Sandy Stimpson

Last updated
Jean Miller
​
(m. 1975)​
Sandy Stimpson
Mayor Sandy Stimpson.jpeg
108th Mayor of Mobile
Incumbent
Assumed office
November 4, 2013
Children4
Alma mater University of Alabama (BS)

William S. "Sandy" Stimpson (born April 4, 1952) is an American businessman and politician who has served as the mayor of Mobile, Alabama since 2013.

Contents

He was elected August 27, 2013, defeating incumbent Mayor Sam Jones. [1] In 2017, Stimpson was reelected over Jones in a rematch. [2] In 2021, he defeated Fred Richardson and Karlos Finley with 62.5% of the vote. [3]

Personal life

Stimpson is a 1970 graduate of University Military School, now known as UMS-Wright. He received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Alabama in 1975, where he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon and Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity. [4] [5]

Stimpson began a nearly 40-year career in his family's lumber manufacturing business. Starting at an early age, he worked his way up through virtually every position in the family business including serving as its CFO and ultimately its Executive Vice President.

Stimpson is married to Jean Miller of Brewton, Alabama. They have been married since 1975 and have four grown, married children and 14 grandchildren. They are longtime, active members of Ashland Place United Methodist Church. [6]

Mayor Stimpson’s civic and business endeavors, both locally and statewide, have been numerous and varied. He has served on the boards of the Boys & Girls Club of Southwest Alabama; the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce; the conservative think tank, the Alabama Policy Institute; the Business Council of Alabama; and the University of Alabama President’s Cabinet. [7]

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 was chief financial officer prior to leaving the company to run for office in 2012. [8]

Mayor of Mobile

He was elected August 27, 2013, with 54% of the vote, defeating incumbent Mayor Sam Jones. [9] Stimpson ran on a platform of public safety and economic development. [10] [11] [12] [13] Stimpson was elected largely as a result of a surge in white voters, and received only single-digit support from African American voters. [14]

In 2017, Stimpson was reelected with 59% of the vote over Jones in a rematch. [15] He again polled in single digits with African American voters. [16] In 2021, he defeated Fred Richardson[ who? ] and Karlos Finley[ who? ] with 62.5% of the vote. [17]

Under Stimpson, Mobile has seen reductions in bonded indebtedness by nearly $100 million and unfunded liabilities for pension and benefits by $200 million, leading to credit rating increases from both Moody's and S&P. During the same period, he has built and maintained a two-month rainy day reserve fund and awarded six raises totaling 17% for city employees. [18] [19] Stimpson and his team made changes to streamline and simplify the city procurement process, and launched the city’s first supplier diversity program. [20] [21] [22] [23] Stimpson and his team have introduced initiatives such as Map for Mobile and the city’s first supplier diversity program. [24] [25] [26] [27]

However, Stimpson has also repeatedly opposed environmental protection initiatives and health and safety legislation, despite severe pollution levels in Mobile. [28] Stimpson's administration has systematically reduced funding for the arts and heritage, substantially reducing allocations to the Historic Mobile Preservation Society, the Mobile Arts Council, the Mobile Opera, the Mobile Symphony Orchestra, and other local museums, which led to a number of layoffs. [29]

On September 25, 2024, Stimpson announced that he would not seek re-election for the office of mayor in 2025. [30]

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References

  1. ↑ "Sandy Stimpson elected as Mayor of Mobile", wkrg.com, August 27, 2013
  2. ↑ "Mayor Stimpson Wins Re-Election"
  3. ↑ "Election Results". 30 April 2022.
  4. ↑ “Sighs of Psi”, Uadke.org, October, 2013
  5. ↑ Sawyer, Jessica (October 20, 2013). "From privilege to servant: Sandy Stimpson eager to bring lifetime of experience to new role as Mobile mayor". al.com. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  6. ↑ "Mayor Sandy Stimpson : City of Mobile".
  7. ↑ "Mayor Sandy Stimpson : City of Mobile".
  8. ↑ Official Biography, CityofMobile.org
  9. ↑ "Sandy Stimpson elected as Mayor of Mobile", wkrg.com, August 27, 2013
  10. ↑ "Mayor continues bold pledge: Mobile will be 'safest city in America by 2020.' Is it doable?". AL.com. August 17, 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  11. ↑ Knowles, Alexa (April 3, 2018). "Will Mobile be the safest city in America by 2020?". fox10tv.com. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  12. ↑ "2017 crime stats shine light on Mobile's goal to becoming safest city in America". fox10tv.com. January 4, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  13. ↑ "What’s next for mayor-elect Sandy Stimpson?", lagniappe.com, September 4, 2013
  14. ↑ Kirby, Brendan (29 August 2013). "Stimpson won Mobile mayor's race with white surge, not crossover votes, analysis shows". Alabama Media Group. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  15. ↑ "Mayor Stimpson Wins Re-Election"
  16. ↑ Sharp, John (24 August 2017). "Re-elected Mayor Sandy Stimpson pledges to bridge racial divide in Alabama's fourth-largest city". Alabama Media Group. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  17. ↑ "Election Results". 30 April 2022.
  18. ↑ "City of Mobile's bond rating increases". 20 January 2022.
  19. ↑ "Mobile Mayor wants to use budget surplus for city projects | WKRG". Archived from the original on 2022-05-25. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  20. ↑ "Map for Mobile – Framework for Growth" . Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  21. ↑ Dugan, Kelli (2015-01-22). "Watch Mobile mayor's take on boosting supplier diversity: 'I don't believe that we're lowering our standards of quality'". al. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  22. ↑ "Work with Mobile Homepage". workwith.cityofmobile.org. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  23. ↑ "CIP – Map for Mobile" . Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  24. ↑ "Map for Mobile – Framework for Growth" . Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  25. ↑ Dugan, Kelli (2015-01-22). "Watch Mobile mayor's take on boosting supplier diversity: 'I don't believe that we're lowering our standards of quality'". al. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  26. ↑ "Work with Mobile Homepage". workwith.cityofmobile.org. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  27. ↑ "CIP – Map for Mobile" . Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  28. ↑ Tabor, Nick (2023). Africatown: America's Last Slave Ship and the Community It Created. St. Martin's Press. pp. 248–250.
  29. ↑ Tabor, Nick (2023). Africatown: America's Last Slave Ship and the Community It Created. St. Martin's Press. p. 272.
  30. ↑ Darrington, Patrick (2024-09-25). "Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson not seeking re-election in 2025". al. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
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