Walt Maddox facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Walt Maddox
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Maddox in 2022
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| 36th Mayor of Tuscaloosa | |
| Assumed office October 3, 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Al DuPont |
| Member of the Tuscaloosa City Council from the 6th district |
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| In office October 1, 2001 – October 3, 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Clell Hobson |
| Succeeded by | Bob Lundell |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Walter Thomas Maddox
December 27, 1972 Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses |
Robin Maddox
(m. 1998; div. 2008)Stephanie Roberts
(m. 2010) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Alabama at Birmingham (BA, MPA) |
Walter Thomas Maddox (born December 27, 1972) is an American politician. He has been the 36th mayor of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, since 2005. Before becoming mayor, he served on the Tuscaloosa City Council from 2001 to 2005. He also worked as a director for the Alabama Education Association and for Tuscaloosa City Schools.
In 2018, he ran for governor of Alabama as the Democratic candidate. He lost to the current governor, Kay Ivey.
Contents
Early Life and Career
Walter Maddox grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He went to Tuscaloosa City Schools and graduated from Central High School in 1991. He then attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham. There, he played football and earned degrees in political science and Public Administration.
From 1996 to 2001, Maddox worked for the Alabama Education Association. In 2001, he became the executive director of personnel for Tuscaloosa City Schools. Later that year, he was elected to the Tuscaloosa City Council. He promised to improve education and reduce crime.
Mayor of Tuscaloosa
In 2005, the longtime Tuscaloosa mayor, Al DuPont, retired. Walter Maddox ran for mayor and won a close election. He was sworn in on October 3, 2005.
Maddox has been reelected five times since then. He won without opposition in 2009 and 2013. In 2017, he faced a challenger but won with 89% of the vote. He was elected to his fifth term in 2021 and his sixth term in 2025.
The 2011 Tuscaloosa Tornado
On April 27, 2011, a very strong tornado hit Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. It caused a lot of damage and sadly, 44 people in Tuscaloosa County lost their lives. The city had about $927 million in damage. This tornado was part of a huge storm system called the 2011 Super Outbreak. Just two weeks before, another strong tornado had hit a similar part of the city.
After the April 27 tornado, Mayor Maddox toured the damaged areas with important leaders like President Barack Obama and Governor Robert J. Bentley. About 12% of the city was destroyed, and around 5,300 homes and businesses were badly damaged or ruined. Mayor Maddox was praised for his strong leadership during this difficult time.
Municipal Leader of the Year Award
In 2012, a magazine for local government officials called American City and County named Mayor Maddox the Municipal Leader of the Year. He was chosen from over 100 nominees across the country. The University of Alabama leaders nominated him because of his work after the 2011 tornado. They noted his disaster plan, training programs, and the "Tuscaloosa Forward" plan. This plan helped the city get money and resources for recovery.
Core Beliefs for Leadership
Mayor Maddox leads with four main beliefs and a goal of excellence. He wants Tuscaloosa to be the most responsible, creative, and well-managed city in the United States.
- Citizens must be safe from crime, fire, medical emergencies, or natural disasters. The city's response should be quick and effective.
- Protecting neighborhoods and growing the economy comes from smart money management, good planning, and investing in important city structures.
- All areas of the city that need help should get investments. These investments should improve education, jobs, and fun activities.
- Excellent customer service is everyone's job. The city's work should be helpful, respectful, and responsible.
Tuscaloosa 311 Service
In 2007, Mayor Maddox started Tuscaloosa 311. This is a special phone number for people to call for non-emergency help from the city government. Residents can ask for services, get help with permits, find out about city events, or report problems. The service became very popular and had to hire more staff to handle all the calls.
In 2024, Tuscaloosa 311 became the first 311 center in Alabama to receive national certification.
ELEVATE Tuscaloosa Initiative
Elevate Tuscaloosa is a program that invests in the community. It gets money from a special sales tax and federal grants. Mayor Maddox started it in 2020. Its goal is to make life better for everyone by investing in education, arts, tourism, parks, and connecting different parts of the city.
Some of its successes include helping high school students take college classes early and funding programs for young children. It also supported over 230 small businesses during the pandemic. Elevate Tuscaloosa has planned over $290 million for projects and has received over $109 million in matching funds.
Pre-K Initiative
During his first term, Mayor Maddox created a special group to plan how to give all four-year-old children in Tuscaloosa a good pre-kindergarten education. He also started the annual Mayor's Cup event, which has raised over $350,000 for pre-K classrooms. The Tuscaloosa Pre-K Initiative is now a model for other pre-K programs in Alabama.
Crisis Leadership Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School
For more than ten years, Mayor Maddox worked as a senior fellow at the Program on Crisis Leadership at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. In this role, he shared what he learned from Tuscaloosa's tornado recovery efforts. He helped teach other city leaders how to handle big emergencies.
Emergency Management Task Force
In July 2025, the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) asked Mayor Maddox to join a new group called the Intergovernmental Emergency Management Task Force. The USCM is an organization for mayors of large cities. This task force will work to make sure the federal government provides enough money and help for cities and states during big emergencies.
2018 Alabama Governor Election
On October 5, 2017, Walter Maddox announced he would run for governor of Alabama. He said that the state needed better leadership, especially in education and healthcare. He won the Democratic primary election on June 5, 2018. However, he lost the main election in November to the Republican governor, Kay Ivey.
During his campaign, Maddox supported policies that protect unborn babies and the right to own guns.
Personal Life
Walter Maddox married Robin Maddox on December 27, 1998. They had a daughter together before they divorced in 2008. On June 26, 2010, he married Stephanie Nicole Roberts. Their son was born in 2013.
See also
- List of mayors of Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Images for kids
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Mayor Maddox at Snow Hinton Park in 2024
