Marshall Pitts Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marshall Pitts Jr.
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| Mayor of Fayetteville, North Carolina | |
| In office December 3, 2001 – December 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Milo McBryde |
| Succeeded by | Tony Chavonne |
| Personal details | |
| Profession | Democratic |
Marshall B. Pitts Jr. is an American lawyer and politician. He served as the Mayor of Fayetteville, North Carolina, for two terms. He was mayor from 2001 until 2005. Pitts was also the city's first African-American mayor.
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About Marshall Pitts Jr.
Marshall Pitts Jr. went to Westover High School in Fayetteville. He was part of the school's track team. Later, he studied law and graduated from the North Carolina Central University School of Law in 1990.
Starting His Political Journey
Pitts first tried to join the Fayetteville City Council in 1997. He lost that election by a very small number of votes. But he didn't give up!
In 1999, he ran again for a city council seat and won. This was a big moment. He became the first African-American person elected to the Fayetteville City Council in 20 years. A city council is a group of elected officials who help run a city.
Becoming Mayor of Fayetteville
In 2001, Marshall Pitts Jr. decided to run for Mayor of Fayetteville. He ran against the current mayor, Milo McBryde. Mayor McBryde had been on the city council for many years. Pitts' campaign had a clear message: "Change Is Coming."
On November 6, 2001, the election took place. Pitts won the election, getting about 56% of the votes. He was sworn in as mayor on December 3, 2001. This was a historic day because he became the city's first African-American mayor.
Re-election and City Growth
Mayor Pitts was re-elected for a second term in 2003. He easily won against his opponent, Robert Anderson. His campaign slogan for this election was "Change Is Now."
During his second term, some areas next to Fayetteville were added to the city. This process is called annexation. It meant that about 43,000 new people became residents of Fayetteville. This helped the city grow bigger.
End of His Mayoral Term
In the election on November 8, 2005, Mayor Pitts ran for re-election again. However, he was defeated by Tony Chavonne. Chavonne received about 55% of the votes. The new areas that were added to Fayetteville seemed to play a big part in this election. Chavonne won by a lot in these newer parts of the city.
