‘A man of honor’: Former Columbus Mayor Bob Poydasheff dies at 90
Former Columbus Mayor Bob Poydasheff died Thursday morning, city manager Isaiah Hugley confirmed to the Ledger-Enquirer.
He was 90.
Poydasheff served as mayor from January 2003 to January 2007.
He died in a Phenix City rehabilitation hospital after a brief illness, according a report by WRBL, which broke the news.
“It made me really, really sad when I got the message early this morning,” Hugley said. “… He was a man of honor. He lived his principles. He lived a distinguished life.”
Impact & background
Poydasheff served on Columbus Council from 1994 through 2002.
Born in the Bronx, N.Y., Poydasheff’s military career brought him to Columbus through Fort Benning. After earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from The Citadel in 1954, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S Army infantry.
Poydasheff took leave to earn his law degree at Tulane in 1957, then was reassigned to the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He was chief of civil law for the Army at the time of the My Lai Massacre in Vietnam and successfully defended an assistant division commander in connection with the investigation.
He retired as a colonel in 1979 after 24 years of service.
In the 2002 Columbus mayoral election, Poydasheff defeated then-councilor and now state Rep. Richard Smith and former state Rep. Jed Harris. He lost his reelection bid in 2006 to former Columbus police chief Jim Wetherington.
In 2005, Poydasheff promoted Hugley from assistant city manager to manager to become the first Black city manager of Columbus. Hugley insists that decision cost Poydasheff reelection.
“He knew it was not a good political move,” Hugley said. “… Some did say to him, perhaps, it would be political suicide.”
Hugley quoted the late civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as describing Poydasheff as a man who walked his talk: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy”.
Columbus has been ranked among the best-run cities in America, according to WalletHub, most recently 17th in 2020.
“I believe I made Mayor Bob Poydasheff proud and confirmed for him that he made the right decision,” Hugley said.
‘Uncle Bob’
In addition to his titles as colonel and mayor, Poydasheff was affectionately known around town as Uncle Bob. He had the reputation of often being heard before he was seen.
“You knew he was coming before he got to you,” Hugley said with a laugh. “… Bob Poydasheff greeted you with love, a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He always left me with love, saying, ‘I love you.’”
That love extended throughout Columbus.
“He gave his best as a city councilor and as mayor,” Hugley said. “He supported every civic and social organization and project that supported good causes in this community.”
All flags flying over Columbus Consolidated Government buildings will be lowered to half-staff through Monday, Mayor Skip Henderson announced.
“Mayor Poydasheff served his country, his city and his fellow man,” Henderson said in the news release. “Our hearts and prayers go out to the Poydasheff family during this time of sorrow.”
The funeral service and burial will be private, due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, McMullen Funeral Home and Crematory president Allen McMullen told the Ledger-Enquirer.
This story was originally published September 24, 2020 at 8:59 AM.
