Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson renewed his push to keep $1.5 million earmarked for a county soccer complex within the city, asking the Mobile City Council once more to consider putting the money toward repairing existing city parks instead.
In a letter dated June 9 and addressed to Council President Gina Gregory, who sponsored a resolution alongside two other council members to transfer the funds to Mobile County for a proposed soccer complex, Stimpson restated concerns he had raised the previous fall. His questions centered on long-term maintenance costs, the proposed site, future funding sources and the economic projections behind the project.
“During the public discourse in August and September 2014, I publicly stated my preference was for the city to fix what is broken and in disrepair within our parks rather than build a new park,” the mayor wrote, adding that questions he raised months earlier remained unanswered to his satisfaction.
County Commissioner Connie Hudson, the leading advocate for the soccer complex, pushed back on the mayor’s letter in an email to council members, characterizing his renewed objections as “very oddly curious.” She defended an economic impact study the county commissioned from a Florida-based sports facilities consulting firm at a cost of roughly $50,000, saying the firm’s analysts intentionally build in conservative estimates rather than overstate potential benefits.
The dispute set up dueling votes on the same day: the Mobile City Council was scheduled to consider the funding transfer, while the Mobile County Commission planned to separately vote on whether to accept the money from the city.
Ahead of the council vote, Stimpson stepped up lobbying for an alternative use of the funds, unveiling a parks improvement plan touching every council district at a projected cost of roughly $1.9 million. Items tied to that plan were placed on the same council agenda as the soccer complex transfer.
Local sports organizers have long pointed to a shortage of quality soccer facilities in the Mobile area, and previous efforts to build tournament-caliber fields in the county have stalled. Stimpson said he supports that broader goal but believes the city should prioritize fixing existing athletic facilities before funding new ones.
“I am a huge supporter and have personally committed to improving their playing fields and committed to creating more soccer fields,” Stimpson said, adding that he also wants to support the wider athletic and fitness community by improving the facilities already in use.
The back-and-forth between the mayor’s office and county officials reflects a broader tension over how limited public recreation dollars should be prioritized between new regional facilities and maintenance of existing neighborhood parks across Mobile.