BILL DUNAWAY is the latest among 50 mayors to lead Marietta, to be succeeded Monday by Steve "Thunder" Tumlin, a long-time civic leader who has served on the Marietta School Board and the Board of Lights and Water as well as in the state Legislature.

The City of Marietta is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year. Dunaway, a lifelong Mariettan, has said on occasions that he considers himself one of the luckiest people around, having enjoyed three very different careers - as a pharmacist and drug store owner, a restaurateur and as mayor.

He said he wanted to retire because of the time demands of being mayor and to spend more time with his wife, Dot Dunaway, three daughters and two grandchildren.

"Under my watch, the city has made investments of more than $1 billion in new residential and commercial construction projects, such as WellStar Kennestone Hospital, streetscapes and roads, and parks and greenspace," Dunaway said.

The mayor earns an annual salary of $18,000, plus $1,920 for expenses and $3,600 for serving as chairman of the BLW.

Dunaway said his proudest achievements as mayor include the sale of Marietta FiberNet, a city-owned fiber-optics network, and revamping the troubled Marietta Conference Center and Resort, which critics considered bad investments.

Dunaway earned a master's of business administration from Harvard and formerly headed his family's Dunaway Drugs chain on Marietta Square. He was also the proprietor of the 1848 House, an upscale Southern cuisine restaurant that is now a private residence. The Greek revival mansion at the corner of South Cobb Drive and Pearle Street in Marietta was built in 1848 by John Hayward Glover, Marietta's first mayor, and originally was the centerpiece of Glover's 3,000-acre plantation. Dunaway said he gave up the restaurant business because it was too much work running it and being mayor.

His election in 2001 was Dunaway's second attempt at becoming mayor of Marietta. Vicki Chastain was the city's first female mayor in 1986. In the election to succeed her, in 1989, Dunaway lost to the late Joe Mack Wilson by 72 votes. Wilson passed away during that term and was replaced in office by Ansley Meaders.

Marietta's mayors have been: John Hayward Glover, 1852, Joshua Welch 1853, W.T. Winn 1854, I.N. Heggie 1855, N.B. Knight 1856, J.W. Robertson 1857, R.W. Joyner 1858, I.N. Heggie 1859, Samuel Lawrence 1860-61, J.A. Tolleson 1862, W.T. Winn 1863, H.M. Hammett 1864, C.C. Winn 1865, A.N. Simpson 1866-1868, G.W. Cleland 1869, William H. Tucker 1870-1873, Humphrey Reid 1874, William H. Tucker 1875, Edward Denmead 1876-77, Humphrey Reid 1878, Joel T. Haley 1879, Edward Denmead 1880-83, Enoch Faw 1884, W.M. Sessions 1885, Edward Denmead 1886-87, Thomas W. Glover 1888-93, R.N. Holland 1894-95, D.W. Blair 1896-97, W.M. Sessions 1898-99, T.M. Brumby Sr. 1900-01, Joe P. Legg 1902-03, John E. Mozley 1904-05, E.P. Dobbs 1906-09, E.H. Clay 1910-11, J.J. Black 1912-13, E.P. Dobbs 1914-15, James R. Brumby Jr. 1916-22, Gordon Gann 1922-25, E.R. Hunt 1926-27, Gordon Gann 1928-29, T.M. Brumby Jr. 1930-38, L.M. "Rip" Blair 1938-47, Sam Welsch 1948-55, C.W. Bramblett 1956-59, Sam Welsch 1960-63, Red Atherton Jr. 1964-69, James Hunter 1970-73, Dana Eastham 1974-81, Robert Flournoy Jr. 1982-1985, Victoria Chastain 1986-89, Joe Mack Wilson 1990-93, Ansley L. Meaders 1993-2001, and Dunaway, 2002-present.

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WHILE KASIM REED'S victory margin over Mary Norwood in the runoff for mayor of Atlanta was just 715 votes out of 84,000 total votes cast, the race has not been the only time the city has had a close mayoral contest.

Legendary William B. Hartsfield, mayor of Atlanta for most of the 1937-1962 period, had some close races, according to Dan O'Connor of the House Research Office at the State Capitol.

