Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson told the Mobile City Council in June 2014 that a two-day retreat of mayors from five of Alabama’s largest cities could help forge what he called a "single voice" on municipal issues for the state.
The gathering, which Stimpson hosted at his family lodge in Clarke County near Jackson, had concluded that Monday. Speaking during Tuesday’s council meeting, the mayor said the meeting could build relationships useful in addressing matters of municipal importance before the Alabama Legislature and the governor’s office.
Building a coalition
"I think you’ll see us get together as a single voice to address our governor and legislature," Stimpson said. "The potential outcome of this is a very healthy situation that is being created for Mobile and across the state."
The retreat drew the mayors of Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa. Participants included Stimpson, Mayor William Bell of Birmingham, Mayor Tommy Battle of Huntsville, Mayor Todd Strange of Montgomery and Mayor Walt Maddox of Tuscaloosa, along with the chiefs of staff and finance directors from each city. It opened at 3 p.m. Sunday and concluded at 11 a.m. Monday.
Sharing best practices
The mayors framed the meeting as a chance to trade solutions to shared challenges. "From balancing budgets in the era of flat-line revenues to growing our local economies, mayors of Alabama’s major cities are implementing innovative solutions," Maddox said in a statement. "It is essential to share these best practices as we improve the quality of life for our respective communities."
Battle struck a similar note. "Moving Alabama forward requires teamwork, and we need leaders who are willing to work together and focus on the big picture," he said. "Mayors are on the front lines for their citizens." The officials also exchanged policy ideas on administrative matters such as recycling.
A recurring gathering
The Clarke County session followed an initial meeting of the same five mayors at the location in January, and a third retreat was tentatively planned for September in Montgomery. Among the staff members taking part were Chief of Staff Colby Cooper and Finance Director Paul Wesch from Mobile, along with counterparts from the other four cities.
Officials emphasized that the mayors paid their own travel expenses and that the retreat was held consistent with Alabama’s ethics guidelines for municipal officials, according to the city of Mobile.
For Stimpson, still in his first year leading Mobile, the retreat reflected an effort to raise the collective profile of Alabama’s largest cities in a state capital where their interests did not always align. By convening his counterparts on his home turf near Jackson, the mayor sought to turn shared frustrations over budgets and infrastructure into a coordinated push at the Statehouse.