Irondale Mayor James W. Stewart Jr. claims he is searching for methods to strike a balance between the old and new Irondale after securing a proposed Costco and launching a bustling new Publix Supermarket in 2023, located off the Grants Mill Road exit of Interstate 459.
When Stewart appeared on the Trussville Tribune’s Live show recently, he declared, “I call that the new Irondale, off of 459.”
Stewart stated, “We don’t want to lose the feel of old-town Irondale.” Our downtown is modest and charming, reminiscent of Mayberry.
The Irondale Caf, which is featured in Fannie Flagg’s book Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle-Stop Caf, is located on that historic railroad-front street. The city jail and City Hall are across the train tracks.
Before he can proceed with his ambitious goals, Stewart must be re-elected. After serving as the city clerk for eight years, he was elected as Irondale’s first Black mayor in 2020.
Ken Effinger, who co-owns Corretti Catering with Rebecca Corretti, is opposing him this time. Overspending is Corretti’s primary grievance against Stewart’s administration. Requests for comment were not immediately answered by Effinger.
Irondale residents approved a tax hike in March 2022 to pay for capital upgrades. In 2024, Stewart also used the city’s AA credit rating to issue bonds worth over $60 million to fund a number of significant projects.
Irondale invested $8.6 million on the new Ruffner Sports Complex and $10 million on a new library. In 2022, the city paid $5 million for the defunct Zamora Temple of Central Alabama and 105 acres, with intentions to rehabilitate it for $15 million. In addition, the city is constructing a new fire station and municipal facility.
The expenditure has drawn criticism from Councilwoman Cindy Cueller, who is seeking reelection in District 3, which is home to Mayor Stewart.In June, she was censured by the rest of the city council for circulating false information in order to criticize local spending.
The city spends roughly $6 million on debt payment out of its $37 million yearly budget. Cuellar expressed concern that the budget might not be sufficient to pay for the required pay hikes for the police and fire departments.
Stewart, however, has no intention of slowing down.
A beautifully planted entrance to Irondale from Birmingham will be provided by the proposed municipal building that faces Crestwood Boulevard. According to Stewart, we are working on the entryway into the city.
According to Stewart, we are preparing to construct a brand-new municipal complex. Around $15 to $18 million is what we are preparing to put there.
“Old Irondale will look better with better landscaping,” he remarked.
According to Stewart, people are starting to realize that Irondale is a hip area to live.
The mayor and council of Irondale, who were elected to four-year terms in 2020, were granted an additional year in office, similar to what happened in many other Alabama cities. To prevent municipal elections from taking place at the same time as the presidential election, the Legislature established a bill putting all municipalities on the same election schedule.
This is an example ballot for the election on August 26.
The complete list of applicants who are eligible to run for Irondale public office is shown below:
The mayor
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Ken Effinger
-
James D. Stewart, Jr
. (Incumbent)
District 1 of the City Council
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John W. London
(I)
-
Matt McLean
District 2 of the City Council
-
Donna Pike
-
David W. Spivey
(I)
District 3 of the City Council
-
Erin Kimberly Arnold
-
Cindy Cuellar
(I)
-
Marilyn Pritchard
District 4 of the City Council
-
Robert Santa Box
(I)
-
Mary Brasher Sherer
District 5 of the City Council
-
Melanie Harris Colston
-
Anjanette Burkett Robinson
-
Aaron Sims
(I)
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