From a New York Kid to Cartersville's Longest-Serving Mayor: Matt Santini on Family, Crisis and Nearly 20 Years in Office

Matt Santini has spent nearly two decades as mayor of Cartersville, but the story of how he got there starts with a coin flip his father never actually made. Host Logan Lewis sat down with Santini for a wide-ranging conversation that moved from a childhood move out of upstate New York to a ransomware attack on city systems, and everywhere in between, the throughline was the same: a guy who says he never planned any of it, and just kept saying yes when his community asked.

A New York Kid Who Landed in Georgia by Chance

Santini spent his early childhood in Fairport, New York, a small Italian town, until just before he turned 10. His father's job offered a transfer to one of three cities: Kalamazoo, Michigan; Dayton, Ohio; or Marietta, Georgia. "I thank God every day that decision was Marietta, Georgia," Santini said. He grew up there, attended Sprayberry High School, and met his future wife, Anthea, at Georgia Southern, where the two graduated right as the school shifted from a college to a university. Their wedding day, October 5, 1991, holds a second distinction for Santini beyond marrying his wife: it was the day the Atlanta Braves clinched their worst-to-first World Series run. "That's the day I say is the happiest day of my life ever," he said.

The Lunch That Was Never Supposed to Happen

Cartersville wasn't the plan. After their wedding, Santini and Anthea lived rent-free with his parents for close to a year under a deal his father offered: instead of paying rent, they'd deposit the equivalent into a high-yield savings account each month and show proof, building a down payment. When it came time to buy, they were set on Kennesaw, where Anthea teaches, but prices were out of reach for first-time buyers. A friend invited them to check out Cartersville, then had to cancel at the last minute. "We said, let's still go," Santini recalled. They had lunch downtown, walked Main Street, and found a new neighborhood still under construction. They signed the next day. "For the first three months, we were like, we're just here because it's affordable," he said. "After six months, I was like, I don't want to leave."

"I Didn't Really Think About Politics"

Santini's path into office started almost by accident. Working at WBHF radio, he was interviewing then-Mayor Mike Fields on air when Fields mentioned he wasn't running for reelection. Santini asked who might replace him, and Fields tossed it back: "You ought to do it." He mentioned it to Anthea as a joke, and she told him she thought he'd actually be good at it. He ended up on the ballot and won. Before taking office, he stood in front of a room of homebuilders and Realtors and joked that he was probably the first mayor from the North, the first Catholic mayor, and the first Italian mayor Cartersville had ever had. A man in the front row replied, "Well, we didn't know that before we voted for you."

The Housing Crash, a Tie-Breaking Vote, and a Ransomware Attack

Santini took office as the housing market bottomed out, a stretch that meant freezing employee raises while insurance costs climbed. He also described one of the toughest votes of his tenure: a rezoning case near Carter Grove, where he cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of a commercial development opposed by a room full of neighbors, including a council member he deeply respected. "I'm in office to make decisions for what I think is best for the city, not what's popular," he said, noting the project ultimately never got built. Then came COVID, when he fielded conflicting pleas from a waitress worried about bringing the virus home to a sick grandmother and a restaurant owner worried about keeping the doors open. In 2021, the city was hit with a ransomware attack; an IT staffer's quick response kept resident and customer data from being compromised, though hackers accessed infrastructure records like underground utility lines. Santini said the FBI told the city the ransom, which started near $4 million, was negotiated down to roughly $600,000, the largest reduction they'd seen from that particular group.

Growth, a Part-Time Paycheck, and What Grounds Him

Santini pointed to Cartersville's growth as evidence the city is doing something right, while acknowledging it brings real tradeoffs around traffic, parking, and affordability. He said his role as mayor pays $7,200 a year, unchanged since the 1980s, and that he prefers it that way so the job attracts people motivated by community service rather than money. His last campaign, his tenth, ended with $86.69 left in his campaign account. Away from city hall and the radio station, Santini said what keeps him grounded is simple: his daughter Madeline, his wife Anthea, his Catholic faith, a golf game he calls "mediocre" at a 15 handicap, cooking dinner, and workouts a few times a week. "My best and favorite title is being Madeline Santini's dad," he said.

Listen to the Full Conversation

Mayor Matt Santini's full conversation with Logan Lewis is packed with more stories than any recap can hold, from the WBHF radio booth to the Grand Theatre to nearly two decades of council meetings. Catch the entire episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube, and don't forget to subscribe to Your Morning Drive so you never miss a new conversation.