Eva Galambos Wants to Hand City Reins to Rusty Paul as Next Sandy Springs Mayor

Mayor Eva Galambos is ready to turn over the keys to city to Rusty Paul.

The former City Councilman was flanked by Mayor Eva Galambos and City Councilmembers Tibby DeJulio, Dianne Fries and Gabriel Sterling, Monday, when he announced his 2013 campaign run for Mayor.

Paul announced his desire to be Sandy Springs' next Mayor to a crowd at Morgan Falls Overlook Park.

Galambos says she turns 85 in July, adding, "I think it makes sense to go out when you're at the top of your game."

Rusty Paul is a former Georgia State Senator and Department of Housing and Urban Development Assistant Secretary. He currently serves as co-chair of the Government Affairs and Public Policy Practice.

If elected, Paul said his vision includes replacing old apartment complexes. “If we don’t replace our rental housing stock in a timely manner, we’ll soon find we have evolving pockets of slums that will be a breeding ground for crime and a deteriorating quality of life,” Paul said.

Paul added that he also wants to ensure that the right kind of commercial development comes into Sandy Springs. Poor zoning decisions were made before Sandy Springs was incorporated, he said.

“I don’t want to see anything that damages our residential neighborhoods,” Paul said. “It’s a balancing act. We need a healthy mix of commercial development and residential because our tax base depends on it."

Paul also said he would continue Sandy Springs' public/private partnership model and execute downtown plans.

All six City Council members are up for re-election. DeJulio, Fries and Sterling will seek re-election. Patch has not learned of Chip Collins and John Paulson’s plans.

Karen Meinzen McEnery has said that she will not run again for City Council. “I believe in term limits and I believe there are many people out there who can bring new ideas,” she said.

Who do you think should be the next Mayor of Sandy Springs? Tell us in the comments below.