After a brief academic career at the TSU, he became involved with the Komsomol, a Communist political youth organization in the Soviet Union in 1981.

He tenure was marked by continued social and economic challenges to the capital, such as frequent power outages, as well as damage to the city's infrastructure due to the 2002 Tbilisi earthquake.

[2] After the 2002 Georgian local elections, Zodelava's rule was challenged by the opposition-dominated Tbilisi City Assembly, then chaired by the young reformist politician Mikheil Saakashvili.

However, the Assembly lacked legal power to sack the mayor, who, at that time, was appointed directly by the president.

Shevardnadze refused to replace Zodelava, who then stood by the president's side in the controversial November 2003 parliamentary election.