GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Lillian Webb, barrier-breaking Republican politician, former Gwinnett County commission chairman and longtime mayor of Norcross, passed away Thursday morning after a brief illness, officials confirmed.
She was 87.
Known as "Miss Lillian," Webb became the first woman and first Republican to be elected to the Norcross City Council in 1969. Five years later, she was elected mayor.
In 1984, Webb became the first woman elected chairman of the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners. She led the commission for eight years before returning to her native Norcross — where she again served as mayor, this time until 2008.
All told, she led the city for 11 terms.
Webb is credited with, among many other things, paving the way for downtown Norcross' revitalization. In 1974, she stopped demolition crews just before they destroyed the city's old train depot — which is now home to several popular restaurants and shops.
"I didn't want to get out of my car because I was wearing my bathrobe," Webb told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2007. "But I told them, 'You men have to stop. You can't tear down this depot.'"
In 2009, Norcross named a new downtown park in Webb's honor. The Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce named Webb its "citizen of the year" in 2013.
In a statement emailed to The AJC on Thursday, current Gwinnett Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash said Webb's contributions to the county are still being felt today.
"Lillian Webb," Nash wrote, "was a visionary leader who helped lay the foundation for many of the important attributes and assets of Gwinnett — great libraries, nationally recognized parks system, construction of the Justice and Administration Center, the Civic Center, major transportation projects like Ronald Reagan Parkway, water and sewer improvements and creation of programs like GUIDE and the Coalition for Health and Human Services."
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
Information from Atlanta Journal-Constitution was used in this report.
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