Craig Ford wins Gadsden Mayoral race
Gadsden voters went to the polls on Tuesday and voted to elect former State Rep. Craig Ford (D-Gadsden) to be their new Mayor. Ford is a native of Gadsden and a small businessman who has served four terms in the Alabama House of Representatives. Ford became the Minority Leader of the Alabama House of Representatives in the aftermath of the Democrats’ loss of control of the Legislature in the 2010 election. Ford was a strong supporter of a lottery while he was in the Legislature and was a vocal critic of then Alabama Democratic Party Chair Nancy Worley and Vice Chair for Minority Affairs Joe Reed. This feud ultimately cost him his role as Minority Leader. Ford owns a small insurance company and is the publisher of the Gadsden Messenger newspaper. Ford’s opponent was former Gadsden Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Heather Brothers New. Ford won with 61.7% of the vote (3,306 votes) to New’s 38.3% (2,053). The victory is a major political comeback for Ford, who lost a race as an independent for State Senate to Republican Andrew Jones in 2018. Ford has campaigned extensively on promises to recruit new industry to Gadsden. Also on Tuesday’s ballot were several city council races. In City Council District 3, Larry J. Avery, Jr. defeated Denecia Ann Getaw 282 to 243. For City Council District 4, incumbent Kent Back narrowly defeated challenger Carrie Machen 723 to 628 In City Council District 5, incumbent Jason Wilson defeated challenger Billy F. Billingsley, Sr. 382 to 222. In the City Council, District 6 race Dixie Minatra defeated Renay Stokes Reeves 263 to 206. And finally, in Gadsden City Council District 7, incumbent Ben Reed was defeated by challenger Chris Robinson 439 to 800. Longtime Gadsden Mayor Sherman Guyton did not seek a fifth term. The Gadsden City Council will meet on Wednesday with a pre-meeting at 10:00 a.m. and a meeting at 11:00 a.m. to certify the election results. These election results were originally published by the Gadsden Times. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
The results are in: 2018 Municipal Election Day
On Tuesday, several municipalities across the state of Alabama held elections for city seats, new mayors, and school board members. Several races resulted in a runoff, including the race for mayor in Auburn, city council seats in Montgomery, Bessemer and Huntsville. Ozark approved alcohol sales on Sunday, while Muscle Shoals denied a property tax increase. Municipal Election Results: Auburn According to the Auburn Villager, mayoral candidates Ron Anders and David Hill will head to a runoff election, as will Ward’s in place 2, 5 and 6. Race winners were: Ward 1: Connie Fitch Taylor with 328 votes Ward 7: Jay Hovey with 701 votes Ward 8: Tommy Dawson with 414 votes. Bessemer Incumbent mayor Kenneth E. Gulley won the mayor’s race with 68 percent of the votes on Tuesday, but almost all other races resulted in a runoff. According to the City of Bessemer, City Council District no. 1, 2, and 3, resulted in a runoff. As did, Board of Education District No. 1, 5 and 7. You can view the full results here. Gadsden Incumbent mayor Sherman Guyton faced four opponents in the Gadsden mayor’s race, but won with 47 percent of the votes. A runoff will be held for Gadsden city council seat 5 between Jason Wilson and incumbent Billy Billingsley Sr. Huntsville Only city council and school board seats were up for election in Huntsville Tuesday. Jennie Robinson won the District 3 city council seat with ease, garnering 73 percent of the votes. According to AL.com, the District 2 city council seat is headed to a runoff election. Muscle Shoals Muscle Shoals voters heavily denied the “5-Mill Tax Increase,” voting against the increase by 81 percent. The property tax increase, if approved, would have raised the existing 7.5 mills dedicated to education to 12.5 mills. “School officials said they would use the revenue generated by the additional 5 mills to seek a $20 million bond issue earmarked specifically for capital improvements,” the Times Daily reported. Ozark According to WTVY, Ozark voted to approve alcohol sales on Sunday by 73 percent, adding themselves to the growing number of Alabama cities willing to do so.
