Elzie Odom
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Elzie Odom (born May 10, 1929) is an American politician, community activist, and former postal worker who served as mayor of
Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal c ...
, from 1997 to 2003 and as an Arlington city councilman from 1990 to 1997. He was born in
Newton County, Texas Newton County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 12,217. Its county seat is Newton. The county is named for John Newton, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War. Newton County ...
, in 1929, and raised in the freedom colony of Shankleville, Texas. He attended
Prairie View College Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU or PV) is a public historically black land-grant university in Prairie View, Texas, United States. Founded in 1876, it is one of Texas's two land-grant universities and the second oldest public institution of ...
before becoming a letter carrier with the
United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
(USPS) in 1950 in
Orange, Texas Orange is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Texas, United States. The population was 19,324 at the 2020 census. It is the easternmost city in Texas, located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, and is from Houston. ...
. He also became the first African American elected as a city official when he served on the Orange school district board starting in May 1965. Odom became one of the first African American postal inspectors in the country in 1967, the same year he was transferred to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. He was transferred to
San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
by the USPS in 1970 and finally to Arlington in 1979. He retired from the USPS in 1987. Odom first ran for city council in Arlington in 1989 and was first elected in 1990. During his tenure, he made the city's boards and commissions more diverse and representative of the city's population. As president of the Arlington Sport Facilities Development Authority, he oversaw construction of The Ballpark in Arlington and together with the rest of the city council successfully kept
General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
'
Arlington Assembly Arlington Assembly is an automotive assembly plant in Arlington, Texas, United States, owned and operated by General Motors. It currently assembles the Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade full-size SUVs for the North ...
and the Texas Rangers in Arlington. In 1997, Odom ran for mayor, winning 50.19% of votes as turnout reached a 10-year high. His major accomplishments as mayor included advocating for Arlington youth, supporting programs for citizens with disabilities and seniors, paying off The Ballpark in Arlington ahead of schedule, and creating a street maintenance sales program. He retired from office in 2003.


Early life and career

Elzie Odom was born on May 10, 1929, in
Newton County, Texas Newton County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 12,217. Its county seat is Newton. The county is named for John Newton, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War. Newton County ...
. He was raised in the freedom colony of Shankleville, Texas, which was established by his ancestors, James ("Jim") and Winnie Shankle. The Odom family were
subsistence farmers Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow crops on smallholdings to meet the needs of themselves and their families. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements. Planting decisions occu ...
, raising cows, chickens, and pigs and growing crops for food. Odom's father worked as a
carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenter ...
and community
undertaker A funeral director, also known as an undertaker or mortician (American English), is a professional who has licenses in funeral arranging and embalming (or preparation of the deceased) involved in the business of funeral rites. These tasks o ...
, and his mother maintained a small
general store A general merchant store (also known as general merchandise store, general dealer, village shop, or country store) is a rural or small-town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, someti ...
across the street from their family home. Both parents later served in various positions at their local church, Mount Hope Baptist Church. Odom was the second youngest of eight siblings. Odom met his wife, Ruby Truvillion, while he was a junior in high school. Ruby is the daughter of Reverend Henry Truvillion and O'Neal Bluitt. After graduating from Burkeville Colored High School, Odom attended
Prairie View College Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU or PV) is a public historically black land-grant university in Prairie View, Texas, United States. Founded in 1876, it is one of Texas's two land-grant universities and the second oldest public institution of ...
for one year before leaving school to be a carpentry apprentice under his father. Elzie and Ruby were married in July 1947. They have two children, Elzie Odom, Jr, and Dr. Barbara Odom-Wesley. In 1950, the family moved to
Orange, Texas Orange is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Texas, United States. The population was 19,324 at the 2020 census. It is the easternmost city in Texas, located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, and is from Houston. ...
, in pursuit of greater employment opportunities. In 1950, Odom became a letter carrier with the
United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
(USPS) in Orange, and earned supplemental income through sales jobs. Ruby was hired to work at the office of a local black dentist, and became a Registered Radiologic Technologist. The Odoms were active in their community, helping to establish a kindergarten and preschool for black children and participating in the local parent-teacher association. The Odoms were active members of the
NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...
, and in 1956–1957 they attended and held secret meetings in response to state persecution of the NAACP. Odom was elected to serve on the Orange school district board in May 1965, making him the first African American to be elected as a city official in Orange County. In 1967, Odom became a postal inspector and was transferred to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, where the family stayed for three years. He was the first black postal inspector in Texas and the fifth in the United States. After three years in Los Angeles, the family transferred to
San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
before a final transfer to the Dallas region in 1979, where the family settled in Arlington. Odom retired from the USPS in 1987.


