Roswell Councilman To Run For Mayor

ROSWELL, GA -- The race for the office of mayor in Roswell is becoming a crowded one, as a familiar face around the city has declared his intentions to run for the seat.

Post 3 City Councilman Don Horton on Thursday said he will run for the seat held by incumbent Jere Wood, the longtime leader who announced he is not seeking re-election after a court ruling determined he was unqualified to run for the office in 2013.

Horton, who was first elected to the Council in 2015, outlined a list of accomplishments have taken place over the last two years. Some of those positive outcomes have been changing the city's Unified Development Code to protect established neighborhoods, creating term limits for elected officials and working with the Roswell Downtown Development Authority to redevelop old shopping centers such as the old Southern Skillet property (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app).

Along with Horton, candidates Michael Litten and Sandra Sidhom are also in the running for the seat.

In an announcement posted online, Horton said he will continue to protect Roswell's historic district from "destructive infill" that can forever change the city's landscape, his Facebook page notes.

However, there's still work to be done, such as uniting the City Council, continued efforts at historic preservation, finding solutions to unite various factions around the city, hiring a town architect, finding ways to balance out the tax digest so the bulk of the burden is not on residents, addressing traffic and growth, encouraging mixed-use developments that include housing for the rapidly growing senior citizen demographic and encouraging elected official "responsibility" in attending meetings.

When elected officials miss these meetings and don't follow up on what happened by reading the minutes, "we end up re-litigating items in (the) council chambers that should have been discussed in those previous meetings," he said on his Facebook page.

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"These meetings are open to the public and the agenda is always published," he added. "The meetings in council chambers should be for a formal vote rather than a rehash of the agenda items. Some of you may remember those 2 and 3 a.m. meetings. To that end, I am proposing that council members be paid by meetings attended rather than a straight monthly stipend."

Horton obtained his bachelor's degree in performance and master's degree in orchestral conducting from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He also obtained a Chartered Financial Consultant designation from American College. An investment consultant and principal with Horton Financial Services, Horton and wife, Gayle, have been married for more than 40 years. They have two adult children and several grandchildren.

According to the city's website, Horton taught band and orchestra at public schools before starting his own business. He attends Roswell Presbyterian Church and enjoys music, cooking, photography and woodworking. He's also a member of the Rotary Club of Roswell, Kettering Executive Network, Georgia Initiative for Community Housing and North Fulton Select, among other groups.

Qualifying for Roswell's municipal election, set for Nov. 7, will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 21 to Friday, Aug. 25 at Roswell City Hall, which is at 38 Hill Street. Along with the office of mayor, City Council Posts 4, 5, and 6 are all up for re-election. If Horton qualifies, he will have to resign the Post 3 seat on the Council.

That means Roswell will have to hold a special election. City spokesperson Julie Brechbill said the city will have to wait until after next week's qualifying period to call for a special election. The special election, she added, could be held in conjunction with the Nov. 7 races.

The qualifying fee for the Council seats are $540 and $1,200 for the mayor.

Image via Don Horton's Facebook page