Walter Maddox

Last updated
Walter Maddox
Walter Maddox May 2011.jpg
36th Mayor of Tuscaloosa
Assumed office
October 3, 2005
Preceded byAl DuPont
Member of the Tuscaloosa City Council
from the 6th district
In office
October 1, 2001 –October 3, 2005
Preceded byClell Hobson
Succeeded byBob Lundell
Personal details
Born
Walter Thomas Maddox

(1972-12-27) December 27, 1972 (age 45)
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s)
Robin Maddox
(m. 1998;div. 2008)

Stephanie Roberts(m. 2010)
Children2
Education University of Alabama, Birmingham (BA, MPA)
Website Official website

Walter Thomas 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]

Tuscaloosa, Alabama City in Alabama, United States

Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama. Located on the Black Warrior River at the Atlantic Seaboard fall line of the Piedmont, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with an estimated population of 100,287 in 2017. The city was originally known as Tuskaloosa until the early 20th century.

Tuscaloosa City Schools

Tuscaloosa City Schools is a public school district headquartered in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. The district's boundaries are the city limits of Tuscaloosa.

Alabama Education Association

The Alabama Education Association (AEA) is a statewide professional organization that represents public school employees in the state of Alabama. It is based in the state capital of Montgomery. The AEA is the largest education association in Alabama and is an advocate organization that leads the movement for excellence in education and is the voice of education professionals in Alabama. AEA's mission is to promote education excellence. The AEA provides legal assistance, professional development opportunities, member benefits, and a strong voice for education in the Alabama Legislature. The AEA serves as the advocate for its members and leads in the advancement of equitable and quality public education for Alabama's diverse population. The AEA is an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization.

Contents

In 2005 he successfully ran for Mayor of Tuscaloosa and has been re-elected three times. [2] In 2018, Maddox was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Alabama. [3]

Democratic Party (United States) political party in the United States

The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. Tracing its heritage back to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison's Democratic-Republican Party, the modern-day Democratic Party was founded around 1828 by supporters of Andrew Jackson, making it the world's oldest active political party.

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.

Central High School (Tuscaloosa, Alabama) high school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States

Central High School is a high school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States, enrolling grades 9 to 12. The school enrolls approximately 700 students, and is one of three traditional high schools in the Tuscaloosa City School District along with Paul W. Bryant High School and Northridge High School. Central High School offers the International Baccalaureate program.

University of Alabama at Birmingham public university in Birmingham, Alabama

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a public research university in Birmingham, Alabama. Developed from an academic extension center established in 1936, the institution became a four-year campus in 1966 and a fully autonomous institution in 1969. Today, it is one of three institutions in the University of Alabama System and, along with the University of Alabama, an R1 research institution. In the fall of 2018, 21,923students from more than 110 countries were enrolled at UAB pursuing studies in 140 programs of study in 12 academic divisions leading to bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional degrees in the social and behavioral sciences, the liberal arts, business, education, engineering, and health-related fields such as medicine, dentistry, optometry, nursing, and public health.

Bachelors degree Undergraduate academic degree

A bachelor's degree or baccalaureate is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to seven years. In some institutions and educational systems, some bachelor's degrees can only be taken as graduate or postgraduate degrees after a first degree has been completed. In countries with qualifications frameworks, bachelor's degrees are normally one of the major levels in the framework, although some qualifications titled bachelor's degrees may be at other levels and some qualifications with non-bachelor's titles may be classified as bachelor's degrees.

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] [4] 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. [5]

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%. [6] This forced a runoff on September 13, which Maddox won with 54% of the vote to Watson's 46%. [7] Maddox was inaugurated on October 3, in front of Tuscaloosa City Hall. [8]

On August 25, 2009, Maddox was re-elected without opposition. [9]

Maddox was re-elected again without opposition on August 27, 2013. [10]

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. [11] Maddox defeated Lewis [12] 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. [13] Two days later, Maddox toured the tornado damage with public officials including President Barack Obama and Governor Robert Bentley. [14] 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. [15] [16] [17] The Wall Street Journal described the Tuscaloosa disaster response as an attempt to "courageously create a showpiece" of "unique neighborhoods that are healthy, safe, accessible, connected, and sustainable.” [18] Mayor Maddox is currently serving as a fellow with the Program on Crisis Leadership at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. [19] [20] [21]

2018 Alabama gubernatorial election

On October 5, 2017 Maddox announced his plans to run for Governor of the state of Alabama. Saying in a video posted to social media quote. "I believe in Alabama and I believe in our potential which is why I believe that we must solve the crisis of leadership. In the past 18 months, the Governor, the Speaker, the Chief Justice, and the Majority Leader have left office in shame. And, when courage was required, silence was the only response from Montgomery's leaders. The crisis of leadership has led to a crisis in state government where Alabama still ranks near the bottom in every quality of life indicator from education to health care. Preserving the status quo is not a strategy for creating a brighter future for all Alabamians." [22] He won the June 5 primary with 54.6% of the vote, defeating former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb. In November he was defeated by the Republican incumbent governor, Kay Ivey in the general election.

