CULLMAN, Ala. – Cullman City Councilman Johnny Cook on Friday announced he will seek re-election to the Cullman City Council, Place 3, in the Aug. 25, 2020 Municipal Election.
Place 3 has oversite responsibility over the Cullman City Sanitation Department, but all five council members vote and have responsibility over every area of city government.
Cook said council members run citywide, not by district. Cullman assigns a council member to a specific department to ensure there is one elected alderman who has regular communication with the department’s superintendent.
“We believe knowing there is a single point of contact for citizens, employees and department heads to ask questions and/or discuss problems, concerns or issues about specific city services is very beneficial,” he said
The sanitation department is responsible for residential and commercial garbage collection, recycling pickup, collection of brush and leaves, pickup of discarded appliances, coordinating the annual free landfill dump day, roll-off containers at construction sites and other services.
“I am proud of the improvements within the sanitation department and the excellent employees,” Cook said. “The City has upgraded a lot of equipment and we continually provide employee training to ensure we offer quality service to the community.”
Cook said the council members and mayor have worked “as a team” for the betterment of Cullman, saying, “The positive working relationship between elected officials has played a significant role in the growth Cullman is experiencing. We are fortunate that we do not have the strained relationships among our elected officials that exist in a lot of communities.”
All areas of the city are growing, said Cook, who mentioned, “Sales tax collections are increasing at 3% a year; new business and new home construction is on the rise; Cullman continues to rank among the best cities in Alabama for new and expanding industry; city schools are nationally ranked; police and fire services are well equipped; park and recreation programs and facilities are nationally ranked; sewer and water services are reliable; and city streets are well maintained. I am proud of our City services and the employees. Our City employees are well-trained and they work hard to serve our citizens.”
Said Cook, “It has been an honor to serve as a city council member and I ask for your vote in August.”
Cook is a senior vice president at Premier Bank of the South. He and his wife Dawn, have three children: Merrill Dotson, Braden Cook and Mary Ellen Kennedy.
