Is this seat taken: School system, ‘culture wars’ headline issues in upcoming council elections

Mountain Brook residents will head to the polls Aug. 23 to select representatives for three of their five City Council seats.

For some of the new faces among the candidates, concerns about the school system and cultural hot-button topics were the driving forces behind their decisions to run for office. But city services, infrastructure and finances are also on the minds of candidates and voters alike.

The details

Six candidates qualified by the June 28 deadline, two each for the seats in Places 1, 3 and 5.

Kent Osband is challenging incumbent Billy Pritchard for Place 3, and Tate Davis is challenging incumbent Lloyd Shelton for Place 5.

In Place 1, two-term Councilwoman Alice Womack decided not to run for re-election. She told Village Living that when she first joined the council in 2014, she knew that she would likely only serve eight years.

The candidates for Place 1 are Christopher Powanda and Graham Smith.

The winners for these seats will take office on Nov. 7. Once the new members are installed, the council will vote on each member’s liaison assignments to other parts of the city, such as the O’Neal Library or the Board of Education.

In advance of election day, the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce plans to host a Meet, Greet & Grab Something to Eat event on the lawn at City Hall on Tuesday, Aug. 16, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Chamber President Walter Crye said the candidates will be invited to set up stations where they can talk to potential voters and promote their campaigns.

“We expect this to be a nice evening that will support the Village businesses and encourage some civil discourse ahead of our municipal election,” Crye said via email.

Crye said the event will also be a chance to introduce the chamber’s new executive director, Emily Jensen, to the public. Jensen started her new role on July 5. Suzan Doidge, who has held the position for 14 years, plans to retire in September.

The 2022 election is unusual for Mountain Brook because the new council members will serve for five years, instead of the usual four-year term.

The Alabama Legislature last year enacted Act 2021-157, requiring all municipal elections in the state to move to “off” years, instead of coinciding with state and national election years.

Mountain Brook, along with Scottsboro, was exempted from this act due to previous special legislation for their staggered terms of office, but the city of Mountain Brook decided to move its elections as well. Consequently, the mayor and council members elected in August 2020 also had their terms extended by one year.

The goal of these off-year elections, according to a letter to the city from City Manager Sam Gaston in 2021, is to make it easier for the city to recruit poll workers and handle voting machines. Both of these tasks were more challenging when they had to be done multiple times in the same year, for primaries, runoffs and general elections at the local, state and national levels.

Gaston also said changing the election years could reduce election fatigue, resulting in more people showing up to the polls.

The Places 1, 3 and 5 council members elected this month will serve until 2027, while Mayor Stewart Welch and the current council members for Places 2 and 4, Gerald Garner and Virginia Smith, will serve until 2025. After this, all council members will be elected for regular four-year terms.

The deadline to register to vote for the City Council elections is Monday, Aug. 8. Registration status can be checked online through the Alabama Secretary of State website, myinfo.alabamavotes.gov/voterview. The city website provides a polling-place locator at mtnbrook.org/cmo/page/polling-districts.

The city will operate six polling locations, one for each of Mountain Brook’s voting districts. For those not in town on election day, the deadline to apply for a regular absentee ballot is Thursday, Aug. 18, and an emergency absentee ballot application can be filed until Monday, Aug. 22. Absentee ballots must be returned by hand or postmarked no later than Aug. 22.

Village Living will have complete coverage of results on election night.

The issues

Appointing members of the Mountain Brook Board of Education is only one piece of the City Council’s duties in overseeing the city’s operations. However, the direction of the Mountain Brook school system has become a contentious center-stage issue for some of the council candidates.

“Obviously the ability to appoint school board members is going to be a central issue. There’s no question about that. We’ve heard about that from folks, and that’s a reason why some are running for City Council,” incumbent Billy Pritchard said.

In May 2020, a Mountain Brook High School student posted a video online with two swastikas and the word “heil” drawn on his back. Other students were also visible in the video. This followed a 2018 incident where a swastika was found drawn in a Mountain Brook Junior High bathroom. In February of this year, there was another incident where a Jewish student at the high school said his teacher led the class in a Nazi salute. The school system has denied that took place.

