Earlier this month, Chelsea City Councilman Cody Sumners retired from the Shelby County Sheriff’s office with over 26 years of service.
Sumner is a strong advocate for access to mental health care throughout Shelby County.
In an interview with 1819 News, Sumner said that while he isn’t ready to formally announce a run for mayor, he has received positive feedback from community leaders who have encouraged him to run, and he is considering the opportunity. He is likely to announce closer to the qualifying period in June.
Sumner told 1819 News that Chelsea has had a lot of growth in recent years and that he would prioritize a thoughtful approach to the city’s infrastructure needs as well as the need for professional city services.
Incumbent Mayor Tony Picklesimer has said that he will not be running for another term.
Sumners, who is featured on this month’s Chelsea Magazine cover, leads the Chelsea Mental Health Action Committee, which was founded after the city lost four teenagers to suicide in just 15 months.
In a statement posted to Facebook, Clay Hammac, chief deputy at Shelby County Sheriff's Office, commended Sumners.
"Lieutenant Cody Sumners has been a steadfast leader at our agency since the day I stepped foot in the building 20 years ago," Hammac wrote.
"Most significantly, he has taken on the challenge of leading our law enforcement profession into a paradigm shift to focus more on de-escalation and recognition and response of the mental health crisis," he added. "Because of those efforts and countless others, his impact on our agency, our community, and our profession will have a generational impact for many years to come. Well done, Lieutenant Sumners, and thank you for being a friend and a trusted source of counsel. Thank you Jennifer Sumners for sharing him with this profession.
Last July, Sumner and Chelsea approved changes to the city’s form of government and elected official compensation rates in anticipation of changes forthcoming in this year’s municipal elections due to growth.
According to the Shelby County Reporter, in addition to changing the form of government, the council also voted to change the compensation rates for the council, mayor and mayor pro tempore.
The approved ordinance reduces the mayor’s package from $81,000 to $66,000 annually. Additionally, the pay for city council members will increase from $600 per month to $1,000 per month with the mayor pro tempore increasing from $700 to $1,250.
“This is something that the Council has been discussing for the last 18 months,” Sumners told the Shelby County Reporter at the time. “Recently, Councilman (Scott) Weygand and myself reached out to other municipalities and obtained their compensation packages for the mayor and council. The proposed ordinance we’re voting on brings Chelsea in line with surrounding cities and other cities around the state that are already under the same form of local government that we just discussed we will be going under after the next election.”
Apryl Marie Fogel is a Birmingham resident who frequently appears on and guest hosts radio programs around the state. She can be reached at aprylmarie.fogel@1819news.com or on X and Facebook at @aprylmarie.
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