Political career


Arlington City Council

In 1989, Odom ran for
city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...
in Arlington against incumbent Theron Brooks. Afterwards, he was appointed to the Planning and Zoning Commission. He ran again for city council the next election cycle and won the
run-off election The two-round system (TRS or 2RS), sometimes called ballotage, top-two runoff, or two-round plurality, is a single-winner electoral system which aims to elect a member who has support of the majority of voters. The two-round system involves one ...
for Place 4 on May 19, 1990. He was the first African American to be elected to the Arlington City Council. While he was a member of the city council, he worked on transportation, mobility, and redistricting issues facing Arlington. Odom and the city council increased minority representation on Arlington's boards and commissions, mirroring the city's population. In 1990, only two members of city boards and commissions were
people of color The term "person of color" (: people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is associated with, the United States. From th ...
. By 1996, 22% of members of Arlington's boards and commissions were people of color. While in office, he served as president of the Arlington Sport Facilities Development Authority, oversaw construction of The Ballpark in Arlington, and chaired the Arlington City Council's Youth Activities, Waste Water Treatment, Garbage Disposal, Community Development, and Employee Benefits committees. He also represented the city of Arlington on the
North Central Texas Council of Governments The North Central Texas Council of Governments or NCTCOG is a voluntary association of governments in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. As of 2023 its ranks currently include 16 counties, 169 cities, towns, and villages, 19 school districts, and ...
, the Tarrant County Housing Partnership, the Texas Municipal League, the Working Connection, and the State Attorney General's Municipal Advisory Committee. During his tenure, the council successfully kept
General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
'
Arlington Assembly Arlington Assembly is an automotive assembly plant in Arlington, Texas, United States, owned and operated by General Motors. It currently assembles the Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade full-size SUVs for the North ...
and the Texas Rangers in Arlington.


Mayor of Arlington

Incumbent mayor Richard Greene had served in office for a decade when he announced that he would not be seeking reelection in 1997. Odom did not immediately seek to run for office as Mayor of Arlington as he did not want to risk losing his District 1 single-member council seat, and it was not until he was inspired by a sermon at his church that he decided to run for mayor. In March 1997, Odom announced his plans to run for office. He stated that his reason for running was: "because I care for my family, my city, and its people, I am running for Mayor of the greatest city in the world. I plan to run a clean and positive neighbor-to-neighbor campaign with a simple theme: Getting Results For Arlington." Odom outlined a 10-point plan for his future administration, which included improving traffic and mobility, reducing crime, encouraging public-private partnerships, addressing unnecessary spending, and economic development. He received endorsements from council members and Arlington businesses. Odom won the election with 8,752 votes. His closest challenger was Laura Hightower, who won 7,060 votes. He and Hightower received 50.19% and 40.49% of the votes, respectively. City officials had estimated a voter turnout rate of 7.4%, but it reached 10%, the highest in 10 years. He became the first black mayor in Arlington's history. While in office, Odom advocated for Arlington youth, inviting students to visit his office during winter break. He also supported programs for citizens with disabilities and seniors. During this time, Arlington taxpayers paid off The Ballpark in Arlington years ahead of the payment cutoff date, and the city created a street maintenance sales program. He retired in 2003.


See also

* 2001 Arlington mayoral election * List of mayors of Arlington, Texas


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Odom, Elzie 1929 births Living people Mayors of Arlington, Texas Texas city council members School board members in Texas People from Newton County, Texas People from Orange, Texas Prairie View A&M University alumni NAACP activists United States Postal Service people African-American city council members in Texas 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people African-American mayors in Texas