(Year in review) Jacobs edges two-term Townson in mayor’s race

Published 5:15 am Sunday, December 25, 2016

Editor’s note: Today The Times looks back on our No. 7 local story of 2016.

Voters in the City of Cullman elected a new mayor this year in a race that pitted a well-liked, two-term incumbent against a well-liked former city council member.

When all the ballots had been counted, the former councilman held the edge.

Woody Jacobs defeated sitting Cullman Mayor Max Townson in the Aug. 23 municipal election, taking 1,518 votes against Townson’s 1,441. The close race brought to an end Townson’s eight years in office.

The two men ran genial and issues-focused campaigns, acknowledging each other’s qualifications and ideas. In victory, Jacobs had only kind words for the man he’d just beaten.

“I sat down with Max before I ran, and we agreed to run a legitimate, clean race, and we have,” he said after the votes had been tallied. “I just want to thank Mayor Townson. My daughter loves Max.”

In defeat, Townson said he’d stand behind the new mayor. “The people have spoken and they’re ready for a change,” he said on election night. “Woody has my support.”

Jacobs campaigned on a pledge to augment the good points of Townson’s administration with renewed attention to one area he thought was lacking: “Streets, streets, streets,” as he put it.

“Citizens are concerned about the condition of our streets and roads,” he told The Times in the weeks leading up to the election. “Working with the council, I would formulate a plan to pave the worst streets and then identify the ones that need repair.”

Jacobs was sworn in Nov. 7, and the transition has so far been smooth. The council returned all of its members, making Jacobs the lone newcomer, but he has enjoyed a good rapport with the group since taking office.

“We have a great mayor going out and we have a great mayor coming in,” council member Andy Page said the night of Jacobs’ the swearing-in ceremony. “Our working relationship is important because Cullman is in a growth spurt that should continue for some time.”

Jacobs knows a thing or two about that growth spurt.

For eight years, all served prior to Townson’s mayoral tenure, Jacobs was part of of a municipal government that helped usher in some of the city’s most significant economic changes. Cullman saw massive industrial expansion during his time on the council, including the recruitment of industries like Topre, Yutaka and Royal Technologies.

He campaigned on a promise of continuity — not merely of recent growth, but of the growth that comes slowly, through generations of stable and sure-handed guidance.

“Cullman is a great place that has been in the works for many, many years,” he told The Times, “and I plan to use my experience to move us to the next level.”

For the next four years, Jacobs is in position to do just that.

(Year in review No. 8) Rep. Henry calls for Bentley Impeachment