Odom returns to Raleigh City Council

RALEIGH -- John Odom is returning to public office after a six-year hiatus and promises to "make things happen," although he is the lone Republican on Raleigh's predominantly progressive City Council for at least the next two years.

Odom, who owns three car-repair centers in Raleigh, was the only City Council candidate to unseat an incumbent Tuesday night, when he beat Rodger Koopman in District B, which covers Northeast Raleigh.

In winning his old council seat for a sixth term on the eight-member council, Odom capitalized on one of the most controversial issues of the outspoken Koopman's first term -- a failed effort to ban garbage disposals in Raleigh. Odom even raffled a free garbage disposal on his Web site and advertised the drawing on campaign literature.

But he has not been on the council since 2003, when he unsuccessfully challenged Mayor Charles Meeker. After winning 59 percent of the vote Tuesday, he will assume Philip Isley's role as the council's only Republican.

"I'll put good ideas forward, and I'll look at the budget and try to reallocate dollars if I think they need to be," Odom said. "If you want to call me the new Philip Isley, that's fine with me."

Isley did not seek re-election after serving four terms. Bonner Gaylord, the 31-year-old developer who won Isley's District E seat, is unaffiliated.

Odom, 62, recognizes he faces a challenge greater than in his previous terms on the council, when he always served with at least two Republicans.

A critic of the council's recent spending habits and its "inability to get things done," Odom said he's likely to compromise on some issues and stand firm on others.

"I could see compromising on zoning issues," he said. "But I won't move on making sure Raleigh keeps its Triple-A bond rating."

The council will work closely with Odom, saidMary-Ann Baldwin, an at-large council member who won her second term Tuesday. Baldwin said Odom won't be shunned from policy discussions. She said Odom was known for being moderate during his 10-year stint on the council, often taking the initiative with downtown building projects.

Baldwin compared Odom's role to Isley's.

"You have to have your thoughts challenged, and he will offer that much like Philip Isley did," she said. "He will probably be on the losing end of some battles, but that doesn't mean he has to be excluded."

Isley said that although Odom might differ with the council majority on details of running the city, Odom would be progressive on parks and transit issues.

In the 1990s, Odom led efforts to buy and build several parks in District B, including the 146-acre Horseshoe Farm Park. In his coming term, he says, he will be committed to implementing Raleigh's greenway system and beefing up public transit.

"I don't think he's capable of being pigeon-holed," Isley said of Odom. "He's been pretty independent-minded. He will probably do what I did in the past: watch over the budget and raise appropriate points."

Koopman, a Democrat, aligned closely with Council Members Russ Stephenson, Nancy McFarlane and Thomas Crowder on most growth and planning issues, promoting higher development-impact fees and managed growth. Koopman was often the most outspoken member of the council.

Last year, Koopman led efforts to ban garbage disposals in Raleigh. He criticized opponents of the ban for clinging to comforts while their fellow Americans shouldered the burden of war.

"Where's the shared sense of sacrifice?" Koopman asked in March 2008. "If you do support the troops, be willing to suck it up just a little bit."

Odom's campaign literature reminded voters of that moment, which may have hurt Koopman at the polls Tuesday.

"His position on garbage disposals sure didn't help him," said G. Wesley Williams, executive director emeritus of the Greater Raleigh Merchants Association.

Odom was born in Bennettsville, S.C., and raised in the Scotland County town of Wagram. He served as an Army infantryman in Vietnam for less than 12 months in 1967 and 1968 and moved to Raleigh in the early 1970s.

In Raleigh, Odom worked at a service station, which he later bought. Eventually, he sold the service station and acquired a Meineke Car Center franchise.

Odom, whose mother served in both houses of the state legislature in the 1970s, won his first bid for the council in 1993 and kept his seat until he challenged Meeker 10 years later. In 2005, Odom ran for an at-large seat on the City Council but lost. He ran unsuccessfully for state insurance commissioner in 2007.

Odom says his success in Tuesday's election -- as in his previous five victories -- is a result of his appeal to both the common man and the business owner.

"I eat lunch with the poor, and I've dined with the governor," he said.

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