Russell K. Paul (born June 23, 1952) is an American politician serving as the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Sandy Springs, Georgia Sandy Springs is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia and an inner ring suburb of Atlanta. The city's population was 108,080 at the 2020 census, making it Georgia's seventh-largest city. It is the site of several corporate headquarters, i ...

since 2014.

Early life and education

Paul was born in 1952, and grew up in the

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

area. He received a Bachelor’s degree at

Samford University Samford University is a private Christian university in Homewood, Alabama. In 1841, the university was founded as Howard College by Baptists. Samford University describes itself as the 87th oldest institution of higher learning in the United Sta ...

and attended graduate school at

Georgia State University Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a Public university, public research university in Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is also the ...

Career

Paul was the

Stone Mountain Stone Mountain is a quartz monzonite dome Inselberg, monadnock and the site of Stone Mountain Park, east of Atlanta, Georgia. Outside the park is the small city of Stone Mountain, Georgia. The park is the most visited tourist site in the state o ...

city council member from 1977 to 1983. From1989 to 1993, he served as Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations for the Housing and Urban Development Department under Secretary

Jack Kemp Jack French Kemp (July 13, 1935 – May 2, 2009) was an American politician and a professional football player. A member of the Republican Party from New York, he served as Housing Secretary in the administration of President George H. W. Bu ...

. He chaired the

Georgia Republican Party The Georgia Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Georgia and one of the two major political parties in the state and is currently chaired by David Shafer. Current structure David Shafer is the current ...

from 1995 to 1999, and became a

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

representing northern

Fulton County Fulton County is the name of eight counties in the United States of America. Most are named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the first practical steamboat: *Fulton County, Arkansas, named after Governor William Savin Fulton *Fulton County, Georgia *F ...

from 2001 to 2003. In 2005, he was elected to Sandy Springs city council. Paul was elected to succeed

Eva Galambos Eva Cohn Galambos (July 1, 1928 – April 19, 2015), was a German-born American economist and politician who served as the first mayor of Sandy Springs, Georgia. She served as the city's inaugural Mayor from December 1, 2005, until January 7, 201 ...

in November 2013.

Personal life

Paul is married to Jan Paul and has 5 children. He is an

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

Controversies

Paul has courted controversy for his lobbying work in relation to the Development Authority of Fulton County while serving as a publicly elected official.

References

External links

Rusty Paul interview on Fox News

Rusty Paul State of the City address March 2015
Mayors of places in Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia (U.S. state) city council members Republican Party Georgia (U.S. state) state senators Politicians from Birmingham, Alabama People from Sandy Springs, Georgia People from Stone Mountain, Georgia Living people 21st-century American politicians 1952 births {{GeorgiaUS-mayor-stub