John Robert Smith | |
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Mayor of Meridian, Mississippi | |
In office July 1, 1993 – July 1, 2009 | |
Preceded by | Jimmy Kemp |
Succeeded by | Cheri Barry |
Personal details | |
Political party | Republican |
John Robert Smith served four terms as mayor of Meridian, Mississippi and formerly serves as the President and CEO of Reconnecting America, a national non-profit transit research and advocacy think-tank. Senior policy adviser at Smart Growth America and chairman of Transportation for America.
John Robert Smith was elected Mayor of Meridian in 1993 and re-elected three times. In 2005, while seeking a fourth term, he narrowly defeated Lauderdale County Supervisor Jimmie Smith, a Democrat, by only 104 votes in the general election.[1] He decided not to run for a fifth term.
In 2002, Smith was elected as Chairman of the Board of the Amtrak Board of Directors. He had served on the board since June 1998.[2]
As mayor, Smith was known as a strong supporter of the arts. In 2005, he won a Public Leadership in the Arts Award from Americans for the Arts.[3]
In 2009 he was named Reconnecting America's President and CEO.[4]