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Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Graham Smith is set to become Mountain Brook's mayor in November, following Stewart Welch, who did not seek re-election.
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Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Graham Smith is set to become Mountain Brook's mayor in November, following Stewart Welch, who did not seek re-election.
3 of 3
Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Graham Smith is set to become Mountain Brook's mayor in November, following Stewart Welch, who did not seek re-election.
The mayor’s office at Mountain Brook City Hall is decorated with artwork from the city’s grade school students.
Some of the pictures have been on the wall a while — a long while.
“We have an elementary school art exhibit going back to 2019,” said Graham Leigh Smith, recalling a recent review of the display. “They knew some of these children had already graduated.
“Maybe it’s time for an art freshen.”
The mayor’s office will have a new look soon, starting with the person behind the desk. Smith is set to become the first woman elected mayor of the city.
The 45-year-old native of Long Island, New York, will be the second woman named Smith to hold the office. Retiring Council President Virginia Smith was interim mayor for two or three weeks when Mayor Terry Oden died.
Before her, Margaret Porter, another council president, became interim mayor for three or four months when Mayor Bill Matthews resigned late in his tenure.
“By virtue of her being council president, she automatically became mayor,” retiring City Manager Sam Gaston said. “They did that to honor her. She was mayor for like about three months.”
Don’t expect anything that reflects Graham Smith in her new office.
“Nothing in my image. Absolutely not,” she said. “I'm not looking for that.
“It's not about me. It's 100% about the city,” Smith said. “None of me. You will not see that. I promise. That I can make a sheer promise. But I would like to freshen up this art. I’ve gotta get it back to the kids.”
Smith hopes to bring a light to Mountain Brook’s children as she connects with them.
“I have learned that we need to continually work on civic education for our children,” she said. “I would love to spend more time explaining the way the municipal government works to some of our school children.
“That needs to be taught from a young age. I'm fortunate I saw that at a young age so I understand why it's necessary and why it matters and what it does,” she said. “And also, what happens when you don't have it in a community.”
As the only person to qualify for the office, Smith is the first elected mayor without opposition. The council recently passed a resolution to make that official, even though her name did not appear on the Aug. 26 ballot.
“It's kind of a procedural maneuver, a procedural step,” said Smith, who will have completed three of her five years on the council when she takes office. “I will not be officially sworn in until Nov. 4. It'll be a special meeting because it's not during our normal meeting.”
Some in Mountain Brook have never seen the mayor’s office, but nearly all have seen the oversized chess pieces on the checkerboard space outside City Hall.
It’s a reminder, Smith said, that running the city is a little like playing chess — but she won’t be the only one making moves.
“That's a great analogy,” the rising mayor said. “The benefit we have is that we're all so collaborative. Even though I have now switched into the mayoral role, the council works so well together. We converse and communicate so many times that truly we're all kind of managing our own different departments and arenas. We'll bounce ideas off each other. We will chit chat depending on what the topic du jour is. So yes, very much, like a chess set.”
Smith said three main objectives guide her decisions. The first is to be a strong steward of taxpayer dollars.
“We are a low debt carrying city,” she said. “We really only spend what we have cash to accomplish. We do not take on a lot of debt. We try to be the best possible financial steward of taxpayer dollars.”
Second, she wants to continue to build a strong business community.
“We are built out on 98% of our land, so Mountain Brook is not a city that is necessarily looking for development,” she said. “We are trying to encourage and help what we already have here work to the best of their ability, without hindrance or encumbrance from the city. We try to get out of their way as best we can and let them flourish and thrive.”
The third leg of Smith’s objectives is public safety.
“You can't recreate or thrive if you're having to worry about public safety,” she said. “That's an arm of government that we try to take care of so that residents don't have to think about that. That's not part of their daily concern.”
Smith’s vision centers on improving quality of life.
“I would love to see more public art in the appropriate spaces,” she said. “Walkability always comes up at the top of the list when we do our resident survey. Residents are really interested in just being able to walk and be outdoors and enjoy having connectivity. That's a real highlight for me.”
While walkability is high on residents’ list, managing traffic is a major concern.
“Our roundabout has gotten rave reviews,” she said. “Thus far, we have only received positive reviews on the use of that roundabout in Mountain Brook Village, and it's not even complete.”
Smith’s vision goes beyond the borders of her city, including collaboration with neighboring municipalities. That includes Vestavia Hills using Mountain Brook training facilities.
“That is a synergy that will not only allow us to reduce our own costs, but it will help train the surrounding community,” she said. “It will allow that cross-collaboration of ideas between our police and fire departments. These partnerships happen every single day and I'm not sure people even know that it's happening. We work with Homewood, we work with Vestavia and we work with Birmingham on a daily basis.”
Smith will begin her first term as mayor knowing that she will soon lose a major security blanket in City Manager Sam Gaston. He has served Mountain Brook for 32 years and is retiring this fall, with Finance Director Steve Boone already named his successor.
Gaston has confidence in Smith.
“She'll do well,” he said. “Graham's very smart. She's engaging. She's been on our editorial board. She's been on the planning commission for many years, and then she spent two years on city council.
“And, of course, she's very involved as PTO president,” he continued. “She may have been president of all the PTOs. Yeah, she's been very involved in the community and knows the community. I have great confidence that she's gonna do a great job. She'll do a fantastic job.”
