Annexation, public safety and traffic congestion took center stage Tuesday evening as the two candidates vying for the Mobile City Council District 6 seat faced off in a candidate forum ahead of their Oct. 5 runoff election.
The Azalea City Republican Women hosted Scott Jones and Josh Woods at the Connie Hudson Mobile Regional Senior Center, giving West Mobile voters a chance to hear directly from the two finalists before deciding who will represent the district on the council.
Annexation has loomed over nearly every council race in the 2021 election cycle, and both candidates said they support bringing more of unincorporated West Mobile into the city as a way to grow the population and the tax base. The issue traces back to 2019, when Mayor Sandy Stimpson first proposed letting roughly 13,000 West Mobile residents vote in a referendum on joining the city. The council fell short of the supermajority needed to send the referendum to voters, with the four White council members supporting it and the three Black members opposed. Current District 6 Councilwoman Bess Rich was among those who voted in favor.
Stimpson and other city leaders have argued that because the referendum failed and Mobile’s population has not crossed the 200,000 mark, the city has forfeited roughly $100 million in federal funding tied to population thresholds.
Jones, a U.S. Army veteran, told the crowd he accepts those estimates and that annexation “has to happen,” arguing the additional revenue could help address long-standing infrastructure problems in the district. “What could District 6 do with a third of those funds?” he asked. Woods, executive director at The Grounds, agreed annexation is part of a broader growth strategy for the city. “Growth is kind of an equation,” he said. “In order to see growth in population, you have to grow from within, but to get to an excellent future, to improve the quality of life for residents, you have to add annexation to the equation.”
On public safety, both candidates said supporting police officers and firefighters has to be a council priority. Woods called it a “team issue” and said the city needs to give first responders the resources they need, noting that Mobile firefighters still ride three to a truck in some stations. “We have to give them everything they need,” he said.
Jones described public safety as a “multi-faceted problem” that starts with fixing conditions at Mobile Metro Jail, including diverting people struggling with mental illness away from incarceration while still holding people accused of crimes accountable. He also called for the city to revive community policing. “Community policing is police in the community,” Jones said. “You know who they are and they know who you are. Right now, police don’t engage…. Police have to get back in your neighborhood.”
Traffic congestion and road conditions dominated the infrastructure discussion, with both candidates pointing to Cottage Hill, Hillcrest and Grelot roads as trouble spots. Jones said he would push to keep District 6’s full $3 million allocation under the city’s Capital Improvement Plan rather than seeing it redirected elsewhere. “CIP funds from this district have to stay in this district,” he said. “That $3 million goes a long way.” He added that, if elected, he would meet with leaders in each neighborhood to prioritize projects, but expects potholes, drainage and traffic along Hillcrest and Cottage Hill to rank near the top.
Woods said he would serve as a “voice for all of District 6” on infrastructure concerns and framed traffic as more than a convenience issue. “That’s a public safety issue you care about,” he said. “Traffic is a safety issue.”
The runoff was triggered after neither candidate cleared 50 percent in the Aug. 24 general municipal election. Jones led the field with 2,500 votes, or 43 percent, while Woods finished second with 2,162 votes, or 37 percent. Third-place finisher Tony Dugaish, who collected 661 votes, or 11 percent, has since thrown his support behind Woods.
Jones has picked up a string of endorsements from past District 6 representatives. Rich, along with former councilwoman and current Mobile County Commissioner Connie Hudson and former councilwoman Jane Baxter Conkin, issued a joint statement backing his campaign. “Scott truly exemplifies servant leadership in every respect,” Hudson said in the statement, citing his military career, community involvement and commitment to faith and family. Rich pointed to his experience as president of the Ridgefield subdivision’s homeowners association. “Scott’s maturity and experience as a neighborhood association president, along with his organizational skills, will be a great asset to our district,” she said. “He is responsive, transparent, and a man of core principles who I am proud to support and endorse.” Conkin said she believes Jones would treat the council seat as a full-time job. “He will make it his mission to continue full time with integrity, leadership and hard work,” she said. “He has a wonderful, friendly, caring personality making it easy to endorse and support him.”
At the forum, Jones noted his support spans every person who has previously held the District 6 seat. He has also been endorsed by the local firefighters association and the Police Benevolent Association. Woods, meanwhile, pointed to Dugaish’s backing as evidence his campaign is gaining momentum heading into the Oct. 5 runoff.