The 2020 video caused controversy in the community and alarm over the appearance of anti-Semitism among students. It also drew national headlines.

In response, Mountain Brook Schools implemented diversity and anti-bias training for teachers through the No Place for Hate program created by the Anti-Defamation League, an international Jewish organization that focuses on civil rights and anti-Semitism issues.

However, the school system backtracked on its connection with the ADL last summer, after a group of parents protested, concerned that the group would bring controversial political issues, like critical race theory and expanding abortion rights, into the school system.

Others in the city, including about 1,200 alumni of Mountain Brook Schools, then criticized the school system’s decision to withdraw from the ADL contract. They cited a need for greater honesty in teaching about race and discrimination.

Candidate Chris Powanda said the “need to keep all political groups and politically motivated curriculum out of our schools” was a priority in his City Council bid.

Kent Osband also said the “culture wars” and transparency in education were among his main motivations in running for the City Council. He agreed with the school system’s decision to terminate its contract with the ADL, “as I abhor both anti-Semitism and mind-numbing indoctrination,” he said in an email.

In a campaign flier, Osband has said he would like either closer oversight by the City Council over the Board of Education, or for the school board to become elected rather than appointed. Powanda also would like to move to an election model for Board of Education seats.

Additionally, Osband said the most recent Board of Education appointment by the council, Daniel Odrezin, was “in clear violation of stated rules” since Odrezin doesn’t have a child in the school system. He cited the minutes of a November 2021 council meeting, where the mayor said school board candidates “always have children in the school system.”

However, Alabama State Code 16-11-2(c), which lists the qualifications for elected or appointed school board members, does not require candidates to have a child in the school system. Candidates must be residents of the city with a high school diploma, and they cannot have conflicts of interest with another school or a record of felonies or sex offenses.

“There’s no prohibition [or] law that was violated in any way. There have been people who have served on the school board that didn’t have a child in the school system,” Pritchard said.

While some are treating the school system as a priority in this election, other Mountain Brook residents believe a single-minded focus on the recent controversy would be a liability.

“I wouldn’t want to see a one-issue race and a one-issue candidate, personally,” said Cherokee Bend resident Grace Murphy, who has two elementary school-age children.

“I feel like in the past couple of years, there has been a highly contentious and divisive element introduced into the municipal affairs of Mountain Brook that had formerly never been present for the entire existence of the city,” said Ralph Yielding, who has lived in the city nearly his entire life, since he was born in 1956.

“I am very concerned about the grievance candidates that have submitted their applications to run, and the hard partisan tenor of what appears to be going on, and it is in stark contrast to what has largely been a nonpartisan process,” he added.

Kevin Cornes, a Crestline resident with three children in the school system, said he was concerned that candidates with a single-issue agenda, like the school system, might not be equipped for the “time-consuming work to run the city.” Although Cornes is the founder of Mountain Brook Listens, a nonprofit focused on diversity and inclusion, he emphasized that Mountain Brook Listens is not a political organization and that he was sharing only his personal opinions.

“To me, the biggest issue is that some people are running on very narrow issues that, while they may be important, the worry is they don’t really necessarily want to do the minutiae work of running the city, and they don’t have the experience to do that,” Cornes said. “If there’s a specific issue, yes, let’s address that, but don’t do it at the expense of electing the wrong person to the City Council.”

Maretta Ashford, a Brookwood Forest resident and mother of four boys, said open-minded communication and listening between the schools and the city is needed to best serve Mountain Brook’s children.

“A candidate that is willing to do that is vital,” she said.

She also said she would like to have candidates with connections to the school system. However, she said she is “comfortable and confident” in her children’s education, and that the recent controversy was not one of her primary voting concerns.

She said her first priority is “making sure that our first responders have the support that they need” in order to best serve the city, particularly for school resource officers. Ashford also wants the new City Council members to support and keep local businesses in Mountain Brook.

Along with local businesses, Mountain Brook will also need to work with the city of Homewood and developers on plans for redeveloping Brookwood Village, which has been nearly vacant for months. City facilities and infrastructure, from fire stations and athletic complexes to sidewalks and stormwater sewers, will also be issues council members will likely need to address in the upcoming term.

