Early in A. Keith McDonald’s tenure as Bartlett mayor 20 years ago, he had to deal with the Hurricane Elvis disaster. Since then he and his team have faced a multitude of other challenges and enjoyed enormous successes.
“You just never knew what you were going to be facing,” he said.
At the end of this month, McDonald steps down from his position leading the city as his fifth and final term comes to a close. David Parsons, elected Nov. 8, will move into the role on Jan. 1.
“I know that we’re leaving the next administration in good shape,” McDonald said. “We’ve done a good job of making sure our departments have the equipment that they need, and we’ve been blessed to build the (budget) reserves to a point that we feel like most any emergency that would come up they would be prepared for. We have a great credit rating with the bond funds.”
McDonald has led the city through a time of significant growth. Bartlett’s population has increased from roughly 40,000 to 60,000 residents and grew to the 10th largest city in the state. It dropped to 11th after the 2020 census.
“We have seen the commercial part of our community grow as well as the industrial,” he said. “Having been a part of the medical device technology movement into this area, so that we’re the second-largest cluster of medical device companies (in the country). We’re happy that there are a lot of really great jobs available. I think those will continue to grow. We’ve seen a number of those start-ups expanding pretty rapidly.”
Keeping the city clean while maintaining a small-town feel are high points for McDonald, along with expanding city services and being tough on crime.
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