Charlottesville City Council members unanimously voted to name Maurice Cox the next Charlottesville mayor at a meeting held July 1.
A current University architecture professor who has served on Council since 1996 as vice mayor, Cox will succeed Blake Caravati.
Cox said he is fortunate to have served on the Council for several years before becoming mayor, because he has been able to establish his personal agenda as the agenda of the entire council.
"I take ownership of the current agenda," Cox said. "The infastructure is in place to take some creative, dynamic actions."
Cox is a unique choice for mayor in that he also is affiliated with the University. Only one other mayor in recent history, Bitsy Waters, has had similar connections.
"It's a fairly unusual opportunity," Cox said in reference to the potential for peacemaking between the city and the University that his position presents. "I'm extremely optimistic."
Charlottesville "will be in very capable hands of Maurice Cox, and I will be there wholeheartedly to support him for ... the rest of his term," Caravati said.
Elected from within Council rather than through the general populace, the Charlottesville mayor serves as a consensus builder for city issues, Council member Kevin Lynch said.
Cox "has got a lot of good qualifications for this position," Lynch said. "He's been a community activist for years, he has the necessary experience, he's got a good vision for Charlottesville and works well with everyone else."
The mayor is responsible for setting Council's agenda and serves as a contact person for area government offices, residents and businesses. He also presides over Council meetings, represents the city at ceremonies, and works to build consensus between Council members.
"The mayor is the intersection of all the singular Council members' views," Cox said.
"The job takes a lot of time and I have to get back to my business and my family," Caravati said. "I was spending 35 to 40 hours a week as mayor. My golf didn't do too well, and my wife didn't like it, so I'm leaving mainly for personal reasons."
Cox will continue his work at the University while serving as mayor. Caravati also will continue to serve on the Council following his reelection to the Council last May.
Councilwoman Meredith Richards was elected vice mayor.
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