Walt Maddox reinvented Tuscaloosa, and now eyes Alabama [View all]

Walt Maddox didn't get into politics to change the world. He just wanted to fix his plumbing.

"I had a sewer issue at my house that I felt like the city didn't help me with," Maddox said. "That issue spurred me to run for city council."

Now, 17 years after his first campaign, the 45-year-old gubernatorial candidate is considered a frontrunner in the Democratic primary. He served one term on the Tuscaloosa City Council before running for mayor, a position he's held for more than 12 years.

Those years included the Great Recession and a deadly direct hit by a powerful tornado that leveled more than 12 percent of the city. They also overlapped with economic recovery and an era of expansion at the University of Alabama. Out-of-state students flooded the city, drawn by a dominant football program and generous financial aid.

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