Breaking: Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd To Resign
Decatur Metro | December 20, 2012 | 3:30 pm
Oh wow. First, a note from the Mayor himself to DM readers…
Serving the people of Decatur as a commissioner and Mayor for the last 21 years has been an incredible experience. Recently, I have been given an opportunity to join the Pendleton Consulting Group in assisting businesses and local governments around Georgia. There is the possibility that some of the work that I will be doing might be considered by some to present a conflict of interest. For that reason, I have decided to step down as Mayor and Commissioner of the city of Decatur. As I have wrestled with this decision over the last few months it has been a very emotional time for me. As a resident and Mayor, I am extremely proud of the city’s employees and the manner in which they go about their jobs. They are dedicated to providing us, as residents, the best possible level of services. They do not see their work as a job but a way of life. They have made me look much better at my job than I really am.
>> Everyday I realize how fortunate I am to be one who calls Decatur home. The extraordinary people who live and work here make this an unusual and very special place. We are home to the best school system of any, and that fact is certainly one of reasons that makes Decatur a desirable place to live. I believe our best days are ahead and I look forward to being part of Decatur’s future.
>> My resignation will be effective January 7, 2013. On that day The Commission will elect a new Mayor and I know you will support that person just as you have supported me. I want to thank everyone for your support and help over the years and the confidence you have shown in me by allowing me to be your Mayor. Decatur is a small city but is one of the world’s greatest. Thanks.
And then this from the City’s Linda Harris…
Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd submitted a letter of resignation from his City Commission seat effective January 7, 2013. “I have been offered the chance to pursue different professional opportunities that will require a significant amount of my time and attention,“ said Mayor Floyd. “Decatur is a wonderfully unique community and it has been an honor and a privilege to serve on the City Commission and to be Mayor.”
Mayor Floyd was elected to the Decatur City Commission in November, 1991, served as Mayor pro tem from 1994 – 1997, and has served as Mayor since 1999. Floyd has served as the President of the Georgia Municipal Association, Chair of the Metropolitan Atlanta Mayor’s Association, on the Executive Committee for the Regional Transportation Sales Tax and on the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Regional Commission. Mayor Floyd has been active on numerous boards including the DeKalb Rape Crisis Center and the Decatur Education Foundation.
“Mayor Floyd has provided outstanding leadership and support for the City of Decatur,” stated City Manager Peggy Merriss. “He has been a huge part of our success. His humble approach and obvious pride in the City makes others want to be successful as well. He has championed our staff and challenged us to be better people. He will be missed.”
The Decatur City Commission annually elects one of their own to serve as Mayor at their first meeting each January. The election for Mayor is scheduled to occur Monday, January 7, 2013 at 7:30pm. It is expected that the Decatur City Commission will call a special election for March 19, 2013 to fill Mayor Floyd’s unexpired term as a North District City Commissioner. The call for the election, the establishment of the qualifying period and other details will be considered at their meeting on Tuesday, January 22, 2013.
It has been my good fortune to serve with Bill Floyd since I was first elected to the City Commission 12 years ago and I will sorely miss him. He’s leaving some Big Shoes to fill. He is a wise, thoughtful, caring person and helped Decatur develop into the kind of wonderful community it is today. I wish him well!
Thanks, Bill.
Thank you for your service, Mr. Floyd. You have helped make a great little city…greater. All the best to you.
End of an era. He’ll always be the Mayor to me. Just like Elizabeth Wilson is. I call her Mayor too.
Trying to deal with my discomfort with change that I cannot control.
oooooohhhhh nnnoooooooo, Mr. Bill.
Thank you Bill.
Mayor Floyd, you have lead Decatur through an amazing 21 years of growth and positive change . This city is a wonderful place to live due in large part to your vision and leadership. Thank you.
Best of luck in your new endeavor .
Thank you, Mr. Mayor! Only the best wishes for you.
Thank you for your service & legacy!
Well done, sir. I will miss your leadership. Thank you for your public service.
Congratulations Mayor Floyd and thank you so very much for your service. It has been a honor working with you in the legislative capacity and being one of the many you have mentored. You leave us with a wonderful legacy and roadmap to follow. My friend, we wish you the best.
Mayor Bill Floyd maintained a vision and an excitement to make the City of Decatur a progressive and wonderful town to live, work and enjoy. His success is due to his manner and approach. He has always been friendly, easy going and generous with his time. He would always get excited about new ideas and would work at making things become reality. Those of us who have been engaged in other cities, realize that without a singular attitude like that of the Mayor, work is much less fun. Decatur thrived because the Mayor intended it to. Thanks Bill for your wonderful attitude. Your presence will be missed.
Thanks, Bill, for so many years of service to the community. You have been a “good and faithful” servant!
What’s always struck me about Mayor Floyd’s leadership is that it has always appeared rooted in the long term. There are so many policies and initiatives in Decatur that might have caused some short term pain but paid off over the course of a decade or so.
Generally, that ain’t the way politics work. The timelines are driven by election cycles. It is a happy coincidence that Mayor Floyd was around long enough to get credit for his work. But it also means that we’ll continue to benefit from his leadership for years to come.
Thank you, Mayor Floyd for being a mystery reader at Clairemont Elementary, thank you for waving and chatting while walking around our neighborhoods, thank you for speaking at Dads and Donuts at RMS, thank you for attending so many civic events, thank you for giving so much of yourself and apparently enjoying it. You are a natural for Mayor of a small city–not just a leader of the community, but an integral part of the community. You will be hard to replace.
Mr. Mayor, during my brief stay in Decatur it was a pleasure to have known you. Good luck in your future endeavors.
I think y’all are missing the story here. Pendleton Consulting Group is one of the region’s top influence firms. If the Mayor can use his influence there to influence smarter growth policies ht’s going to be wonderful for the whole region.
We need more Decaturs throughout the region. We need more density in more places surrounding our research centers. Economic activity is moving away from office towers, toward campuses and their off-shoots. That’s what has driven Decatur lately — Emory, plus MARTA connections to GaState and GaTech.
Density is how we’ll reduce our carbon footprint, and grow our regional economy, and density will create political transformation as well. I wish the Mayor well in encouraging intelligent density throughout the area.
Sounds like a win-win for all. But I’ll still miss him…
What strikes me is how unusual it is to find a politician at any level of government that is as well respected as Bill Floyd. I wish there were more competent people like him running the show.