As Fairhope City Council place one incumbent Jack Burrell reaches the end of his 13th year on the council, he is hoping constituents will keep him in office for a fourth term.
Burrell announced he will run for re-election.
During his tenure on the council, Fairhope has experienced significant growth. Burrell said he and the council have worked to manage that growth with four moratoriums to ensure infrastructure can keep up.
"So, I've seen it go from a small, slightly rural town to a much more modern town with more amenities, more recreational facilities and I think more things for the local population to do," Burrell said. "So, we've tried to slow down the growth and we've tried to reduce the density by putting in these moratoriums."
The council has also made changes to building codes and building regulations.
His priorities include managing growth, schools, parks, and recreation, as well as protecting the quality of life for residents.
Burrell and his wife, Patti, moved to Fairhope from Huntsville 26 years ago. After growing up on the Mississippi coast, Burrell said he knew he wanted to return to the coast and be closer to his family.
Since a young age, Burrell said he was involved in government. He always knew he wanted to be an elected official, and he started out by serving in his student government in college.
Burrell is a member of the Fairhope Airport Authority, the Industrial Board, the chairman of the Eastern Shore Metropolitan Organization and serves on the Energy Southeast board of directors.
Burrell has been the president of his HOA, the president of the Fairhope Educational Enrichment Foundation, president of the Men's Golf Association at Lakewood and is currently a member of several clubs, including the Fairhope Lions Club.
He volunteers as the voice for Fairhope High School football at both home and away games.
As the August 26 municipal election nears, Burrell said he believes he is the man for the job.
"A lot of people want fresh faces, but you've got to have experience and I don't think there's any argument that I'm the most experienced elected official in the city," Burrell said. "I'm the longest-serving elected official now. I'm nowhere close to the longest-serving council member that we've had in the past, but I have built relationships with locally elected officials, our county officials, our state officials, and even our national officials."
Burrell is the only active advanced certified municipal official in Fairhope.
He also works full-time for Leidos Dynetics as a senior principal aerospace engineer, designing, analyzing and testing various aerospace hardware for the Department of Defense and the U.S. Armed Forces and he owns a successful vacation rental property business.
Jack and Patti Burrell have been married 30 years, have two children and are members of Fairhope United Methodist Church.
Burrell was unable to complete a survey by 1819 News concerning the Fairhope Public Library. His responses are below.
The Fairhope Public Library's funding from the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) has been paused due to concern over the placement of sexually explicit materials in the youth sections. As a council member, how would you address this issue?
1) I have stated publicly numerous times that the Fairhope Library must comply with State Law. This was not so much about the pause in funding, but the fact that we are obligated to follow the law. This also does not mean that we cannot contest the law, but ultimately we shall follow the law.
The Fairhope Public Library board recently voted on a list of books regarding their placement in the juvenile sections of the library. Do you agree with the board's decisions?
2) I understand that recently the library board decided to relocate some books, while the decision was made to leave others in their place. I have not been given a list of the books that were moved, nor a list of the books that were not moved. I would have to review the books myself to give an answer.
Do you believe the citizens of Fairhope are largely concerned about the placement of children and teen books in the Fairhope Public Library?
3) it’s hard to say what percentage of our population are concerned. There are certainly people that are passionate about relocating books, while others object to relocating books. I feel that there are certainly books that needed relocating and the process continues to this day. It does matter that we follow the law and take everyone’s opinions into consideration.
SEE ALSO: Fairhope City Council candidate survey on state of the public library, inappropriate materials in juvenile sections
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email [email protected].
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning or become a member to gain access to exclusive content and 1819 News merch.
