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Walt Maddox

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Walt Maddox
Maddox in 2011
36th Mayor of Tuscaloosa
Incumbent
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 51)
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Robin Maddox
​
​
(m. 1998; div. 2008)​

Stephanie Roberts
​
(m. 2010)​
Children2
EducationUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham (BA, MPA)
WebsiteOfficial 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 2005, he served on the Tuscaloosa City Council and as executive director of personnel for Tuscaloosa City Schools. Maddox was a field director for the Alabama Education Association from 1996 to 2001.[1]

Maddox was elected mayor of Tuscaloosa and has been reelected four times.[2] In 2018, he was the Democratic nominee for governor of Alabama, losing to incumbent Republican Kay Ivey.[3]

Early life and career

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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, he was appointed executive director of personnel for Tuscaloosa City Schools, serving until he was elected mayor.[1][4] On August 28, 2001, Maddox was elected to the Tuscaloosa City Council, defeating incumbent Clell Hobson, 61% to 39%. He ran on a platform of education reform and crime reduction.[5]

Mayor of Tuscaloosa

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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 reelected without opposition.[9]

Maddox was reelected again without opposition on August 27, 2013.[10] On November 4, he was sworn in for his third term as 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-olds.

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] with 89% of the vote to Lewis's 11%. He was sworn into his fourth term on May 22, 2017.

On March 2, 2021, Maddox was elected to his fifth term with 56% of the vote, defeating University of Alabama professor Serena Fortenberry and former University of Alabama football player Martin Houston.[13]

2011 Tuscaloosa tornado

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Further information: 2011 Tuscaloosa–Birmingham tornado

On April 27, 2011, a large EF4 tornado struck Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, killing 44 people in Tuscaloosa County and inflicting $927 million in damage to the city. The tornado, part of the 2011 Super Outbreak, was the second significant tornado to affect the city that month, as an EF3 tornado struck a similar part of the city on April 15. On April 29, Maddox toured the April 27 tornado damage with public officials including President Barack Obama and Governor Robert J. Bentley.[14]

The tornado destroyed 12% of the city; it severely damaged or destroyed approximately 5,300 homes and businesses. Maddox was widely praised for his leadership in the aftermath of the storm.[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]

Harvard Kennedy School crisis leadership fellow

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Maddox is a fellow with the Program on Crisis Leadership at the Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.[19] He was promoted to senior fellow in the program in August 2019, and will partner with the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative's executive education courses to discuss lessons he learned during Tuscaloosa's tornado recovery efforts.[20]

2018 Alabama gubernatorial election

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Main article: 2018 Alabama gubernatorial election
Walt Maddox For Governor Logo

On October 5, 2017, Maddox announced his plans to run for governor of Alabama, saying Republican leadership had failed the state, which "still ranks near the bottom in every quality-of-life indicator from education to healthcare."[21] 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 lost to Republican incumbent governor Kay Ivey.

Maddox ran as a "pro-life," pro-Second Amendment candidate.[22]

Endorsements

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Personal life

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On December 27, 1998,[31] Maddox married Robin Maddox, a realtor. After having a daughter[32] together, they divorced in 2008.[31] On June 26, 2010, Maddox married Stephanie Nicole Roberts.[33] Their son was born in 2013.[32]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "About Mayor Maddox". waltmaddox. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  2. ^ "Walt Maddox wins fourth term as Tuscaloosa mayor in election". March 8, 2017.
  3. ^ Clemente, Christian (June 6, 2018). "Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox wins Democratic nomination for governor - The Auburn Plainsman". Theplainsman.com. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  4. ^ "Maddox is new Mayor". The Tuscaloosa News. September 12, 2005. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  5. ^ Bowen, Kevin. "Maddox unseats Hobson on City Council". tuscaloosanews.com. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  6. ^ Stevenson, Tommy. "Watson, Maddox trade barbs". tuscaloosanews.com. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  7. ^ "Tuscaloosa, AL Mayor - Runoff". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  8. ^ Taylor, Stephanie (October 4, 2005). "Passing the Torch in Tuscaloosa". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  9. ^ "Tuscaloosa, AL Mayor". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  10. ^ Lyons Yellin Digital Editor - The Tuscaloosa News. "Tuscaloosa municipal election results: Lee Garrison wins BOE chair". {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  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. ^ Digital, WVTM 13 (March 3, 2021). "Tuscaloosa Mayoral Race: Walt Maddox reelected to fifth term". WVTM. Retrieved March 3, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ Pasztor, Andy (April 30, 2011). "Obama Keeps Recalling Images of Tuscaloosa". blogs.wsj.com. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  15. ^ Severson, Kim; Brown, Robbie (May 10, 2011). "Mayor's World Remade in an Instant". The New York Times. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  16. ^ "Tuscaloosa Mayor Says Faith Helped After Tornado". npr.org. May 9, 2011. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  17. ^ Barkin, Robert. "2012 Municipal Leader of the Year: Building a championship team". americancityandcounty.com. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  18. ^ Beito, David T (April 14, 2012). "Tornado Recovery: How Joplin Is Beating Tuscaloosa". wsj.com. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  19. ^ "Walter Maddox | Harvard Kennedy School". Hks.harvard.edu. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  20. ^ "Harvard names Tuscaloosa mayor senior fellow in crisis response program". Tuscaloosa News. September 5, 2019. Archived from the original on September 6, 2019.
  21. ^ "Walt Maddox officially announces run for Alabama governor". October 5, 2017.
  22. ^ Prickett, Sam (November 2, 2018). "Maddox Defines Himself as Voice of Progress as Election Day Nears". BirminghamWatch. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  23. ^ "Lars Anderson on Twitter".
  24. ^ "Our View: Walt Maddox for Governor of Alabama - The Crimson White".
  25. ^ "New South Endorses Maddox in Gubernatorial Primary". US News & World Report. April 26, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  26. ^ "Ron Sparks backs Walt Maddox in Democratic gubernatorial primary". May 2018.
  27. ^ "2018 Endorsements". May 16, 2018.
  28. ^ "Randall Woodfin endorses 'proven leader' Walt Maddox for governor". May 18, 2018.
  29. ^ KIM CHANDLER. "ADC endorses Maddox in race for governor". Associated Press.
  30. ^ "Walt Maddox endorsed by former state Sen. Roger Bedford for governor". March 24, 2018.
  31. ^ a b "Maddox files for divorce". tuscaloosanews.com. June 12, 2008. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  32. ^ a b Brown, Melissa (March 22, 2015). "Mayor Walt Maddox: Tuscaloosa's tornado-tested leader". al.com. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  33. ^ "Walter Thomas Maddox and Stephanie Nicole Roberts". tuscaloosanews.com. December 15, 2010. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
[edit]
Political offices
Preceded by
Al DuPont
 Mayor of Tuscaloosa
2005–present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Governor of Alabama
2018 		Succeeded by
Yolanda Flowers
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