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Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Mountain Brook Mayor Graham Smith shares a laugh with former state. Rep. Paul DeMarco at the Mountain Brook state-of-the-city address at the Country Club of Birmingham on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026.
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Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Mountain Brook council members Lloyd Shelton, left, and Billy Pritchard at the state-of-the-city address at the Country Club of Birmingham on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026.
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Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Mountain Brook Councilwoman Maretta Ashford, right, speaks at the state-of-the-city address at the Country Club of Birmingham on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, as Becky Holt looks on.
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Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Mountain Brook Councilman Lloyd Shelton speaks state-of-the-city address at the Country Club of Birmingham on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026.
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Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Mountain Brook Councilwoman Becky Holt, right, speaks at the state-of-the-city address at the Country Club of Birmingham on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, as Councilman Gerald Garner looks on.
Mountain Brook Mayor Graham Smith punctuated the Chamber of Commerce’s annual state-of-the-city luncheon by announcing that Sister Schubert is again producing its sausage rolls.
She even had the wait staff at the Country Club of Birmingham deliver the delectable delights to tables in the east hall.
“I thought Mountain Brook should not only be the first to know, but we should be the first to try them,” she said. “I thought you deserved an early preview because only the best for you. Because after everything we've talked about today – our city, our future, our challenges and our accomplishments – I think we can clearly agree on one thing: Sometimes the most important things in life are wrapped in biscuit dough.”
The popular breakfast rolls, made in Alabama, provided a unique entrypoint for Smith as she talked about the roles that City Council members fill in helping lead the city.
“What makes our council unique in our structure is that we all have our subject matter expertise,” the mayor said. “It helps us operate a lot more efficiently and quickly because we trust our subject-matter experts. If Lloyd (Shelton) tells us he's reviewed the numbers with his financial team, we will take that heavily under advisement. When Maretta (Ashford) reports back on the business community, we know that she has done her diligence. It just helps us to be more efficient.”
Smith opted not to deliver the traditional state-of-the-city address as other chief executives might. Instead, council members joined her on a panel, fielding questions from former state Rep. Paul DeMarco.
“It just shows how we're different,” Smith said. “We do things differently here in this city, and we're proud of that.”
Shelton drew the largest laugh during the luncheon as he joked that no one had asked about data centers.
“I got an email from a lady saying, 'No data centers in Mountain Brook,’” he recounted later. “I said, Yeah, where would you propose we put them?”
The council president pro tempore said each member of the council is designated as the liaison to a particular board.
“I'm the finance liaison, but I'm also the liaison to the library,” Shelton said. “I go to every board meeting, and I don't have a vote. I just listen for what's important to them. Gerald (Garner) does it for Park (Board). I don't think we have a liaison to fire and police, but he has a relationship with them. Maretta is with the chamber. Billy (Pritchard is) at the Board of Education. Each of us, we're citizens. We're neighbors, and we're not compensated.”
Smith began her segment of the panel by saying that three things are most important: Keep citizens safe, make sure the mayor and council are excellent stewards of taxpayer dollars and make sure that city schools remain strong.
“We will present a balanced budget for the coming year,” the mayor said. “Our schools, as of yesterday, were ranked among the top 0.01% in the country. Let me just say that one more time. There were 27,000 schools ranked by U.S. News and World Report. Mountain Brook came out — I'm not even interested where we are in the state — We came out 215 in the country, which puts us at the top 0.01% in the country.”
DeMarco asked Pritchard about the “Mountain Brook model.” The council president cited his observation of the past 26 years, saying, “The Mountain Book model describes a vibrant community shaped by engaging and remarkable residents, many of whom possess an abundance of skills and expertise that oftentimes are readily and freely offered in service to our city.”
Following the luncheon, Shelton was asked how much better Mountain Brook can be?
“I think that's the challenge,” he said. “I think we can always be better. I think it’s how we deal with each other, how we continue to address problems. But a lot of the burden I carry is they've done it well for years. I don't want to screw it up. Mother and daddy would say, ‘Did you leave it better than when you found it?’”
