Expect Gadsden election to bring change in leaders, with some incumbents out of running
Gadsden voters will go to the polls Aug. 23 to select the city’s leaders for the next four years.
Those critical of the city’s leadership — there have been many and they’ve been loud over the last two years — hail this vote as a critical one.
It’s hard to imagine any election, at any level, that is not critical. You vote to put someone’s hands on the wheel with no idea where the road will lead for the next few years.
Four years ago, no one saw COVID-19 coming, or the conflict that arose over the proposed rendering plant in Gadsden, and the level of dissatisfaction with city government that would be expressed as a result.
With the slate of candidates set for Gadsden’s vote, this much is known: The city’s Board of Education race finds all incumbents qualified for the race, five of them without challengers.
There are challengers in Districts 3 and 5; board members Adrienne M. Reed, Nate Carter, Mike Haney, Nancy Stewart and Allen Millican drew no opposition and will serve their second terms as elected members of the school board.
At City Hall, there will definitely four new faces in city leadership, and there could be more when the votes are counted.
Mayor Sherman Guyton is not seeking re-election, after serving four terms in office.
“After 16 years of working for the citizens of Gadsden, I decided not to run for re-election,” Guyton said. “We’ve got good people in a lot of good places in the city, and that’s when good things happen.
“I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish by working together with the council, and I trust that the city will keep moving forward,” the mayor said.
Candidate for mayor: John Jacobs announces bid for Gadsden mayor, says he'll focus on unifying city, fixing basics
City Council: City of Gadsden looks at moving money around to cover rising gas/oil costs
District 3 council member Thomas Worthy is one of seven candidates for the mayor’s race — meaning the district will have a new representative after the vote.
District 2 council member Deverick Williams decided to step away from elected office.
“It has been an honor to serve the citizens of Gadsden, and in particular the great people of District 2,” Williams said in a statement to The Times.
“This decision (to not seek a fourth term in office) is a very difficult one. It is largely due to professional obligations; but, superseding that are the family responsibilities that have become prominent in recent years,” he explained.
“I have two elderly parents that truly require more of my time nowadays and as most people know, I have three grandchildren that I adore, and I want to spend as much time with them as possible over the next few years,” Williams said.
In the race: Here are the candidates who've qualified for Gadsden municipal offices
Etowah Primary Election: Here's what happened and where things stand
“I have also partnered with others to form a foundation in honor of my father’s commitment to youth sports initiatives,” he said. “I plan to grow the foundation’s footprint over the next few years and make it something that both he and the community will be proud of.”
Williams pointed to a number of positive project during his 12 years in office:
The development of a significant stretch of riverfront property
The construction of the East Gadsden Community Center
The Venue at Coosa Landing facility and the current expansion project
Partnering with local developers to grow commercial interests in District 2
Sound fiscal management of Gadsden's financial resources, with nearly $20 million in reserves (Williams served two terms as Finance Committee chair)
The launching of Movies in the Park
The establishment of the City of Gadsden Inclusion Program
Being named as the city’s first and youngest minority council president
Williiams said he's proud to have served, and he hopes he made his supporters proud, too. He thanked those who “propped me up” and helped him succeed, adding, “I can never express enough the level of my gratitude.”
“This city has great potential and it can truly realize the fullness of it by remembering that the whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts,” Williams said, adding that he will continue to support the political process. “I hope that my experiences will help make someone or some element of the process better.
“I love you, Gadsden, and thanks for giving me the opportunity to love you back,” he said.
Johnny Cannon, who has represented District 6 for four terms in office, appeared to be on the fence for some time regarding whether he would run again. He announced more than once during council meetings that he wouldn’t run again, but as qualifying time approached, signs indicating otherwise began to crop up around District 6.
However, at the June 28 council meeting, on the final day of qualifying for city races, Cannon confirmed he would not be running for re-election.
Speaking of his decision, Cannon talked about his long tenure with the city — beginning, he said, at 14, when city employees paid him to pick up trash with a stick and bucket at ball fields.
He worked in the city’s public works department, retiring with 25 years of service, and calculates he’s given 45 years of service to the city.
“Nobody here is an ‘I’ — I can’t do anything alone,” Cannon said of serving on the City Council.
He said what the council has accomplished has been accomplished through the members working together. He said he’s heard of candidates for office talking about what they will do, while knowing from experience the limits of what a single council member can do.
“Don’t get out there and campaign on things you can’t do,” he advised.
Cannon also said, “There’s another city trying to take over Gadsden,” apparently referring to the rendering plant conflict that brought residents, business owners and even elected officials from neighboring municipalities into the fray, challenging the city’s purported involvement in the Pilgrim’s Pride proposal.
He and other council members sometimes dismissed the opposition to the plant as coming from outside the city.
“If you’re going to run for office,” Cannon urged candidates, “be your own person.”
Contact Gadsden Times reporter Donna Thornton at 256-393-3284 or donna.thornton@gadsdentimes.com.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Gadsden election: Change is coming to mayor and three council seats
