John Katopodis

Gregory John Katopodis (born 1947) is a businessman and former member and president of the Birmingham City Council, a former member of the Jefferson County Commission, and a frequent mayoral candidate.

Katopodis is a 1973 graduate of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

Katopodis also served as president of the Birmingham Planning Commission. His tenure in the County Commission was ended when Gary White defeated him in 1990. White later pursued a redistricting plan that included redrawing the line so that Katopodis' residence would fall in Chris McNair's district.

In 1979 Katopodis ran along with a large group of challengers for Mayor of Birmingham against incumbent David Vann. Richard Arrington won the runoff against Frank Parsons and became the city's first African-American mayor. Katopodis ran again in 1983, challenging Arrington's incumbency, but was soundly defeated.

In the 1990s Katopodis tried to spur closer ties between area governments with a Alabama Council for Cooperating Governments. The organization primary project was a campaign to establish a new regional airport in Alabama. In 2001 the FBI interviewed Katopodis about an alleged "shakedown" in which Roger Clinton would get a lucrative consulting job for the Council in exchange for participation from the Secretary of Transportation in their efforts.

Katopodis was involved in the failed charity program Computer Help for Kids along with Larry Langford and Richard Scrushy. He supported Scrushy's claims of innocence during his fraud and conspiracy trials. Later he worked with Langford to negotiate the purchase of 15,000 XO laptops from the One Laptop Per Child foundation. His involvement in the program troubled Councilor Valerie Abbott, who dissented from her colleagues by voting against the laptop purchase.

Katopodis also made news in 2006, when he proposed renaming Caldwell Park in honor of fellow councilor Nina Migliodico. Katopodis-owned businesses have included Southeastern Aerotran and Robert Turner Optical.