“I think we need a City Council to look at maintaining a high level of city services, across the spectrum of roads to waste management and economic development and everything along those lines,” Murphy said.

Along with its management of tax dollars and city services, Murphy said she wants a City Council that will consider Mountain Brook’s role in the larger Birmingham community.

“I do think that there are opportunities to collaborate with other Over the Mountain suburbs and the city of Birmingham to be more efficient in the way we’re providing services and to be more community-oriented,” she said.

The candidates

Village Living invited each of the candidates to respond to a questionnaire about their background and goals for the Mountain Brook City Council. Responses have been lightly edited for space and clarity. Visit villagelivingonline.com to see the candidates' full responses.

Christopher Powanda, Place 1

► Website: PowandaforMB.com

► Facebook: facebook.com/ChristopherPowandaforMB

Q: Are you a Mountain Brook native? If not, how long have you lived here?

A:  I was born and raised in Seymour, Connecticut, which is a suburb of New Haven. I have lived in New York City, Waterbury, Connecticut, and Stuttgart, Germany, before settling in Mountain Brook in 2015.

Q: What area of town do you live in?

A: Brookwood Forest

Q: What is your educational background?

A: Holy Cross High School in Waterbury, Connecticut, followed by Bridgton Academy in North Bridgton, Maine, and University of New Haven in New Haven, Connecticut.

Q: What is your career background?

A: I am a national sales manager for a building materials manufacturer.

Q: Have you run for or held elected office before?

A: No.

Q: Why are you running for City Council?

A: First, I plan to be an advocate for the small business community and work to prevent government overreach. Many local small businesses were badly hurt during the early days of the pandemic due to forced closings, including my wife’s. She is the operating owner of a children's clothing store in Crestline. There are currently no small “mom and pop” business owners seated on the council, and I feel they need (and deserve) representation.

Additionally, I strongly believe that we need to keep all political groups and politically motivated curriculum out of our schools. I will fight to ensure our Board of Education keeps the curriculum focused on the fundamentals of education: math, English, history, science, social studies and the arts. I also believe we need to review and enhance foreign language programs and advanced computer/coding curriculums for younger students. I also think the City Council should explore moving the BOE seating process to an elected model versus the current appointed position model.

If elected, I will also conduct a deep review of the funding of the Mountain Brook

athletics programs. Currently, operations, upkeep and improvements are severely underfunded by the Board of Education and the city.

Q: What are the issues you think are the most important in this election?

A: I think the community is looking for a more transparent City Council and Board of Education. Decisions affecting so many should never be made behind closed doors by a select few, even if those select few are elected officials. I want more direct input from our community on matters that affect us all, and pledge to look for new ways to involve our community so we know what’s important to the citizens of Mountain Brook. I believe we each want the same things: a safe community, a great education without political bias and neighbors who support each other in good times and bad!

Q: Why do you think you can do a good job on the council?

A: I have much respect for the current administration and am thankful for their service to Mountain Brook. However, I have been in the council chamber on several occasions as a spokesperson for neighborhood issues. In those meetings, I never felt that the City Council was truly willing to engage our concerns and understand the issues at hand. We often felt that it was us against them, and to me that’s not how city government is supposed to work or feel. This position requires a passion for people and addressing their needs. I want the voters of Mountain Brook to know that I will be accessible to all, not just those who vote for me.

Graham Smith, Place 1

► Facebook: “Graham Smith 4 Mountain Brook”

► Email: graham4mb@gmail.com

Q: Are you a Mountain Brook native? If not, how long have you lived here?

A: I have lived in Mountain Brook for 10 years, and my husband (Harrison) and father-in-law (Ralph) both grew up here and graduated from MBHS.

Q: What area of town do you live in?

A: Cherokee Bend

Q: What is your educational background?

A: I have an undergraduate degree in journalism from Washington and Lee University and an MBA from the University of Alabama.

Q: What is your career background?

A: I previously worked in the Office of Advancement for the University of Alabama and served as U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby’s legislative director. Currently, I am a stay-at-home mom of two boys and a community volunteer, which has included serving as the PTO president of Cherokee Bend Elementary School and as a member of the Mountain Brook Planning Commission, Editorial Board, and Friends of Jemison Park.

