Bill Bruton Jr.'s Biography

William F. Bruton Jr. (Bill) was named Marietta's city manager in January 2000. He previously served as city manager of Hartsville, SC and Colonial Beach, VA. Bruton was born in Atlanta, GA and later graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Law and holds a bachelor's degree in public administration and political science from Duke University, where he was president of the student body.

Bruton has won many professional and community awards including the South Carolina Downtown Development Association Public Official Leadership Award in 1993, the Distinguished Service Award in 2000, the Cobb YMCA Volunteer of the Year Award in 2012 and the Cobb Landmarks Historic Preservation Award in 2015.

In 2010, Bruton was selected by the Carl Vinson Institute to travel to China where he taught city management principles at the Beijing Administration College to city officials from the various departments of the Beijing city government.

Under Bruton's leadership, communities have been honored with the All-America City award, the nation's most prestigious civic honor. Marietta earned the award in 2006 and was the first Georgia city in 30 years to win. Hartsville, SC won the award in 1996. In 2020, Marietta became the second city to ever win the All-America City Hall of Fame award.

During his tenure, cities Bruton has managed have been honored with:

  • All-America City, National Civic League
  • All-America City Hall of Fame, National Civic League
  • City of Excellence, Georgia Municipal Association
  • Trendsetter, Georgia Municipal Association and Georgia Trend magazine
  • Certified City of Ethics, Georgia Municipal Association
  • Best Redevelopment Plan, International Downtown Association and American Planning Association
  • Cobb Landmarks Historic Preservation Award
  • Crown Communities Award, American City and County
  • Visionary City Award, Georgia Municipal Association
  • Technology Innovation Award, State of Georgia
  • Mobility Award for the Marietta TravelSafely app, Smart Cities Connect
  • Community Engagement Award for the Marietta Trash Talk app, Smart Cities Connect

Bruton served as committee chair for Marietta's 175th Anniversary Celebration and the 150th Anniversary of the Battles of Marietta year long commemoration.

Bruton is a member of several professional organizations, including the International City/County Management Association, and has presented at conferences across the United States. He previously served on the Georgia Municipal Association's Legislative Policy Council and currently serves on the Federal Policy Council.

Bruton is a member of the Marietta Kiwanis Club, the Metro YMCA Youth Soccer Board, and various civic boards.

He has been a YMCA soccer coach since 2003 and his teams have won two state championships. He and his wife, Lauri, have two children.