Gov-Logo2018.png

Endorsements

Personal life

On December 27, 1998, [31] Maddox married Robin Maddox. After having one daughter, Taylor, [32] together, Walt and Robin divorced in 2008. [31] On June 26, 2010, Maddox remarried, to Stephanie Nicole Roberts. [33] Their son, Eli, was born in 2013. [32]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "About Mayor Maddox". waltmaddox. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  2. ↑ "Walt Maddox wins fourth term as Tuscaloosa mayor in election".
  3. ↑ http://www.theplainsman.com/article/2018/06/walt-maddox-wins-democratic-nomination-for-alabama-governor
  4. ↑ "Maddox is new Mayor". The Tuscaloosa News. 12 September 2005. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  5. ↑ Bowen, Kevin. "Maddox unseats Hobson on City Council". tuscaloosanews.com. TuscaloosaNews.com. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  6. ↑ Stevenson, Tommy. "Watson, Maddox trade barbs". tuscaloosanews.com. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  7. ↑ "Tuscaloosa, AL Mayor - Runoff". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  8. ↑ Taylor, Stephanie (4 October 2005). "Passing the Torch in Tuscaloosa". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  9. ↑ "Tuscaloosa, AL Mayor". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  10. ↑ Lyons Yellin Digital Editor - The Tuscaloosa News. "Tuscaloosa municipal election results: Lee Garrison wins BOE chair".
  11. ↑ Writer, Jason Morton Staff. "Tuscaloosa activist announces mayoral bid".
  12. ↑ source: http://abc3340.com/news/local/tuscaloosa-mayor-walt-maddox-wins-4th-term
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ Pasztor, Andy. "Obama Keeps Recalling Images of Tuscaloosa". blogs.wsj.com. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  15. ↑ Severson, Kim; Brown, Robbie. "Mayor's World Remade in an Instant". nytimes.com. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  16. ↑ "Tuscaloosa Mayor Says Faith Helped After Tornado". npr.org. 9 May 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  17. ↑ Barkin, Robert. "2012 Municipal Leader of the Year: Building a championship team". americancityandcounty.com. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  18. ↑ Beito, David T. "Tornado Recovery: How Joplin Is Beating Tuscaloosa". wsj.com. The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  19. ↑ "Walter Maddox". www.hks.harvard.edu.
  20. ↑ Mayor Maddox is currently serving as a fellow with the Program on Crisis Leadership at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
  21. ↑ https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/research-initiatives/crisisleadership/about-us/people/walter-maddox
  22. ↑ "Walt Maddox officially announces run for Alabama governor".
  23. ↑ "Lars Anderson on Twitter".
  24. ↑ "Our View: Walt Maddox for Governor of Alabama - The Crimson White".
  25. ↑ https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/alabama/articles/2018-04-26/new-south-endorses-maddox-in-gubernatorial-primary
  26. ↑ "Ron Sparks backs Walt Maddox in Democratic gubernatorial primary".
  27. ↑ "2018 Endorsements". 16 May 2018.
  28. ↑ "Randall Woodfin endorses 'proven leader' Walt Maddox for governor".
  29. ↑ Press, KIM CHANDLER, Associated. "ADC endorses Maddox in race for governor".
  30. ↑ "Walt Maddox endorsed by former state Sen. Roger Bedford for governor".
  31. 1 2 "Maddox files for divorce". tuscaloosanews.com. TuscaloosaNews.com. June 12, 2008. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  32. 1 2 Brown, Melissa (March 22, 2015). "Mayor Walt Maddox: Tuscaloosa's tornado-tested leader". al.com. al.com. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  33. ↑ "Walter Thomas Maddox and Stephanie Nicole Roberts". tuscaloosanews.com. TuscaloosaNews.com. December 15, 2010. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
Political offices
Preceded by
Al DuPont		 Mayor of Tuscaloosa
2005–present		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by
Parker Griffith 		Democratic nominee for Governor of Alabama
2018 		Incumbent
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