This article contains content that is written like an advertisement .(June 2019) |
Teresa Tomlinson | |
---|---|
69th Mayor of Columbus | |
In office January 3, 2011 –January 9, 2019 | |
Preceded by | Jim Wetherington |
Succeeded by | Skip Henderson |
Personal details | |
Born | Atlanta,Georgia,U.S. | February 19,1965
Political party | Democratic |
Education | Sweet Briar College (BA) Emory University (JD) |
Website | Campaign website |
Teresa Pike Tomlinson (born February 19,1965) is an American politician and attorney. A member of the Democratic Party,she was elected and served as the 69th Mayor of Columbus,Georgia,in 2010. [1] [2] On January 3,2011,she was sworn in as the city's first female mayor. [3]
On May 20,2014,she was re-elected to a second term with 62% of the vote,making her the first mayor since the city's consolidation in 1971 to win re-election in a contested race. [4]
Tomlinson currently practices law where she handles litigation and appellate cases. She has received 8-figure awards in multiple forums and argued issues of first impression before federal and state appellate courts across the country. She represents both defense and plaintiff interests.
Tomlinson is a 1983 graduate of Chamblee High School in Atlanta,Georgia. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sweet Briar College in Virginia and a Juris Doctor from the Emory University School of Law. [5] [6] [7]
Tomlinson worked as an attorney at the firm Pope,McGlamry,Kilpatrick,Morrison and Norwood for sixteen years,and eventually became the firm's first female partner. [8] She served as Executive Director of MidTown,Inc.,a non-profit community renewal organization,from 2006 until 2010. [9]
In 2015,Tomlinson and other Sweet Briar College alumnae raised $28.5 million to meet the conditions of a court-approved settlement,preventing the potential closure of their undergraduate alma mater. [10] She was a primary witness in the court case that was successful before the Virginia Supreme Court and was involved in discussions with the Virginia Attorney General's Office regarding the saving of the college. [11]
On January 7,2019,Tomlinson joined the law firm Hall Booth Smith,P.C.,as a partner specializing in complex litigation,crisis management,and strategic solutions. [12] On February 8,2024,Teresa Tomlinson was lead trial counsel for the Plaintiff Christina Necole Vazquez Klecha who received a jury award of $20.7 million for the wrongful death of her father,George ("Bick") Hale Bickerstaff,III. [13] The case involved the shooting death of Mr. Bickerstaff immediately following a dispute regarding land use and sale. Mr. Bickerstaff was 60 years old at the time he was fatally shot. The case was tried in Columbus,Georgia,in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. [14]
During her tenure,Columbus,Georgia,was named one of the top fifty Best-Run Cities in America in both 2016 and 2017. [15] [16] Her administration reduced crime by 39.3% from its height in 2009,including a 41.2% drop in property crime and a 15% drop in violent crime. [17] [18] Under her leadership,the Columbus Consolidated Government balanced the budget for the first time in 16 years using no reserve funds [19] [20] and provided city and county services at the cost of $1,300 per person. [21] Tomlinson instituted reform in the city's pension plan,increasing funding of the General Government plan to over 90%,while preserving the Defined Benefit Plan for Employees. [22] [23] [24] [25] She also instituted reform at the Muscogee County Prison with the Rapid Resolution Initiative,which expedited the disposition of unindicted inmates at the Muscogee County Jail. [26] [27] [28] Tax Allocation Districts were adopted to encourage the revitalization of city districts,including City Village and the Liberty District. [29] [30] New biking/walking trails were constructed,known as the Dragonfly Trails,to create 60 miles of connected trails throughout the city,including trails and streetscapes in previously blighted areas. [31] Over two miles of the Chattahoochee River were returned to its natural state,creating the world's longest Whitewater Course in an urban setting. [32] Tomlinson has overseen the renaissance of the city's downtown creating a dining and entertainment district,known as Uptown. [33] [34]
Tomlinson has written opinion pieces for The Daily Beast and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. [35] [36] [37] [38] [39]
Tomlinson completed her second term on January 6,2019. [40] [41] Tomlinson ran in the Democratic primary to challenge incumbent Senator David Perdue in the 2020 election but lost to Jon Ossoff who later won the runoff election against Perdue. [42] [43]
Tomlinson moved to Columbus in 1994 from Atlanta and married Wade "Trip" Tomlinson,who was raised in Columbus. [44]
The Columbus Cottonmouths were a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus,Georgia. The team is nicknamed the Snakes and played their home games at the Columbus Civic Center. In 2017,the team suspended operations after failing to find a new owner.
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William J. "Jim" Wetherington is an American politician and policeman who served as the 67th mayor of Columbus,Georgia from 2007 to 2011. Before being elected mayor,Wetherington served the city of Columbus as chief of police,and the state of Georgia as commissioner of the Georgia Department of Corrections,where he led the sixth largest prison system in the United States. He was elected 67th mayor of that city in 2006,after defeating incumbent mayor Bob Poydasheff. As mayor,Wetherington raised taxes to increase the size of the Columbus police force,and worked to improve the mayor's office's relationships between with the mayor's office and the county school district. In accordance with a promise to his wife,Wetherington chose not to run for reelection in the 2010 election despite high approval ratings. (subscription required) After leaving office at the end of his term in 2011,Wetherington was replaced by lawyer Teresa Tomlinson.
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