Walt Maddox reinvented Tuscaloosa, and now eyes Alabama

Walt Maddox didn’t get into politics to change the world. He just wanted to fix his plumbing.

“I had a sewer issue at my house that I felt like the city didn’t help me with,” Maddox said. “That issue spurred me to run for city council.”

Now, 17 years after his first campaign, the 45-year-old gubernatorial candidate is considered a frontrunner in the Democratic primary. He served one term on the Tuscaloosa City Council before running for mayor, a position he’s held for more than 12 years.

Those years included the Great Recession and a deadly direct hit by a powerful tornado that leveled more than 12 percent of the city. They also overlapped with economic recovery and an era of expansion at the University of Alabama. Out-of-state students flooded the city, drawn by a dominant football program and generous financial aid.

All those things have reshaped the city – and Maddox – in fundamental ways. The young mayor who spent his first years in office focused on municipal debt and storm water drainage now had to rebuild a city torn apart by one of the deadliest twisters in state history. Under the glare of the national spotlight, Maddox turned poised and inspirational to lead the city out of its darkest moment.

“The destruction was unimaginable,” Maddox said. “Twelve-and-a-half percent of our city was wiped from the earth. Over 5,300 structures impacted, 53 fatalities. Within the tornado zone itself we had over $700 million worth of infrastructure damages.”

As Maddox and other city leaders embarked on the cleanup, they had to decide how to rebuild.

“Because when you deal with 5,300 property owners, hundreds of miles of water, sewer, fiber – it’s extremely complicated,” Maddox said. “And the best thing that we did at the beginning was engage the public. We had over 3,000 people participate in forums and town hall meetings. We had tens of thousands participate in virtual town hall meetings on our website.”

In the end, he decided to create a master plan that would guide the recovery. Maddox said the approach would save money in the long run. Roads could be improved and widened before business owners started to rebuild.

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