty.com. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
Political offices
Preceded by
Al DuPont		 Mayor of Tuscaloosa
2005–present 		Incumbent
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