Meet Mike Mason, Candidate for Peachtree Corners First Mayor

By Gay Shook

The city of Peachtree Corners, which was newly voted into existence on Nov. 8, 2011, has a heavy hitter running to be its first mayor.

Mike Mason, 61, was one of the founders of the United Peachtree Corners Civic Association (UPCCA) in 1993 and has been significantly involved with the organization since that time, serving as its president off and on through the years and currently, through the cityhood initiative.

UPCCA was established initially to address land use issues in the area, but has evolved over time into functioning as the de facto government of unincorporated Peachtree Corners, providing a reasoned voice for a broader range of community issues.

In his professional life, Mason, a CPA, is vice president and CFO of Intelligent Switchgear Organization LLC, a joint venture of Eaton Corporation & Caterpillar, Inc. in Alpharetta. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a BS in Accounting and holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Evansville.

Mike and his wife Debbie have been married for 38 years and are the parents of two adult sons, Matt and Nick. Extensive community service has been a hallmark of their marriage since they moved to Peachtree Corners in 1985. Mike was the founder of the Fox Hill Homeowners’ Association in 1994 and was elected its first president; he is author of that organization’s by-laws.

Both Mike and Debbie have served their community in numerous ways. Mike served on the local school advisory committees at , , , and as his sons grew up and moved through the schools.

He served as Cub Master for Pack 525 Cub Scouts for two years and as assistant coach for the Norcross Recreation League football for five years. He was also coach for youth T-ball, soccer, and basketball teams for several years. He is a graduate of Senior Leadership Gwinnett.

Mason views the first term of inaugural mayor, a part-time position with a term of four years, as the completion of his deep commitment to bring the area of Peachtree Corners to its logical, and therefore desired, destination as a city.

UPCCA is run entirely by volunteers and as such, the workload in recent years has become far too onerous for reliable volunteer participation by residents. Protecting the boundaries of Peachtree Corners against annexation by adjacent municipalities ultimately precipitated the cityhood initiative, the voters agreed, and now Mason is committed to setting up the city government, with its limited powers, correctly and efficiently. That is why he is running for mayor.

Decidedly not a politician, but definitely a leader and dedicated public servant, Mason feels an obligation to see this city establishment through and hopes the voters will agree with him again. His personal plan only allows for one term of office.

Having basically functioned as the Acting Mayor of Peachtree Corners for several years as UPCCA president and through this odyssey of cityhood, Mason already has earned the confidence and support of the elected and administrative officials at the state and county government levels, through which the city charter was accomplished. Peachtree Corners is now the largest city in Gwinnett County and it deserves the very best leadership.

Election Day for the part-time mayor and the six city council positions will take place on March 6, 2012.

Gay Shook is the editor for The Weekly, an online news source for Peachtree Corners, Norcross, Berkeley Lake and Duluth.

Editor's note: The opinions expressed here are strictly those of the writer and do not necessary reflect those of Peachtree Corners-Berkeley Lake Patch.