Don Horton To Run Again For Roswell City Council

ROSWELL, GA — Former Roswell councilman Don Horton is hoping to return to the public eye this fall as he runs for the Roswell City Council again.

Don Horton formally announced last week his intentions to run for Roswell City Council Post 1. Horton, a long-time resident of Roswell, having moved to the area in 1986, previously served on the city council as mayor pro-tem.

“Roswell is at a critical juncture," Horton said in a press release. "Our community has enormous potential, but the level of divisiveness in city politics is preventing our city from moving forward. My top priority if elected, is to help build consensus on the issues that matter most and help restore confidence and trust in our city government with our residents.”

Effectively managing growth is an important focus for Horton.

“Roswell’s early success can be attributed to an influx of shopping center zonings in the 1980s," he said "Today, many of these properties are blighted and outdated. If Roswell wants to move forward with development that makes sense, we need to steer away from development concepts that simply don’t work in 2019. Going forward, we need to focus more on corporate style campuses and less on outdated retail concepts. By focusing more on the development of office space, it will help reduce areas of crime and help balance our city’s tax digest which currently is too heavily reliant on homeowners.”

Working to improve traffic congestion is another key focus for Horton. With the recent voter approved TSPLOST measure, over $100 million in new transportation relief projects are on the
horizon.

“For the first time, we have funding in place to address major intersections which have needed upgrade and repair," Horton said. "With funding measures in place, we need to get the ball rolling as soon as possible, so we can lower commute times for residents throughout the city limits. The biggest project we need to move on quickly will be our only interchange at Ga. 400."

Horton said he is a proponent of "Smart City Technologies," which can help keep traffic moving, improve streetlight efficiency, allow for autonomous vehicles (including public trollies), and help define public safety staging areas.

Preserving Roswell’s greatest asset, the historic district, will be essential for Hortin, he said.

“We have several distinct character areas that need protection in our city codes," he said. "(I) was the first to advocate for the purchase of Mimosa Hall to preserve it and the Historic Neel Reid Gardens surrounding it. Roswell’s downtown is what makes our community special, no other city has what we have. Moving forward, it is essential we protect our historic district and support development which is in line with the character areas and our citizen drafted land use plan.”

Horton has been an active member of the Roswell community. In addition to his service on council, he is on the board of Roswell Rotary, serves as Chair of the Roswell Arts Fund, is a member of the Kettering Executive Network, and is on the board for Friends of Mimosa Hall and Gardens. In addition, he serves as a Commissioner on the Housing Authority of Fulton County.

He and his wife, Gayle, have two adult children and five grandchildren. The Hortons have attended Roswell Presbyterian Church for 33 years, where Horton is an active elder and chair of the Investment Committee.

Horton will face incumbent Marcelo Zapata for the Post 1 seat.