Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Sam Gaston, left, and Homewood City Manager Cale Smith
Longtime Mountain Brook City Manager Sam Gaston, left, is now a special assistant to new Homewood City Manager Cale Smith, right.
Billy Pritchard had just adjourned the Dec. 8 Mountain Brook City Council meeting in the Sam S. Gaston Chamber when he was told that the city’s recently retired city manager has a new part-time job.
On that very night, recently retired Mountain Brook City Manager Sam Gaston was on the agenda of the Homewood City Council, which passed a resolution to appoint him as a special assistant to Homewood’s city manager.
Pritchard was initially coy when asked about Gaston’s new gig.
“I understand he may have some involvement over there, but I don’t know,” the council president said. “I haven’t talked to Sam.”
Once he was assured that Gaston is indeed “helping out” in Homewood, Pritchard gave a hearty endorsement.
“He’d be a good one,” Pritchard said. “He’d be a great consultant. I’m glad they’re wise enough to engage him.”
A month after Mountain Brook bid farewell to its city manager of 32½ years, Gaston arrived at Homewood City Hall for his first afternoon of part-time work.
First-term Homewood Councilman Chris Lane was still giddy as he took his turn for comments near the end of the council meeting.
“I’m 110% for Sam,” he said. “I can’t tell you how far back this goes and what it does for Homewood.”
The Mountain Brook City Council was in executive session prior to its regular meeting on Dec. 8 when City Clerk Heather Richards fielded a call from someone spreading the news about Gaston. It was not the first call on the subject.
“News apparently traveled fast,” Gaston said. “I had people from Huntsville and other places saying, ‘I thought you retired.’ Well, I am somewhat retired.
“I was shocked how fast the word got out,” the veteran city manager said. “Good Lord, people are blowing up my phone.”
Gaston said he just wants to help the good people of Homewood.
“Homewood was already a great community,” the 69-year-old said. “I have a lot of great respect and admiration for this community and also for their leadership that they’ve got in place, both elected and appointed. I felt very humbled that they asked me to come and assist them, and that’s gonna be my role. It’s gonna be behind the scenes. It’s gonna be purely in an advisory and a mentor role. That will be it.”
Gaston calls his part-time job a great opportunity for him and the city of Homewood.
“I have been extremely blessed to [have] been able now to work for the two best communities in Alabama — Mountain Brook and Homewood.”
