Jack Carl reflects on 8 years with City Council
Retired Judge Jack Carl was mostly content back in 2008 when a former Mountain Brook City Councilman, Tom Clark, approached him with the idea to run for his seat.
“I was mostly playing golf,” said Carl with a laugh. “But then my brother-in-law got ahold of me, and then my wife.”
Before he knew it, Carl entered the race.
“I thought it would be fun and interesting,” he said.
Eight years later, Carl looks back fondly at his time on the council, yet, for the first time in nearly a decade, he will not seek reelection to Place 2.
In remembering his service to the city, Carl said it was his experience as a Jefferson County circuit judge for 21 years that helped guide him in the decisions involved in being a councilman. Now 78, Carl retired in 2002 from the bench where he presided on the equity division of the court and occasionally helped out with the criminal docket.
“I enjoyed knowing what was going on,” said Carl. “I enjoy making decisions.”
Carl said though he was singly responsible for making decisions on the bench, making decisions as a group on the council has been “fantastic.”
“Probably one of the greatest things about the council is that we don’t get paid anything. We do it because we want to. The council is homogeneous in that we run at large and represent the whole city. Everyone who has served on the council truly had the best interest of the whole city at heart.”
Carl said serving as a liaison between the council and the planning commission helped him be well versed in some of the biggest decisions the council made.
“I’d hear some things twice,” he said, and though it sometimes meant sitting in meetings until 10 or 11 p.m., Carl said he is pleased with the decisions he helped make.
Among those, he said, are the decisions to bring the Piggly Wiggly back to Crestline Village and the approval of the Lane Parke development.
“Some people still dislike our decisions,” said Carl, “but we did what we thought was best for the city.”
Carl said he is especially glad to have the Pig back in Crestline because now that he lives on Dexter Avenue, walking to the Pig is more convenient than ever. In speaking about Lane Parke, Carl said although the ingress and egress into the parking area is still “a little difficult,” both the hotel and the new retailers are “a real fine thing” and a “good addition” to the community.
On his decision not to run again, Carl had a simple answer.
“It’s time,” he said, “to let someone else have a shot at it.”
Asked how he’d like the council and the city to remember his time on the council, Carl began laughing.
“They probably see me as the curmudgeon of the group,” he said. “I do read most of the material so they will probably be glad I’m not there to nitpick.”
City leaders, however, disagree.
“Jack will leave a legacy on his legal expertise,” said City Manager Sam Gaston, “work on the Planning Commission, including the Lane Parke project and his keen review of our minutes, contracts and other documents.”
Council President Virginia Smith said Carl is “an outstanding gentleman” who she will miss working with.
“Jack Carl is one the most meticulous and hardest working members of the council,” said Smith. “He is thoughtful and deliberate in his readings and questions how a certain contract or other document might affect the city. He is also quite funny!”
Even when there is a disagreement among the council and he is on “the losing side of the vote,” Carl, explained Smith, is always the first to say “I will vote no, but I will not hold up the vote.”
As far as what he will do once his time on the council comes to a close, Carl said he will indulge in reading what he affectionately refers to as “junk” from his favorite writers including James Patterson, W.E.B. Griffin and John Grisham.
“I did so much serious reading on the bench,” said Carl, “this stuff is just for fun.”
Along with also picking up some Mark Twain and books about Thomas Jefferson, Carl said he’ll continue playing multiple rounds on the golf course.
“At least four days a week,” he said.