In 1940, Hartsfield suffered his only mayoral defeat, losing by just 83 votes (11,327 to 11,410) to Roy LeCraw, whose victory in part was attributed to charges Hartsfield was running "speed traps," catching unsuspecting motorists.

Hartsfield's absence from office did not last long. Shortly after Pearl Harbor, LeCraw resigned as mayor and headed for Europe to serve in World War II. Hartsfield won a majority in the 1942 special mayoral election and was re-elected four more times before his 1961 retirement.

Back in 1940, the city was much smaller than it is today both in land area and population. Until the early 1950s, the Atlanta city limits did not extend much north of present-day Atlantic Station, the mixed-use development located at the often-congested I-75-85 interchange in Atlanta's Midtown section. Also in 1940, Atlanta had just more than 300,000 people, compared with the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate of nearly 540,000.

Norwood was granted and lost a recount of the Dec. 1 runoff results, to which she was entitled because she finished less than 1 percent behind Reed in the three-person race, taking 49.6 percent.

Bill Kinney is associate editor of The Marietta Daily Journal.

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EVENTS: Now through April 18, The Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History, 2828 Cherokee St, in Kennesaw, will feature "In Focus: National Geographic Greatest Portraits." The exhibit is through the museum's partnership with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The photographs, created by National Geographic, show a variety of cultures and time periods throughout world and American history in a visual timeline. Admission is $7.50 for adults, $6.50 for seniors, $5.50 for children ages 4-12 and free for children ages 3 and under. Call (770) 427-2117 or visit www.southernmuseum.org. ...

The Chattahoochee Nature Center at 9135 Willeo Road in east Cobb, will have an all-ages live performance by Nella Rigell on Saturday at 11 a.m. and noon in the Cowie Weiss Theater. The performance will trace the harp's history from an ordinary hunter's bow to the modern concert grand harp. Visitors will get an opportunity to try out the harp in an unusual jam session. Admission is $8 adults, $6 seniors, $5 children and free for children ages 2 and under. For more information, call (770) 992-2055 or visit www.chattnaturecenter.org. ...

The Fourth Annual Frostbite 5K Road Race will be Saturday at the North Metro Campus of Chattahoochee Technical College, off of I-75 and Glade Road in Acworth. The event is the main fundraiser for the athletic department of Chattahoochee Technical College and benefits the basketball and track and field programs along with the cheerleading squads. Online registration is $20 and runs through Jan. 6. On-site registration is $25. Each paid participants will receive a long sleeve three color t-shirt and there will be awards to the top age group winners. Sponsors are still being accepted. Call Coach Steve Prettyman at (770) 528-4554 or visit www.frostbite5K.com. ...

New Mayor Tumlin and Councilman Anthony Coleman will be the guests of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church on Jan. 10 for the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Ceremony, where Tumlin will present a proclamation. Services are at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.

The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre will have Shen Yun Divine Performing Arts on Jan. 15 at 7:30 p.m., Jan. 16 at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Jan. 17 at 2 p.m. Shen Yun Performing Arts presents classical Chinese dance and music in a lavishly colorful show with choreography ranging from grand imperial processions to legions of drums, with costumed dancers moving in synchronized patterns. Having toured over 20 countries with 300-plus shows in 2009, Shen Yun brings a new set of programs with a live orchestra. Tickets are on sale now and range from $39 to $120, plus fees. For more information, visit www.cobbenergycentre.com.

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EACH LEGISLATIVE SESSION, state Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) invites local students to submit an essay for a chance to serve as a Georgia Senate Page of the Day. The essay must be 500 words long about "My Favorite Georgian." Students should write about someone who lived or has lived a substantial portion of their life in Georgia.

The contest is open to students between 12 and 18 who live in the 21st Senate District. The winning students will learn about the State Capitol, Georgia government, serve on the Georgia State Senate floor for a day and receive an excused absence for lunch with Rogers.

"The page program is a good way for students to see their government in action," said Rogers. "The bonus of students learning and writing about famous Georgians is an added benefit." Entry deadline is Jan. 22 and should be mailed to Sen. Chip Rogers. 236 State Capitol, Atlanta, GA 30334.

Associate editor Bill Kinney's column runs on Sundays.