New Tuscumbia Council members sworn in

The first meeting for the new members of the Tuscumbia City Council is in the books.

Mayor T.W. Billings, Roderick Metcalf (District 1), Sidney Nall (District 2), Jennifer Bennetch (District 3), Len Gregory (District 4) and Krista Stanley (District 5) were all sworn in by Probate Judge Daniel Rosser during the Nov. 3 meeting of the group.

“I have worked with councils who basically wanted to kill each other,” Rosser said. “They would fight, yell and cuss. Those people were a black eye on their community. I want to encourage you to work with each other in good faith and in peace. I am proud to be a Tuscumbian.”

The main order of business for the meeting was to decide the mayor pro tempore, determine the new council members’ committee appointments and to appoint city attorney, city clerk, city judge and department heads.

Metcalf will act as mayor pro tempore, while all current department heads have been re-appointed to their current positions.

City Attorney Kyle DeFoor agreed to remain in his position and was also re-appointed.

City Judge will be Jenna Brooks Smith, and City Clerk will be Le’Abra Weakley.

Each appointment received a unanimous vote from the Council.

Though there were a few glitches in paperwork and microphone levels, the first meeting of the new group largely went off without a hitch.

New Council member Nall said he was nervous about the first meeting, with Stanley saying it was a relief to get the first one in the books.

Metcalf said he is “cautiously optimistic” about the work the Council will do, with Gregory saying he is excited for the opportunity to help out his community.

Metcalf said he has been a part of Tuscumbia since buying his first house in the city in 1990.

He spent 25 years working for the city and eventually worked his way up to foreman in the utility department.

“I’ve led people,” he said. “I work for the IBEW now with a group of union workers. I want to share my leadership abilities with the City of Tuscumbia.”

Metcalf said he wants to get a feel for where the city currently stands before making any long-term goals, but he said he is looking forward to working together with his new colleagues.

“We won’t always agree, but I hope we can always work together and respect each other,” he said.

Nall, a former Tuscumbia firefighter, said he chose to run because he saw things needing to be done in District 2 he felt were being neglected.

“They say if it won’t change, you have to be the change,” Nall said. “My first priority is the streets. We have to get something done about these streets. My gym, Willie Green, still has a hole in it. I have been running a free lunch program for the past seven years, and I couldn’t do it this year because the roof was leaking.”

Nall said he also had issues with some old, abandoned houses, stop signs and speed bumps.

He said he was going to hold a community meeting on Nov. 6 to address his district’s concerns.

Gregory, a former city police officer, said it’s a good feeling knowing you get to help somebody.

“I have always wanted to be on the Council,” he said. “My dad was a garbage man for the city, and I was a police officer for the city. I want to try to help our citizens and employees, do the best we can for them. There’s a lot of things I’m good at doing that I learned in the military. I’m hoping I can bring that ability here.”

Gregory said some areas he wants to improve are getting roads paved, bringing new business to Tuscumbia and getting pay up for city employees.

Stanley is familiar with the City Council through her husband, Bo. He was the Public Works Director for Tuscumbia for many years.

As far as running for the Council, she said she felt it was a need in her district.

“Mike Isom, who has done a fantastic job, was ready to step down,” she said. “Nobody was willing to step up, so I decided to do it.

“Tuscumbia has so much to build upon. We have the highway, Spring Park, the Keller home, so many positives to build on. I myself would like to start with Spring Park and get that revitalized. I am also pretty passionate about the speed limit on the highway. I know that’s a state highway, but there’s an issue there as far as safety.”

The next meeting of the Council will be Nov. 17 at 5:30 p.m. at Tuscumbia City Hall.