Garner makes ‘a little history,’ unseats council incumbent

Challenger Gerald A. Garner won a seat on the Mountain Brook City Council for Place No. 2 in the Aug. 25 municipal election by defeating incumbent Philip Black by a narrow margin,according to final results.

Garner, a member of the Mountain Brook Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) and formerlong-time member of the Park and RecreationBoard, had a total of 1,619 votes.

Black, a former member of the BZA and the Planning Commission who was elected to the council in 2016, had 1,567 votes.

Results were certified Sept. 1 after any provisional ballots were considered, pursuant to Alabama law.

This was the only contested race in the city. Mayor Stewart Welch III and City Council President Virginia Smith were unopposed, and their election was certified by the council July 27.

“Of course I’m disappointed, but I’m more disappointed not in coming up short in the numbers but for all the people who worked so hard throughout the race to carry a positive message... about what we have been doing and what we hope to do for the city,” Black said on election night, when asked for his reaction.

“The people have spoken, as they always say,” he said. “You can’t argue with that.”

Garner said Aug. 26 that he was “blown away” when he saw the results in his favor and was “honored by all the support from the moment I threw my hat in the ring.”

City officials told Garner during the campaign that no incumbent had ever been defeated in a Mountain Brook election, he said.

“I knew that this was going to be a difficult challenge, obviously, and certainly a difficult campaign, so we made a little history yesterday,” he said.

Black said the result of the election may have stemmed in part from anger or frustration among some voters regarding some of the actions taken by the city in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For example, Black and the other members of the City Council passed an ordinance June 29 requiring that businesses have their patrons wear face coverings to help stem COVID-19. The ordinance followed a similar order by the Jefferson County Health Officer.

At an election forum livestreamed by the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce on Aug. 20, Garner said he was disappointed in the City Council for passing that ordinance.

He argued it was unfair to put additional pressures on merchants, who already face the normal risks inherent in operating a business. As a government, Mountain Brook “should not overreach and put additional pressure on them,” Garner said.

The city should “push back” against any county or state restrictions and allow businesses “to open completely and fully,” Garner said.

At the forum, Black responded that there were some “misconceptions” about the purpose of the ordinance.

He said the council worked closely with the chamber and local businesses in creating the ordinance.

“The businesses needed our help in having consistency in how the mask mandates were applied,” Black said, and noted that Gov. Kay Ivey issued her own mask mandate shortly after the city passed its ordinance.

However, Black said he was “not looking for excuses” to explain his loss. “I understand that’s why we have elections.”

In explaining his win, Garner said, “Finally people woke up and decided to pay attention to what happens in their own backyard.”

He said he believed that there were a lot of new voters who turned out.

“I knew just from conversations with people that there were probably a lot of first-time municipal voters,” he said.

Garner was asked if he tapped into some sort of mood of anger or frustration in the community.

“No, that wasn’t our goal by any means,” he said. “We just said, ‘Let’s go out and just deliver the message, deliver the platform. Let’s stick to that. Let’s talk about what we want to do for the city.”

At the Aug. 20 forum, Garner summed up his goals. He said the city needs to continue to make improvements to its sidewalks, parks, athletic fields and other facilities. “We need to wave the flag for our local businesses” and promote “smart economic growth,” he said. He also said the city should make its streets safer by increasing funding for police, fire and emergency medical services.

Garner said he has worked for 22 years in the financial service business, giving him expertise he can use to serve the city. He said city officials have an obligation to “be prudent” in the use of taxpayer dollars.

An immediate infrastructure need is to continue to improve the Lane Parke commercial development in Mountain Brook Village and make it “more functional,” Garner said. He suggested creating some green space that can be used for concerts, outdoor movies and other events that will draw more people to the facility.

Regarding Mountain Brook Schools, Garner said he was glad that children had the option of attending school virtually if they didn’t feel safe during the pandemic but that for those wishing to attend in person, the schools should be opened up “completely and fully.”

In his remaining weeks on the council, Black wants to help finish the city’s Fiscal Year 2021 budget and “make sure it’s in good shape,” he said.

An architect who has worked on a lot of large projects, Black said one thing he has contributed on the council is his understanding of how to prioritize dollars for capital projects.

He added that he has “really enjoyed serving the city” and would “love to continue” to do so in some capacity.

However, Black said he needs to “take a step back” for now. “We’ll just have to see what happens.”

Before taking office in November,Garner said he would “continue to talk to people, thank them for their support, listen to what the issues are, what the concerns are and be ready to go.”

Garner said he wants to deliver what he promised voters.

“We’ve talked about our platform, and I’m going to do everything in the world that I can to deliver on that,” he said.