Clemons, Flippo both served 36 years on Gardendale council.



By Adam Smith

The North Jefferson News



Three Gardendale leaders bid farewell to the city Monday night at an emotional but jubilant city council meeting.

The meeting represented the end of a chapter for Mayor Kenny Clemons and Councilman William Flippo who are leaving the council after 36 years of service each. The meeting was also the last for Ward 3 Councilman Oscar Mann, who has served one term.

Re-elected Ward 2 Councilman Gary Morris said during the meeting that the three city leaders had attended a combined 864 council meetings and had cast 20,000 votes on city issues.

Morris also presented the men with replica Millennium Park clocks, just as Clemons had done dozens of times as a sign of appreciation from the city to individuals for acts of service to the city.

After 12 years as mayor, Clemons decided in June that he would not seek re-election. Flippo, the Ward 4 councilman, was defeated in the Aug. 26 election by Faith Harper. Mann lost his bid to become the city’s next mayor to Othell Phillps in the Oct. 7 run-off election.

Phillips, Harper and newly elected Ward 3 Councilman Alvin Currington will be sworn in on Nov. 3 with re-elected incumbents Peggy Tumlin, Wendell Phillips and Morris.

Clemons said Tuesday that he was still at work as the city’s mayor and that he viewed Monday’s meeting as an important transitional step for the new administration. He also said that he hadn’t given much thought to the fact that he will no longer preside over council meetings.

“My philosophy is to look forward, and not back,” he said. “I’ll certainly miss it. You miss anything you’ve been doing for a long time. I hope to stay busy doing other things.”

The council passed a resolution thanking Clemons for his years of service and for his dedication to recreation projects in the city. The council voted to rename the soccer and park complex on Fieldstown Road as the “Kenneth A. Clemons Recreational Complex.”

Jefferson County Commission President Bettye Fine Collins, who was present at the meeting, also thanked Clemons and the council for their dedication to preserving the city’s small town atmosphere.

“I’ve had a lot of fun working with all of you,” she said. “At every level of service, you have performed with integrity and vision.”

Clemons, a retired educator, joined the council in 1972, the same year as Flippo. Flippo had served in a volunteer capacity since 1965, and was once the city’s fire chief.

An emotional Flippo thanked the council and residents in attendance at Monday’s meeting. The council also voted to name the road connecting Odum and Mt. Olive Roads as “Billy Flippo Parkway.”

“The scripture says that God gives us all a gift,” Flippo said at Monday’s meeting. “My gift has been a heart to serve and I thank you for letting me serve.”

Mann said though he’s leaving the council, he hasn’t ruled out running for office again in four years. He said he would also like to explore the possibility of working with the city’s parks and recreation department in some capacity.

“I’m not riding off into the sunset,” he said. “I’m not leaving, I’m not moving away and I plan on continuing to serve the city.”

In other news, the council:

• hired Robert Clark as a police officer; Clint Ballard as a part-time dispatcher; and Rene Boyd as a crossing guard

• authorized an application to the Alabama League of Municipalities’ AMFund program for financing of the proposed public library expansion

• authorized $50,000 in contributions to Gardendale schools, including: $17,600 for Gardendale High School; $14,166 for Bragg Middle School; $14,444 for Gardendale Elementary School; and $3,834 for Snow Rogers Elementary School. The money is to be spent on students’ needs.

• approved a retail alcoholic beverage license for Mr. Tequila Grill, located in the Plaza Shopping Center.

• Collins presented $10,000 from the Jefferson County Commission to the Gardendale Beautification Commission for a planned renovation of Memorial Park.

The council will meet again on Nov. 3 at 6 p.m.