MARIETTA — Pete Waldrep’s time at the helm of the Marietta Housing Authority has come to a close, with his retirement made official on Jan. 1.
Waldrep, 73, who served four terms on the Marietta City Council from 1994-2005 and three on the Marietta Board of Education before that, joined the MHA in 2006 after working as a banker and homebuilder.
Marietta Mayor Steve “Thunder” Tumlin called Waldrep a “selfless” public servant in his various roles, from serving in the Marietta city government to his time with the MHA.
Waldrep is a graduate of Marietta High School, where he played center on the school’s 1967 football team, which won the AAA state championship. Waldrep then went on to the University of Georgia, where he graduated with degrees in journalism and business.
Noel Taylor, 43, is Waldrep’s successor. Waldrep hired Taylor, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, in 2009, to help expand the authority’s reach with new developments.
In a letter to Waldrep celebrating his retirement, Ray Buday, the executive director before Waldrep and the man who brought him to the authority, had this to say:
“Pete is the guy folks like to work for. He brought a sense of mission, calm focus, and was always tuned to always doing the right thing. I have to think that is permanently impressed into the culture of the Marietta Housing Authority, and I have a feeling that Noel Taylor will carry the torch to new heights.”
Growing the MHA
Waldrep started at the MHA as its development director, during a time, he said, when the authority had roughly 800 public housing rental units.
The MHA is responsible for building and maintaining affordable housing, but not just in Marietta. The authority is able to build anywhere in Cobb, and has built in Acworth – it acquired the Acworth Housing Authority in 2008 – and Powder Springs.
“Our mission was to transform those into…
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