Meet the Other Mayors: Vanessa Fleisch, Peachtree City

The first female mayor of this Fayette County community on the state of the city, its citizens, and where she takes visitors
2025

Metro Atlanta comprises 60-plus cities; each month we introduce one municipality and its mayor.

Elected in a December 2013 runoff, Fleisch, a former CNN producer, became the first female mayor of this Fayette County planned community of 35,000, best known for its network of golf cart paths. There’s a city manager, so this is a part-time gig (pay: $1,500 a month). Fleisch’s day job is as a real estate agent.

On the state of the city: There’s a renewed sense of optimism. We will benefit immensely from the coming of Pinewood Studios to our county.

On the city’s most pressing challenge: Infrastructure and how to maintain it. We have 100 miles of cart paths that require maintenance, and funding for that was defeated in the T-SPLOST vote.

Introducing the citizens: Pilots and airline employees. We’re also popular with professions that require frequent airline travel.

On clients discovering she’s mayor: I don’t really bring it up. Usually, it’s the other agent who tries to bring it up during a closing.

Where she takes visitors: We have a beautiful park on Battery Way that overlooks Lake Peachtree. ­

This article originally appeared in our December 2014 issue.

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