“It has been an incredible 18-year ride. I have no political plans. There are still many things to be done and I plan to be part of it.”

Mayor Andy Mack on his exit from City Hall

Story by Joycelyne Fadojutimi. Photos courtesy of City of Longview.

Mayor Dr. Andy Mack and his city are bound tightly together. He spent nine years as a councilman, then won the mayor’s office, serving another nine. Born and raised in Longview, he has deep Gregg County roots, and they will keep growing and spreading even after his 18-year tenure ends.

“It has been an incredible eighteen-year ride. I have no political plans. There are still many things to be done, and I plan to be part of it,” he says. “When you spend as much time [in a capacity] as I have spent you cannot just walk away. There’s too much to be done.”

He is leaving without regrets because the time he spent in his offices were full of accomplishments he strove for out of his flagrant love of Longview and its residents.  “I never did one thing that was self-serving,” he said. “Never once did I do anything to benefit me or to someone close to me.”

“My philosophy has always been, you have to do the best you can in the circumstances you find yourself, with all the tools that you have at the time,” he says.

Nonetheless, his biggest concern is lack of good people wanting to get involved in city politics. “No-one wants to be scrutinized, misquoted and have half-truths printed about them and have to defend themselves,” he said. “And that is a shame. The media is pushing people away from wanting to do a good job.”

The result he said is, “The city is left with career politicians, people who want to build or pad their resumes. Both of these groups are self-serving,”

Clearly, Mack recollects his naysayers. “People said, ‘I couldn’t do the job because I have a fulltime job and others said, I couldn’t do it because I am not a businessman.’ And neither can be further from the truth.”

When his political life was in its infancy, many voices opined that he was unsuitable because he was busy with his surgical practice and had no experience as an urban businessman. Few took into account that his clinic is very much a business and that taught him to be an entrepreneur. He also proved that he was quite able to spend ample time in both the operating room and city hall.

“I have attended countless ribbon cuttings, fundraisers, answered phone calls, all because I am dedicated to the city,” he says. “The city did not suffer. My business did not suffer. Everything I did, I did for the glory of God.”

Like most successful men, Mack has a great woman at his side. Wife Kelly was with him as he prayed for direction before embarking on his political journey even though she had reservations.

“I felt this is what God wanted, and she supported me all the way,” he says. “She is my anchor. I could not have done it without her. She has always been there for me.”

So, when the COVID 19 contagion gripped the world including Longview, it clearly dawned on Mack that he has been called for a time such as this. The Lord knew four years ahead that the contagion would lead to misinformation with deadly consequences.

Mack never stops to credit his family, clinical staff, and Juile Woods.

“I am very thankful and grateful to my wife Kelly, my children and Julie Woods,” he says. “My office staff supported me, making sure I was in the right place at the right time.”

Mack’s wife is both the apple of his eye and his right hand. He is delighted he has her and is fully aware of her worth to his career. Still, she is relieved the end is in sight.

“Kelly has been my rock at all times. She keeps me in my place and lets me know when I am not in the right lane,” he says. She is glad it is coming to an end.”

Besides family, social media played an important role in his service to Longview. “I could not have done it without Julie Woods running my social media. Social media proved to be an invaluable public platform in this process,” he said.

According to Mack, he used social media to inform and interact with citizens.

“We are not hiding anything. If you keep people informed and involved, they will know what is going on,” he said. “We used it (Facebook), to bring people together and I like bringing people together whether it is through the book club, Facebook, employee and community recognitions that we did, all of these things are important for bring the community together.”

Following this further, Mack stressed the importance of community engagement. “Community is built on relationship and trust. Community is important for us to positively move forward. I was born and raised in Longview. Longview has and will always be my hometown.”

In addition, unity is paramount to Mack. “It is all ONE Longview. Not north, east, west, or south. It is ONE Longview. It is important that we erase all these divisions, Mack said. “I preach ONE Longview because what is good for the north is good for the  south, and vice versa. When one benefits, we all benefit. Iron sharpens iron.” Hence, he promoted ONE Longview, Shop local, and Help your Neighbor initiatives.

“It is all ONE Longview. Not north, east, west, or south. It is one Longview. It is important that we erase all divisions,” he says. “I preach ONE Longview because what is good for north is good for south, and vice-versa. When one benefits, we all benefit.”

On the other hand, Mack stressed three topmost priorities that marked his service to the city.

1. Non-smoking ordinance when he was on city council.

2. Lear Park that put Longview on the map for sports tourism.

3. Reorganization of Longview Economic Development Corporation (LEDCO). The reorganization steered LEDCO and the city down to a profitable path. Subsequently, LEDCO’s successes include GAP, AAON, Dollar General and most recently, the $1.2 Billion Eastman capital investment deal to mention a few. All these LEDCO successes have already created thousands of jobs for locals with more on the horizon.

For these reasons, he prays for his successor, and makes it clear he will not fade from sight after vacating the mayor’s office. He loves Longview and its people far too much to stop serving.

“This is the end of the chapter, but not the end of the book,” he says. “I will not rest until we have something on I-20.”

Stay tuned.

Mayor Andy Mack with Julie Woods, his social media guru, at a Go-Giver Gala event. Courtesy photo.