Former Greensboro City Councilmember Jamal Fox has a new job.
It was announced on Wednesday, May 26 that Fox is coming back east to be the new city manager of Takoma Park, Maryland.
Not to be confused with Tacoma, Washington, Takoma Park, Maryland, is a town of about 17,700 with Washington, DC, on its western border and Silver Spring, Maryland, to the north.
Fox is leaving his position as city administrator of Camas, Washington, where he has been since July 2020. Since leaving Greensboro in 2017, Fox has been the parks property and business development manager for the city of Portland, Oregon, and was then deputy chief of staff to Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, who was not as famous when Fox worked for him as he is now.
Fox, when elected as the District 2 councilmember in 2013 at age 25, became the youngest person ever elected to the Greensboro City Council.
Fox was reelected in 2015 but resigned before that two-year term was over to move to Portland and get married. District 2 Councilmember Goldie Wells was chosen by the City Council to replace Fox, and Wells ran for election in 2017 and won a four- (or maybe a five-) year term on the City Council.
Fox is a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University and, before being elected to the City Council, was an adjunct professor in the political science department and he also worked for the City of Greensboro.
Takoma Park has a council-manager form of government much like Greensboro, where the manager is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the city and reports directly to the City Council. The manager is also responsible for preparing the city budget, but since Fox’s first day of work in Takoma Park is August 2, Fox shouldn’t have to worry about that until next year.
Hiring Fox was the result of a national search conducted by the city.
Fox and his wife, Jaimee, have a 2-year-old son, Jamal Jr., and a daughter on the way.
Looks to me like he’ll be with his new employer about as long as he’s been with others. Then again, if the money is right, why not.