Bill Campbell (mayor)

Bill Campbell (born 1953 in Raleigh, North Carolina), is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and served as mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. from 1994 to 2002. Campbell was the fifty-seventh mayor in the city's history and the third African American to hold the office. In 1960, a seven-year-old Bill Campbell was the first black student to attend an all-white school in Raleigh, NC. He is the younger brother of former North Carolina State Auditor Ralph Campbell. He is a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

Heartily endorsed by his predecessor, Maynard Jackson, to take the reins in the 1993 election, Campbell subsequently fell into disfavor during his second term, despite defeating then-president of the Atlanta City Council, Marvin S. Arrington, Sr.. The 1997 race was known for its emphasis on the racial overtones often not publicly seen in the African-American community, with Campbell being the lighter-skinned candidate and Arrington the darker complected. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9507E0DE143AF935A15752C1A961958260 Atlanta Mayor Wins Runoff and 2d Term - New York Times ] ] Campbell would later be criticized for his use of the "race card" in attempting to deflect criticism of his record as mayor. [ [http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/10/09/politics.atlanta.reut/index.html CNN.com - Embattled Atlanta mayor raises racial tension - October 9, 2000 ] ] Campbell was succeeded by Shirley Franklin. Following his tenure as mayor, he moved to Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, where he worked as a practicing attorney.

In August 2004 Campbell retained high profile lawyer Billy Martin to defend an indictment by a federal grand jury on racketeering, bribery and wire fraud charges after a five-year federal investigation into corruption during his years as mayor of Atlanta. On March 10,2006, a federal jury convicted him on three counts of tax evasion. On June 13, 2006, he was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard Story to 30 months in prison on charges of tax evasion and also ordered to serve a year on probation, pay a $6,000 fine, and pay more than $60,000 in back taxes. He reported to prison in Miami, FL on August 21, 2006 after having several attempts to remain out on appeal bond denied by the court.

References

External links

* [http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/gan/press/08-30-04.html U.S. Attorney's Press Release RE: Indictment]
* [http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/gan/press/CAMPBELL/SummaryWCCIndictment.pdf Ten page indictment summary]
* [http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/gan/press/2006/03-10-06.pdf U.S. Attorney's Press Release RE: Conviction]
* [http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/gan/press/2006/06-13-06.pdf U.S. Attorney's Press Release RE: Sentence]