MABLETON, Ga. — The newly-created City of Mableton is just hours away from electing its first mayor in a runoff election. It’s now down to pro-cityhood candidate Michael Owens and candidate Aaron Carman – who voted against Mableton becoming a city.
11Alive spoke with several other first-time mayors across Georgia, who gave some advice for whoever gets elected Tuesday night.
Mike Bodker was Johns Creek’s first mayor, back in 2006.
“Stay focused on your priorities and the priorities of the citizens who asked you to form that city,” he suggested.
J. Max Davis was Brookhaven’s first mayor, back in 2012.
“We went from bad sidewalks, bad parks, little police coverage, crazy zoning – we changed all of that,” he said.
Mike Mason founded Peachtree Corners in 2012 and continues to be that city’s mayor.
“The key thing is getting and building a consensus,” he said. “You build a consensus around a vision.”
All three men expressed that when they were running for mayor, many residents were also split on the cityhood decision. However, they believe that the incorporation of their new city helped improve home values and public security, among some issues.
“Property values have risen, things have gotten nicer, people feel more secure in their homes, the roads aren’t filled with potholes, you can walk on sidewalks without fear of getting run over,” Davis said.
Mason added things continue to improve in Peachtree Corners.
“It's been great. If you look at the city, from the point of view of, 'Are the citizens happy? Are property values going up?' Or can they look around the landscape and go, ‘Wow, I can see a difference and I'm not disappointed in it, I like it.’ Then I would say double thumbs up. I get that all the time wherever I go in the city. So things are... going well,” he said.
Bodker helped lead the effort to create the City of Johns Creek.
“There were concerns about a lack of public safety resources in an area that had grown quite a bit over the years preceding it without an increase in those resources from the unincorporated county government. And then secondly, it was to control zoning. And those are the two main drivers for cityhood,” Bodker added.
The advice from the three men included to: be patient, listen to your staff and constituents, hire the right people, and always keep your original goal in mind.
“They have a transition period, which was afforded to us as well,” Bodker said. “I think one of the most important things as the new government is to not rush. Our attitude was we wanted to do everything A-class, as opposed to rushing and doing it less in a lesser manner.”
Davis added that you should, “hire people who know how to organize – that’s the one thing that gets overwhelming with the speed of how things. You have to have people who keep things and remind you – you have to pass this ordinance. Get a good city attorney, vet your city attorney.”
Mason echoed what he has been doing for over a decade.
“What I have made a point to do is you make sure every single city council member is listened to. We have a lot of unanimous votes 7-0, 7-0, 7-0, because we take the time to listen to everybody and go okay, well, how can you work with this? It’s a journey and we’re all taking it together.”
Bodker said he heavily credits Eva Galambos, Sandy Springs’s first mayor back in 2005, as an inspiration for several new cities in Georgia over the past decade.
He provided additional advice from other people who helped inspire him along the way, saying, “You're going to win some votes and you're going to lose some votes. You're going to get your way and you're not going to get your way. But if you keep score and you hold resentment towards your fellow councilmembers, you're never going to accomplish anything.”
As for things they’d do differently?
“We were nervous during the cityhood fight,” Davis said. “'Were we going to be bankrupt? Were we going to have to raise taxes?' Turned out we had more money than we knew what to do with because the county was wasting so much. Just assert yourself a little earlier in your philosophy – maybe instead of a year, six months. Take the advice of the people around you, the professionals, but once you get your sea legs, start asserting what you know to be right earlier than you might think.”
Bodker added, “I'm sure there's lots of things I would do differently. But I think the majority of it is that there was lots of things on my to-do list when I left 15 years later.”