Sandy Springs Mayor Eva Galambos is one of five finalists for the National League of Cities Women in Municipal Government Leadership Award.

The official winner will be announced Nov. 11.

City Councilman Tibby DeJulio announced at the Sandy Springs City Council’s Nov. 1 meeting that he had nominated the city’s mayor for the award.

“We should congratulate her for being recognized on a national basis,” DeJulio said.

According to the National League of Cities, its constituent group, Women in Municipal Government, picks the winner based on, “individual achievement in initiating creative and successful programs in local government which help citizens, particularly if the leadership serves as a specific mentoring model for future female leaders..”

The other finalists are:

  • Linda Blechinger, Mayor, Auburn, Ga.
  • Carol K. Chen, Mayor, Cerritos, Calif.
  • Joanne M. Sanders, Minority Leader and Councilor At-Large, Indianapolis, Ind.
  • Rebecca Wurzburger, Mayor Pro Tem, Santa Fe, NM
Creating the city of Sandy Springs was Galambos’ lifelong dream. She was president of the Committee for Sandy Springs from 1975-2005, according to the city’s website. The city incorporated in 2005 and Galambos became the city’s first mayor. The city is best-known nationally for outsourcing most of its basic functions to private contractors. Galambos has a Ph.D. in economics from Georgia State University, holds a Masters Degree in Labor and Industrial Relations from the University of Illinois and a Bachelor in Business Administration from the University of Georgia. She is a retired economist specializing in urban finance and labor economics.  She has also served as an arbitrator resolving disputes between labor and management.

Dan Whisenhunt wrote for Reporter Newspapers from 2011-2014. He is the founder and editor of Decaturish.com