Q: Have you run for or held elected office before?

A: No.

Q: Why are you running for City Council?

A: I am a problem solver and critical thinker who loves finding workable solutions that can positively impact people’s lives. I have always believed in the importance of civic responsibility and volunteerism as a way to pay forward the many benefits we have received from past generations. If elected, I would give thoughtful and caring consideration to all issues, with an eye toward bringing cohesion to our community and ensuring that Mountain Brook continues to be a place we can be proud to call home.

Q: What are the issues you think are the most important in this election?

A: Electing candidates who are dedicated and able to do solid work for our city. City Council races should not be about political grandstanding or personal agendas. Upcoming areas of council focus will include the redevelopment of Brookwood Village, implementation of the new garbage/recycling program, minimizing the disruption associated with two upcoming Jefferson County sewer projects, completing capital improvements at our schools, supporting local businesses and tackling the unfunded actuarial accrued pension liability issue. These are but a few of the important issues that I would be excited to help our city navigate.     

Q: Why do you think you can do a good job on the council?

A: I have work and volunteer experience in government that has equipped me with the skills necessary to serve our community in this role. In addition, I genuinely enjoy thinking about the everyday issues facing our community. Issues such as negotiating waste management contracts, thoughtful zoning and development, providing support for our local businesses and schools, infrastructure and development projects and supporting all of our city employees — these are the predominant issues the council tackles on a daily basis. Additionally, ensuring that our tax dollars are spent in a fiscally responsible manner; that our first responders are trained, prepared and have the equipment they need; adding to our sidewalk system; and improving our parks and athletic fields — it’s this daily work that makes me excited to serve.

Kent Osband, Place 3

► Website: VoteOsband.com

► Facebook: fb.com/KentOsbandforCouncil

Q: Are you a Mountain Brook native? If not, how long have you lived here?

A: I grew up next to Mountain Brook, and most of my classmates and friends lived in Mountain Brook. I studied and worked elsewhere for 40 years but visited frequently and am very close with my sister, who raised her family in Mountain Brook. Three years ago, I married lifelong Mountain Brook resident Betsy Dreher and have lived here ever since.

Q: What area of town do you live in?

A: Crestline

Q: What is your educational background?

A: I attended Highlands School and a predecessor to Altamont School while in Birmingham, then the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. I graduated from Harvard University magna cum laude and hold a Ph.D. in economics from University of California - Berkeley. I also taught at Harvard and University of California - Los Angeles.

Q: What is your career background?

A: I had two careers. The first was in economic development policy at the Rand Corp., the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The second was in private international finance in London and New York, working for major investment banks and hedge funds.

Q: Have you run for or held elected office before?

A: No.

Q: Why are you running for City Council?

A: A year ago, the culture war came to Mountain Brook Schools. An initially fumbled response to anti-Semitic incidents brought in the Anti-Defamation League, which proposed a highly partisan educational program under the guise of hating hate. After community outcry, MBS terminated the program, which prompted the ADL to publicly trash Mountain Brook. As I abhor both anti-Semitism and mind-numbing indoctrination, wherever it comes from, I investigated both sides and chose to publicly defend MBS in an opinion piece in Southern Jewish Life. However, we need to do much more to keep the culture war from consuming Mountain Brook. On the one hand, let’s push harder for higher standards at MBS in both academics and behavior and insist that students meet them. On the other hand, let’s extend our hard-won culture of tolerance and respect for religious differences to include political differences, too. Together, we can give our kids the technical and social skills they need to prove worthy of their enormous privileges, and thereby help prove worthy of our own.

Q: What are the issues you think are the most important in this election?

A: Will MBS aim to be truly top-ranked nationally? Why doesn’t the council follow its own stated rules in appointing Board of Education candidates? How should our community handle the culture wars?

Q: Why do you think you can do a good job on the council?

A: Thanks to my diverse international experience, I am an expert on top-flight education and see clearly how we can get there. I know how to reconcile creative autonomy for teachers with school accountability to the community. I see how we might rise above the culture wars and respectfully re-engage with each other.

