Qualifying for Atlanta city elections started with a bombshell Monday: the dean of the City Council, with 32 years in office, will retire at year’s end rather than seek a ninth term.
Councilman Jim Maddox, the longest serving elected city official in Atlanta’s history, has owned the District 11 seat in southwest Atlanta so long that Maynard Jackson was mayor when Maddox took office.
“It’s been a long journey for me,” Maddox said Monday. “I’ll be turning 75 in October. This is not sudden for me. I’ve been thinking about retiring for a long time. I’d like to do some other things.”
The veteran council member had been expected to seek another term until Monday’s announcement. He fielded calls all morning from well wishers.
Council President Lisa Borders, who grew up on the same street Maddox calls home, said he will be missed at city hall.
“I salute him for all his years of service,” Borders said.
Maddox’s decision throws the race for the District 11 seat up for grabs and shifts the council pecking order as well. Maddox would have been an overwhelming favorite against three little-known, under-funded challengers. Now, it’s a free-for-all.
And because District 11 is home to many of Atlanta’s black political and professional elite, the field could easily expand with some heavy hitters.
Maddox said it’s too early to tell if he will help any of his potential replacements.
Alvelyn Sanders, one of three challengers announced before Maddox’s decision, said she had a hard time raising any money early on because folks wondered why she was challenging the council’s dean.
“At least now people will be willing to hear about a new generation of leadership,” Sanders said.
Maddox also held some plum council assignments, including the chair of the council’s community development committee and a seat on finance. He’s held a variety of leadership posts over the years.
Over the years he’s authored legislation to create the city’s E-911 system, require sprinkler systems in new buildings and smoke detectors in new homes, and create a Tax Allocation District along the Campbellton Corridor.
Maddox has also been a strong proponent of casino gambling as a new source of revenue for Atlanta.
On the other hand, he’s become the butt of jokes at city hall for nodding off during city meetings.
He hopes to spend some of his retirement building Atlanta’s reputation as an international city.
“My vision is to see an international cultural and economic development center for the Southeast Region of the United States being housed in Atlanta.”
Qualifying continues in Atlanta through Friday as well as hundreds of other cities across the state.
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