Office of the Mayor
James L. Walls, Jr., was elected the 15th Mayor of the City of District Heights, Maryland on May 5, 2006 making him the youngest person in the City's History to serve on the City Commission, and as well as the youngest person to ever serve as Vice Mayor and Mayor.
Mayor Walls has received accolades from the Governor of Oklahoma, Governor of South Dakota, United States Senate, United States House of Representatives, Missouri House of Representatives, Maryland House of Delegates, State of Alabama House of Representatives, Cities of Baltimore, MD, Atlanta, GA, Cleveland, OH, Harrisburg, PA, Dayton, OH and the Key to the City of West Palm Beach, FL to name a few, for his outstanding commitment and dedication to public and community service. In 2008, Mayor Walls received the Distinguished Dr. Martin Luther King Foundation of Prince George's County, "Civic Engagement Award".
He holds memberships in many organizations such as the Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc., Maryland Free & Accepted Masons and the Knights Templar, 32nd degree, National League of Cities, National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO), Maryland Municipal League, U.S. Conference of Mayors, National Conference of Black Mayors, World Conference of Mayors, Maryland Black Mayors, and the Maryland Mayors Association to name a few. He currently serves as the 2nd Vice President of the Prince George's County Greater Beltway Chapter of the NAACP.
Mayor Walls was the founder and served as the 1st President of the Maryland Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials and was elected to the Executive Board of Directors for the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO) during the 2005 NLC Congress of Cities Conference. He currently serves as the National Treasurer of the Caucus. In 2007, He was elected Vice-President of Tourism for the World Conference of Mayors and was Appointed Chairman of the National Conference of Black Mayors-Small Town and Rural Development Committee. He also serves as President of the Maryland Black Mayors Association.
In 2003, Mayor Walls received a United States Presidential Appointment to serve on the United States Selective Service Board for Maryland. In 2004, Mayor Walls was appointed a Commissioner on the Maryland State Board of Foresters. In 2008, he ran in the 4th Congressional District to be a Delegate to the Democratic National Convention.
In 2006, Mayor Walls was selected as one of the most progressive young Leaders in the Country under 40 by People for the American Way Foundation (YEO). Also in 2007, he was recognized by the International Democratic Institute for Leadership Change as 1 out of a 100 Top Young Leaders in the country. He has also been featured in numerous articles and magazines.
Mayor Walls is an Alumnus of the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL). In 2003, he was selected out of a thousand National, State and Local elected official candidates to travel with a U.S. delegation to the Republic of Hungary and the Republic of Romania in Eastern Europe. In 2005, he was asked to serve as a US AID Ambassador to the Balkans for the first historic Europe & Eurasia Young Leaders Conference in Macedonia. The conference concluded with the dedication of a "Liberty Pavilion" at Southeast European University, erected as a symbol of democracy to commemorate this pioneer gathering of Young political leaders working to expand freedom's frontier across Europe and Eurasia.
He is also a Licensed and Ordained Baptist Minister. He is the former Assistant Pastor of Greater Light Missionary Baptist Church and currently serves as the Associate Pastor of Forestville New Redeemer Baptist Church in Forestville, MD. Over the years he has served as a Chaplain of many organizations and as a Hospital Visiting Clergy.
He attended the Spirit of Truth Christian Bible College and Richmond Virginia Seminary. He has a Masters of Arts in Theology and a Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Counseling. He has also studied and earned certificate's in Leadership Development from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and is an Academy Fellow of the University of Maryland's Institute of Local Governance.
He is also a graduate of Bowie State University and did further studies at Sojourner Douglass College in Baltimore, MD. In 2007, he earned Professional Certificate's in Small Business Management and Real Estate/Property Management from Ashworth University.
Mayor Walls currently works for the Town of Fairmount Heights and serves as the Town Administrator /CAO. The Town of Fairmount Heights is one of the Oldest African American Communities in the United States of America.
Mayor Walls is working hard to make a difference in our community, especially in the pursuit of his primary issues of seniors, youth, family, housing, economic development, and cultural enrichment. He is a public servant who is committed to serving the needs of the residents of the City of District Heights, Maryland and the State of Maryland.
Mayor Walls can be reached via email at wallsj@districtheights.org