Billy Pritchard, Place 3

► Email: billyp@pm-j.com

Q: What year were you elected to council?

A: 2000

Q: What neighborhood do you live in?

A: Crestline

Q: What accomplishments are you the most proud of over your time on council?

A: Twenty-two years is a long time, and so there’s some significant accomplishments. Among them, I would include bringing the Pig back to Crestline; upgrading the sports complex at MBHS and the youth athletic fields, and adding a second gym to Crestline Elementary; assisting the school system with financial challenges; the development of Cahaba Village and of the Publix in Overton Park; and the redevelopment of Lane Parke.

Q: Why do you want another term?

A: Even though much has been done over the 22 years, there’s still a lot more that can be done.

Q: If reelected, do you have any immediate goals or priorities you’d like to pursue?

A: Artificial surfacing on the MBJH field, providing new tennis courts and adding 42 parking spaces is an immediate concern. Also, consideration of plans to redevelop Brookwood Village and continuing to address the city’s unfunded pension liability.

Q: Would you like to continue your roles as council president and Board of Education liaison?

A: Yes.

Q: Do you see any particular problems that the city as a whole should address?

A: With the historic rains that we’ve had in the last 15-16 months or so, there are a lot of drainage issues that have surfaced. I have heard from residents about these issues that need to be addressed.

Tate Davis, Place 5

► Facebook: facebook.com/TateDavisforCouncil

► Email: tate@votetatedavis.com

Q: Are you a Mountain Brook native? If not, how long have you lived here?

A: I was born and raised in Mountain Brook.

Q: What area of town do you live in?

A: I live in Brookwood Forest with my wife, Stefanie, and three children: Tate, Mason and Palmer.

Q: What is your educational background?

A: I attended Crestline Elementary, MBJH and graduated from MBHS in 1996. I graduated from Auburn University in 2000 with a bachelor’s of science in business management.

Q: What is your career background?

A: I have worked in the construction and real estate development industry for 22 years. Outside of work, I serve as a board member for Camp McDowell; a member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church; a member of the Birmingham Monday Morning Quarterback Club, a charity that raises funds to fulfill medical needs for children across our state; and a member of The Long Green Line, a mentorship program for senior football players at Mountain Brook High School.

Q: Have you run for or held elected office before?

A: No.

Q: Why are you running for City Council?

A: Having been born and raised in Mountain Brook, I love this community and want to see it thrive and prosper. My wife went to the council a few years ago with traffic safety concerns in our Brookwood Forest neighborhood. She was successful in getting the council to install two new stop signs, a pedestrian crosswalk and sidewalks. This inspired me to become more invested and have a desire to run for this position. I am ready to give back to the community that has given me so much.

Q: What are the issues you think are the most important in this election?

A: Growth will always be an important issue. We are a landlocked community, and as we grow, it strains our infrastructure (such as roads and storm/sewer systems). Updating and maintaining our infrastructure is expensive, and our budget/planning should stay in step. As Lane Parke construction comes to an end, traffic issues within Mountain Brook Village will increase. We need a clear plan in place to ease the current traffic flow issues.

Two things that continue to bring people to Mountain Brook are our schools and the safety of the community. We need to stay focused on our amazing police, fire and EMS departments and ensure their equipment and training are state-of -the-art. It is of the utmost importance that the most qualified and skilled individuals sit on our Board of Education. Additionally, we need to place a new emphasis on protecting our children within the school walls. The City Council should work with the Board of Education and the Police Department to make sure our children are as safe as possible while maintaining the highest education standards.

Q: Why do you think you can do a good job on the council?

A: I bring 22 years of construction and real estate development experience to the table. With the rate of growth happening in our community, my background can help guide our expansion plans and policies. Currently there are lawyers and financial experts on our City Council, but no one with architectural or construction experience. I have spent most of my life in Mountain Brook and understand the dynamics that make us special. I have learned how our city operates and how that translates to keeping our community strong. I will make unbiased decisions that are in the best interests of the overall community and our financial stability.

