CULLMAN – The Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce’s monthly community luncheon on Friday provided a forum for Cullman incumbent mayor Max A. Townson and his challenger, Woodrow "Woody" Jacobs, to answer questions presented by The Cullman Times’ David Palmer, who served as moderator.
Held at The All Steak Restaurant, the luncheon was a hotbed of pats on the back, hugs and networking for the community’s professionals.
The United Way of Cullman County’s Executive Director Sammie Danford introduced both mayoral candidates, highlighting each man’s career path, civic roles and history in local government.
Both men were born and educated in Cullman, yet only Townson served his country in the United States military (Air Force) before returning to Cullman to teach and coach at West Point before entering the pharmaceutical sales field where he worked until his tenure as mayor began in 2008. A member of St. John’s Evangelical Protestant Church since 1981, Townson and his wife, the former Kay Locke, are parents of two children and five grandchildren. Townson has been the recipient of many awards throughout his career and has volunteered his time with several organizations including Christmas Love and the Pilot’s Club.
Jacobs, the son of an accountant, studied the same in college and gained employment with his father’s company upon graduation. After almost 20 years in the field, he joined Eidson and Associates, where he currently works as vice president after 20 years with the company. Members of Christ Covenant Presbyterian Church, he and his wife Connie are the parents of two children. Jacobs has served with the Lion’s Club, as Red Cross president, as city council president and on the parks and recreation board.
During the forum, Townson stated with pride that, “A community is only as great as the character of the people that make up that community. We have a workforce that’s second to none,” when asked about the “availability of a qualified workforce” by Palmer. Townson noted the importance of past job fairs and the need for their continuation to provide a steady supply of skilled workers.
When asked about drawing higher paying jobs to the city, Jacobs expressed a desire to be “like Chattanooga,” a city which has a publically owned, gigabit internet service which Jacobs said he is sure the Pokémon Go players in Cullman would appreciate.
Both men agreed that the topic of alcohol sales on Sunday would need to stay on the backburner initially and each acknowledged it would be up to the public to decide with their vote if and when the issue appeared on a ballot.
Other topics included traffic in the city, how to prepare the infrastructure for the city’s continuing growth, the aesthetics of I-65 exit 308 and the challenges facing the next four years.
Jacobs emphasized a need for “strategic planning” and a “super department head” to oversee all city departments. According to the City’s website, the mayor is actually “responsible for the management of City operations, departments and personnel.”
Noting that the appearance of the Highway 278 exit (308) is compromised by the scrapyard owned by the Willingham family, Jacobs stated he has spoken to the family who “would love to relocate.” He went on to say, “I think that, if we could sit down with them and plan to where they could move somewhere else, we could reclaim that property and they would be happy, the City of Cullman would be happy and you would be able to better market that exit.”
On roads, Townson stressed that Highways 31, 278 and 157 are beyond the City’s control and at the mercy of the state. He expressed his dismay that the state has opted to repave Highway 278 before taking on Highway 31, but acknowledged that the City’s job is to work with the state while advocating for the needs of the community.
Townson noted his appreciation for exit 308, due to the Peinhardt Living History Farm’s location right off of the interstate on Highway 278. The city’s “beauty and heritage” isn’t to be neglected as he plans to provide more community events and bring in more “arts and culture” to draw more young professionals to the city. In particular, Townson touched on his plans for a new library, saying it would be first step toward the City’s arts and culture goals.
Apparent today was both men’s love and appreciation for their city and dedication to working to make Cullman an even greater place to live.
Cullman’s municipal election will be held on Aug. 23 where Cullman’s next mayor will be decided by the citizens who show up at the polls.
