Walter Thomas Maddox (born December 27, 1972) is an American politician who has served as the 36th mayor of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, since 2005.

[1] He attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he received a bachelor's degree in political science and a Master's in Public Administration.

In 2001, he was appointed executive director of personnel for Tuscaloosa City Schools, serving until he was elected mayor.

Since his first inauguration, he has led initiatives to increase economic development, improve customer service with the implementation of Tuscaloosa 311 and provide quality pre-K education for academically at-risk four-year-olds.

[15][16][17] The Wall Street Journal described the Tuscaloosa disaster response as an attempt to "courageously create a showpiece" of "unique neighborhoods that are healthy, safe, accessible, connected, and sustainable.

[19] He was promoted to senior fellow in the program in August 2019, and will partner with the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative's executive education courses to discuss lessons he learned during Tuscaloosa's tornado recovery efforts.

[20] On October 5, 2017, Maddox announced his plans to run for governor of Alabama, saying Republican leadership had failed the state, which "still ranks near the bottom in every quality-of-life indicator from education to healthcare.

"[21] He won the June 5 primary with 54.6% of the vote, defeating former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb.