Incumbents, Smith take the day in City Council elections

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After 7,548 voters cast their ballots on Aug. 23, Mountain Brook City Council members Billy Pritchard (Place 3) and Lloyd Shelton (Place 5) are set to return for another term, joined by newcomer Graham Smith in Place 1.

Smith won 74% of the vote, Pritchard won 71% and Shelton won 67%.

Here’s the breakdown of the 2022 ballot results:

Place 1: Christopher Powanda — 1,990, Graham Smith — 5,530

Place 3: Kent Osband — 2,186, Billy Pritchard — 5,320

Place 5: Tate Davis — 2,459, Lloyd Shelton — 5,051

Voter turnout more than doubled in comparison to the 2020 City Council election, when 3,188 people cast their votes.

This City Council election was defined by ideological divides centered on Mountain Brook Schools and the operations of the Board of Education. 

In their campaign materials, candidates Chris Powanda (Place 1), Kent Osband (Place 3) and Tate Davis (Place 5) all expressed concerns about political motivations and “culture war” issues invading the school system’s curriculum. While the City Council is not directly involved in direction of the school system, it does appoint board members.

Smith, Pritchard and Shelton, on the other hand, did not share these concerns and largely focused their campaign platforms on other city issues.

Driving around Mountain Brook on Election Day, political yard signs tended to be grouped along these same lines, displaying support for either Powanda/Osband/Davis or Smith/Pritchard/Shelton, but rarely a different combination of the candidates.

Smith takes the place of Alice Womack, who decided not to run for a third term after eight years on the council. Pritchard has served on the council since 2000 and Shelton since 2014.

The three winning candidates will take office on Nov. 7, and will serve five-year terms, ending in 2027. Mayor Stewart Welch and the other two members of the council, Gerald Garner (Place 2) and Virginia Smith (Place 4), are also serving five-year terms, ending in 2025.

The city of Mountain Brook is shifting to off-year elections, rather than coinciding with state and national elections. City Manager Sam Gaston has previously said that this change will make it easier to handle the logistics of voting machines and poll workers.

The winners of the 2025 and 2027 City Council elections will return to normal four-year terms.

Results by polling district are listed below:

Brookwood Baptist Church

  • Total ballots cast: 1,333
  • Place 1: Christopher Powanda — 404, Graham Smith — 926
  • Place 3: Kent Osband — 441, Billy Pritchard — 881
  • Place 5: Tate Davis — 466, Lloyd Shelton — 863

Canterbury United Methodist Church

  • Total ballots cast: 599
  • Place 1: Christopher Powanda — 118, Graham Smith — 478
  • Place 3: Kent Osband — 155, Billy Pritchard — 440
  • Place 5: Tate Davis — 169, Lloyd Shelton — 426

Cherokee Bend Elementary

  • Total ballots cast: 913
  • Place 1: Christopher Powanda — 212, Graham Smith — 697
  • Place 3: Kent Osband — 224, Billy Pritchard — 685
  • Place 5: Tate Davis — 279, Lloyd Shelton — 629

Mountain Brook City Hall

  • Total ballots cast: 1,645
  • Place 1: Christopher Powanda — 463, Graham Smith — 1,176
  • Place 3: Kent Osband — 499, Billy Pritchard — 1,139
  • Place 5: Tate Davis — 606, Lloyd Shelton — 1,029

Mountain Brook Community Church

  • Total ballots cast: 1,253
  • Place 1: Christopher Powanda — 395, Graham Smith — 853
  • Place 3: Kent Osband — 415, Billy Pritchard — 831
  • Place 5: Tate Davis — 431, Lloyd Shelton — 816

Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church

  • Total ballots cast: 1,091
  • Place 1: Christopher Powanda — 277, Graham Smith — 810
  • Place 3: Kent Osband — 329, Billy Pritchard — 756
  • Place 5: Tate Davis — 361, Lloyd Shelton — 725

Absentee ballots

  • Total ballots cast: 714
  • Place 1: Christopher Powanda — 121, Graham Smith — 590
  • Place 3: Kent Osband — 123, Billy Pritchard — 588
  • Place 5: Tate Davis — 147, Lloyd Shelton — 563