BAILEYTON, Ala.- As the Aug. 25, 2020 Municipal Election approaches, The Tribune is holding Q&A sessions between candidates.
In Baileyton, voters will be choosing their next mayor. Windell Calloway, who has served on the town council in place 2 for 12 years, is challenging Mayor Johnny Dyar, who is seeking a third term.
What made you want to run for a third term as mayor / mayor?
Dyar: “I am proud of our three storm shelters. I am proud of Pat Gilbert, our town clerk. I am proud of Bobby, our maintenance man. I am proud of Zack McGee which is our chief over our fire department and our firefighters. I’m proud of them. I am proud of our senior center and I support it 100%. I am proud of the backpacks by Rhonda Van Zandt where these kids that go home from Parkside need food for the weekends. I support that 100%. I support Parkside School. We give each teacher $300 and I think that should continue. I am also for supporting the fire department 100%. Whatever they need and if we can afford it, I’m going to keep supporting them 100%. A town without a fire department and a town without a school ain’t a town.
“I also want to thank Walker Brothers for supporting our town and helping us. Without them we could never do some of the things we’ve done. I am proud of our new town hall. It’s second to nobody in Cullman County. I want to congratulate Eddie Clark and William Crisco for doing a great job on our display of all the little places we used to have 50-100 years ago. All that’s displayed as you walk into the door at the new town hall. Also, I am proud of all the equipment we have been able to get over the last few years. We are in the process of getting the driveway paved in front of the new town hall as well as beautification with landscaping and shrubbery.
Also, I want to thank our community for pitching in on things like the PALS (People Against a Littered State) trash pick-up days.
“I just want to thank the people of Baileyton for giving me the opportunity to work for the past 12 years (four on the council and eight as mayor). I also want to thank my wife, Pat. Without her, I could not do what I have done because she has helped me 110%. I want to thank her for helping in the concession stand, the senior center and so much more. I am just tickled by all the support we have had. I hope the next four years turn out as great as the last eight. I also want to thank the council. They’ve been good and I am not going to criticize any of them. We don’t owe a dime to anybody and I am proud of that. I just want to thank the council, the one that’s with me now and the one that’s going to come in. I think we’ve all worked together.”
Calloway: “I grew up in this town and lived here all my life. I really love the town and the people in it. I have been on the council for 12 years. I just want to do some things to help the town grow. I really think there are a lot of things people have good ideas on and I would like to implement some of those ideas to help the town grow and progress.”
What makes Baileyton a great place to live?
Dyar: “We have a good sheriff’s department and I want to compliment Matt Gentry and his law enforcement. They are right here every day. We have a substation out here. They work out of the substation and they are excellent. I have never called them and them not come out here as soon as possible. We have a good, safe community and we’ve got people that call one another if they see something. It’s like a neighborhood watch. They are real concerned. If we know of anyone doing or selling drugs, we just aren’t going to allow it. We don’t have the hustle and bustle of the big towns like Huntsville or Birmingham and all these big towns. We are just a little small town and I think the people in Baileyton are happy. I don’t see them moving to Huntsville. If they aren’t happy, I ask that they come to our meetings and talk about it.”
Calloway: “We have a small community with a great location. We aren’t very far from Huntsville, Birmingham, Decatur, Cullman and Arab. The people of the community are really friendly and it’s a great place where they usually help each other. We have a great school, which is usually a great attraction for young couples. They are looking for a place to raise their children and for them to go to school . We have a great school here and in Fairview that it feeds into. That’s a big plus.”
What is your biggest concern for the town?
Dyar: “People working together and having harmony. I just think if there are people that aren’t happy that they come to our meetings. Let’s talk about it and work it out.
Calloway: “Getting the internet in for us right now. That’s going to help our schools and our students. Hopefully we will get that shortly because we got the grant, $1.3 million, that Rep. (Randall) Shedd and Sen. (Garlan) Gudger helped to get everything going. The (Cullman Electric Cooperative) Co-op is coming through with it, too. All of those things are important because if you have a strong school system, you can grow as a town. If you look at most little towns and communities that have lost their schools, they kind of dry up and dwindle away. We are very fortunate to have a strong school system, but we want to keep it strong so we can continue to grow. People look at school systems when they move into a community.”
What are some things you hope to accomplish in the next four years?
Dyar: “We are going to get Fire Station (Road) paved. I want to thank Rep. Randall Shedd and Sen. Garlan Gudger for the work they have done for our town. We have bought 10 more acres of land in Industrial Park and we are trying our best to get new business. We worked for years after we lost our clinic to get Dr. (Josiah) Daily. Dr. Daily he has been a huge asset for our town. That has been one of our biggest and greatest things that has happened to this town.”
Calloway: “I would like to replace some of our equipment. We are going to have to do those kinds of things. I think there is some road repair that needs to be done with culverts and other things. We have already done some of that. I think we are going to need to improve our park. I think that is something that brings a lot of people into our area, if we can get back to where it’s open again. I think the park is the real key to a lot of things. The more things you can have in the park for families and groups to come and be a part of adds to it. It adds to the atmosphere of people wanting to be there. Hopefully, we can add some things to our park- maybe adding another field or like in Fairview, they have frisbee golf. A lot of people like that. That’s one idea, but several people running have some other ideas that we can talk about and we would have to see if we can afford it. Frisbee golf would be a cheap thing.”
Would you support alcohol sales in the town of Baileyton?
Dyar: “No, I would not. Absolutely not.”
Calloway: “Not really, but that is something we would let the people of the town to decide. Let them come by and vote, but I don’t see it being a big tax thing for us and I don’t think it would help our town that much.”
What ideas do you have to provide family-friendly activities?
Dyar: “Some have asked me about resurfacing the town’s tennis court and that is something I would consider. A splash pad is another feature people have been asking about and I would consider. I want to improve our park, without a doubt.”
Calloway: “What we talked about: the park.”
What is the first thing you would do if elected/re-elected?
Dyar: “Go to work.”
Calloway: “There are three things really. The first, get with the people bringing in the internet and see if there’s anything we can do to help as a town. The second, fix our weather siren. It’s been down for nearly a year and a lot of our seniors are upset because they don’t know if inclement weather is coming. The third, I would start the newsletter again so we get more people knowing what’s going on in the town. Maybe get more people involved, change things and find out what they would like to have done.”
Copyright 2020 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