Lloyd Shelton, Place 5

► Email: lcs@borlandcpa.com

Q: What year were you elected to council?

A: 2014

Q: What neighborhood do you live in?

A: Brookwood Forest, for the past 30 years.

Q: What accomplishments are you the most proud of over your time on council?

A: The recently completed work at the sports complex would be high on the list. Another would be implementing a long-term funding strategy for the RSA pension and OPEB trust. Both are very important to the long-term financial health of the city. A third would be any of the sidewalk projects that have helped tie different parts of the community together.

Being the city’s liaison to the O’Neal Library has helped remind me what a wonderful asset the library is to the community. Finally, I would say working with the Police Department in developing a take-home car policy for the officers was very rewarding.

Q: Why do you want another term?

A: I have enjoyed my time on the council. I get to work on behalf of the citizens of one of the greatest cities in the country, I have the opportunity to work with some wonderful people, and I have a good understanding of the city’s finances, which I believe is critical in order for us to remain good stewards of the city’s money while maintaining the quality of city services expected by the citizens.

Q: If reelected, do you have any immediate goals or priorities you’d like to pursue?

A: We have a couple of fire stations that are showing their age. We need to think about long-term solutions in providing our firefighters and paramedics the facilities they need and deserve. I would also like to continue to try and figure out how we can provide adequate field space and time for the various Mountain Brook youth sport leagues. Last but not least, there are still some sidewalk projects that need to be completed and other development opportunities that could enhance city revenues. We need to address those opportunities in a responsible manner.

Q: Would you like to continue as finance committee chairman?

A: Yes. I enjoy getting into the numbers and getting to work with Finance Director Steve Boone. We are blessed to have him and the various members of the community who volunteer their time to serve on the Finance Committee. Working with Steve and the Finance Committee is a pleasure and educational.

Q: Do you see any particular problems that the city as a whole should address?

A: According to a recent study published by the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, Mountain Brook is the only city in Alabama to collect more in property taxes than in sales tax. Almost half of our budget comes from property taxes. Given that a large portion of the property tax we collect is residential (and taxed at a lower rate when compared to commercial property), we have to be diligent in our stewardship. Our citizens demand excellent city services, and the mayor, City Council and employees of the city of Mountain Brook are committed to providing excellent services. To keep pace with the cost of providing those services, we need to constantly be evaluating how we find the financial resources to meet the needs of the citizens and take care of our employees. This is an annual challenge that requires long-term thinking.

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The Importance of Showing Up

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that local elections don’t see the same level of voter excitement as the elections for the presidency and U.S. Congress.

Out of a 2020 Census population of more than 20,000 Mountain Brook residents, only 3,188 voted in the 2020 municipal elections, a turnout rate of just under 16%.

Turnout in 2016 was even lower, with just 1,740 votes cast. There were no elections in 2018 due to lack of opposition for the Places 1, 3 and 5 candidates.

Just a few months after the

August 2020 city council elections, about 10,800 Mountain Brook residents showed up to vote for the November state and federal elections. That equates to about 54% of the city’s population, and 63% of its registered voters.

Election fatigue is one of the reasons the city of Mountain Brook decided last year to move its future municipal elections to “off” years, in hopes that spacing out election races will increase participation.

Crestline resident Kevin Cornes would like to see more of his neighbors show up on election day in August. He has been involved in a grassroots get-out-the-vote effort around the city, to talk about issues and encourage turnout.

When it comes to local elections, he said, it is often only the people who are most passionate that show up. But, he said, higher participation would mean a better reflection of what the entirety of the city wants in its leadership.

“If there’s the extremities in the community, … they’re the ones that are most inclined to vote. To me, what’s best for Mountain Brook is what’s moderate, in the middle,” Cornes said.

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Dates to Remember

► Aug. 8: Voter registration deadline

► Aug. 16, 6-8 p.m.: Chamber of Commerce candidate meet and greet event

► Aug. 18: Regular absentee ballot application deadline

► Aug. 22: Emergency absentee ballot application deadline; last day to postmark absentee ballots or return them by hand

► Aug. 23: Election Day

► Sept. 20: Runoff election, if needed

► Nov. 7: New council members take office