New mayors answer questions in community luncheon

The 2025 election cycle has come and gone, and the four new mayors across The Shoals have been officially sworn in to their respective offices.

The Shoals Chamber of Commerce hosted a mayors’ luncheon at the Roundhouse in Tuscumbia on Nov. 20 in an effort to afford residents a chance to learn more about their elected officials.

State Rep. Kerry “Bubba” Underwood, a former mayor of Tuscumbia, was invited to moderate the event.

He asked a series of questions to each of the four new mayors. The questions touched on key issues faced by each of the cities, the new mayors’ goals for their area and the like.

“I want us to feel like this is a conversation, and everyone is getting to listen,” Underwood said.

His first question was the biggest question asked of the new mayors — what is the first challenge you hope to address now that you are in office?

Bryan Van Devender, the new Sheffield mayor, said he hopes to transform the “fabric of the city” after adopting a yearlong cleanup plan that will seek to make Sheffield more appealing to businesses and better for residents.

“We are going to be a completely different city 365 days from now,” he said.

New Tuscumbia Mayor T.W. Billings said he has heard from a lot of people during his time on the campaign trail, and three issues came up more than the rest.

“The top three things are roads, Spring Park’s decline and trash collection, some of that caused by the storm recovery,” he said. “The biggest thing (standing in the way) is revenue. If you don’t have the money to dedicate to one of those issues, then it’s very difficult to resolve them. There are so many things Tuscumbia is in need of, it’s almost mind boggling trying to figure out where to start.”

New Muscle Shoals Mayor Billy Hudson said the biggest challenge his city faces is bringing in more businesses.

“I’ve heard many citizens talk about that,” he said.

Billings and Hudson also spoke on cleaning up their cities, with Billings said he wants to get Tuscumbia “magazine ready.”

Hudson said working together with the City Council and others to clean things up and get them organized will benefit Muscle Shoals.