Galambos sparked a city – and a movement

Family: Husband, John, retired physician. Daughter, Tobae McDuff, neurologist. Sons John, physicist, and Michael, gastroenterologist.

Little-known fact: Galambos published "What's in a Name, " a book about the origins of street names and places in the Atlanta area, in 1996.

For decades, Eva Galambos tried to get state legislators to imagine what she could: a city, created out of a mishmash of strip malls and residential neighborhoods in north Fulton County.

But each year, legislation that would allow voters to go to the ballot and decide whether to incorporate the city of Sandy Springs failed to pass – sometimes on the final day of the session.

Still Galambos and her army of like-minded colleagues were not deterred. In 2005, after 30 years, that perseverance paid off. The legislature authorized a referendum, and residents formed a new city – one that sparked an incorporation boom that’s still reshaping metro Atlanta.

This week admirers are mourning the loss of the mother of Sandy Springs and the inspiration for a slew of cities that followed, from Johns Creek and Peachtree Corners to Brookhaven and Chattahoochee Hills. Galambos died Sunday of cancer at the age of 87.

“From personal experience, I can attest that `It cannot be done’ was not a phrase in her vocabulary,” said former House Majority Whip Ed Lindsey. “She was also not too keen on hearing the word `no.’”

Those who knew or were inspired by Galambos remember a formidable woman whose life’s work will reverberate for decades to come.

“She was a tremendous leader, not just shaping Sandy Springs but shaping Georgia,” said Trisha Thompson, incoming president of the Sandy Springs Council of Neighborhoods.

By the mid-1970s, tens of thousands of people had moved to the community for its small-town charm. But gradually it became a jumble of expensive homes, apartment, office parks and strip malls.

Residents complained of neglect and poor zoning decisions by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. Many felt the county tapped them for property tax revenue but provided few services in return.

In 1975, Galambos became president of the Committee of Sandy Springs, a group that wanted to form a city to seize control of local decisions from the county. She was perhaps uniquely suited to lead the revolution.

Born in Germany, her family fled the Nazis in the 1930s, landing first in Italy and later in Georgia. She earned a master’s degree in in labor and industrial relations in the early 1950s and was in the first class at Georgia State University to grant doctoral degrees to women, earning her Ph.D. in economics in 1969.

Galambos worked as a consultant and in the late 1970s co-authored a textbook on local government that is still used today.

To many, incorporating Sandy Springs seemed an impossible task. Fulton County and Atlanta lawmakers worried about lost tax revenue.

But Galambos fought on many fronts – lobbying the legislature, meeting with county officials, talking to neighborhood associations. Admirers likened her to a general or a quarterback.

“It was a longshot,” remembered Carolyn Axt, executive director of Leadership Sandy Springs, a community group. “As we got turned away year after year, Eva kept saying, `It’s possible. Don’t lose sight of your dreams.’”

“I knew that someday Sandy Springs would become a city, because I’d never seen anyone more dedicated and persistent than she,” said Atlanta City Councilwoman Mary Norwood. “She was one of the most persistent and effective community advocates I have ever known.”

The movement got a big boost from an historic realignment of Georgia politics in the 2000s, with Republicans taking control of the governor’s office and state Senate and, later, the House of Representatives.

After the city was formed, Galambos was elected mayor.

The impact of the incorporation was profound, but some aren’t sure the proliferation of cities is a good thing, saying it has made metro Atlanta more difficult to govern.

“There were a lot (of people), even fellow Republicans, who said, `you’re just creating more government,’” said Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul.

But Paul said Galambos believed city governments are closer to the people and more responsive, that city officials feel the impact of their decisions, just like their constituents.

As mayor, Galambos championed the privatization of many public services in an effort to keep costs down. Other new cities adopted a similar model.

Galambos’ efforts won the respect of elected officials from around the region.

“She played a key role in the creation of Sandy Springs and its growth as a city,” said Fulton County Commission Chairman John Eaves. “Her passionate belief in the city and its people was reflected in our many interactions over the years. She was a dedicated public servant who truly loved the City of Sandy Springs.”

As her health suffered, Galambos decided not to seek re-election and retired from office in 2013. But she remained active, reading to elementary students and offering guidance to elected officials.

Galambos also spent a lifetime finding and mentoring leaders who support her vision for Sandy Springs. Admirers say her greatest legacy may be that Sandy Springs is poised to survive without her.

“Eva built a foundation that’s not going to waver,” Thompson said.

Staff writer Katie Leslie contributed to this report.