Manelos running for mayor's office in Fairhope

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FAIRHOPE – John Manelos has announced that he is running for mayor of Fairhope in the election Aug. 25.

Manelos, who served for 28 years in corporate security and crisis management for a Fortune 100 company, will run against incumbent Karin Wilson, who has also announced that she is running for re-election.

Manelos is a volunteer member of the Personnel Board of the City of Fairhope, he previously owned and operated Fairhope Paddleboard.

“I understand the issues and unique challenges facing Fairhope and I want to make a positive contribution as the city’s next mayor,” Manelos said. “Respect for others, kindness and integrity are the ideals I strive for in myself and value most in others. I believe service to others is a calling, not a job.”

In making his announcement, Manelos listed several top priorities for Fairhope.

He said he plans to build consensus and seek compromise when conducting the duties of municipal government.

Repairing, replacing, and enhancing sewage and stormwater collection systems to ultimately protect Mobile Bay and Fairhope’s natural resources should also be a priority.

The city should enhance and protect what Fairhope is known for: the bay, arts, beauty, local merchants and unique culture.

Cultivating a positive work environment for city employees and uniting long-time residents and newcomers to build “One Fairhope” for future generations were also priorities.

An advocate of conflict resolution and restorative justice principles, Manelos has volunteered in community-based programs for prison inmates and juvenile offenders. Most recently, he volunteered as a co-mediator in Mobile District Court.

In 2002, he earned a master’s degree in conflict management from Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia, and is a registered neutral mediator in Alabama and Georgia. Manelos earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas in 1982.

In 2012, Manelos retired to Fairhope, then launched the business venture Fairhope Paddleboard. Concerned about the harmful impact of pollution on the environment of Mobile Bay and surrounding estuaries, he served as a volunteer with the Coastal Wildlife Rescue and Research Center to rescue migratory and protected coastal birds within Baldwin County.

He is a cofounder of Our Bay Eastern Shore, along with other civic leaders in Fairhope. The nonprofit’s mission is to engage residents of the Eastern Shore through positive measures to protect and preserve Mobile Bay. Manelos currently serves as president of the group.

Before his retirement from BP America, Manelos served as vice president of security and crisis management for the Gulf Coast Restoration Organization. In this capacity, he was a member of the leadership team responsible for directing the 40,000-person organization.

Manelos is the father of two adult sons, Will Manelos, 35, of Los Angeles, and Nick Manelos, 37, of Atlanta, Georgia. He and his wife, Robin, like to spend time outdoors paddle-boarding and enjoying the waters of coastal Alabama.