Sandy Stimpson

William S. "Sandy" Stimpson (born April 4, 1952) is an American politician who serves as the current mayor of Mobile, Alabama. He was elected August 27, 2013, with 54% of the vote, defeating incumbent Mayor Sam Jones.^[1] He ran on a platform of making Mobile the safest, most business and family-friendly city in America by 2020.^[2]

Early life and education

Born (April 4, 1952) and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Stimpson is a 1970 graduate of the University Military School, now known as UMS-Wright and received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Alabama in 1975.^[3]

Career

Upon graduating from the University of Alabama, Stimpson began a 37-year career with Gulf Lumber Company and its successor, Scotch & Gulf Lumber. He worked his way up through the family business to become the Chief Financial Officer prior to leaving the company to run for office in 2012.^[4]

One Mobile

Stimpson developed the concept of "One Mobile" on the campaign trail and has carried it into office. A non-profit organization "OneMobile.org" was stood up in April 2014.^[5]

"The concept of “One Mobile” is that everyone wants a seat at the table, everyone wants to have a voice, so that as you make your plans to go forward that they feel like they’ve been heard. People recognize that we can’t capitalize on every single idea, but if they’re part of the process they’ll “buy-in.” The way to succeed is to get “buy-in” – you set a high vision, high goals, and then you get buy-in and then you work as a team, and when you do that, you get One Mobile."^[6]

In the news

On May 30, 2014, Stimpson advocated for the appointment of his former opponent and predecessor Sam Jones to the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System (MAWSS) board. Stimpson's support staved off racial tension building in the community because the Mobile City Council had previously voted along racial lines initially defeating the appointment.^[7] In his remarks to the public, he called for a "Community Conversation on Race" which occurred on August 18, 2014.^[8]

Two months into his administration, Stimpson announced on December 30, 2013, that he was canceling the employee pay raise promised during the campaign by Sam Jones. The raise was scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2014.^[9]

Stimpson has come under criticism for appointing staff that live outside of the City of Mobile. Key staffers residing across Mobile Bay in Baldwin County include his Chief of Staff Colby Cooper, City Attorney Ricardo Woods and Communications Director George Talbot.^[10]

In August 2013, the final month of the mayoral campaign, Stimpson announced that he would contribute $200,000 of his salary over four years to a bonus pool for employees who submit cost-saving or revenue-enhancing ideas implemented by the city.^[11]

In May 2015, the mayor's son, Sands Stimpson was arrested for impersonating a police officer. He was later indicted by a grand jury on the charge.^[12]

Personal life

Stimpson is married to the former Jean Miller of Brewton, Alabama.^[13] They have four grown children (Billy, Virginia, Sands, Nancy), nine grandchildren and reside in Mobile, Alabama.

References

External links

• Sandy Stimpson profile at the City of Mobile official website
• Media related to Sandy_Stimpson at Wikimedia Commons