In an eventful candidate forum on July 29, which kicked off with disruptions from the crowd, the Trussville Tribune interviewed the three candidates running for Trussville mayor: JT Smallwood, Lisa Bright and Ben Short.
One of the questions centered around a claim that Smallwood, who serves as the Jefferson County tax collector, has repeatedly made in multiple social media posts, on his campaign website and in printed campaign materials that he is the "largest fundraiser for Trussville Schools."
In a long-winded response, Smallwood explained that through the tax collector's office, he takes in tax revenue for the school system and then distributes it, thus making him the "largest fundraiser."
“I take great privilege. I take great honor in myself, Danny Garrett, and Shay Shelnutt being excellent at bringing state tax funds back to our districts," he said. "We’ve done a remarkable job over the years. Our office has stewarded, managed, and invested $212 million back to the City of Trussville. So, I, our office takes pride in that fact. We work hard for those dollars.”
When pressed by moderator Scott Buttram to clarify if what he meant was collecting taxes and then distributing them, Smallwood replied, “Again, in the capacity of my official office, we take honor and privilege in supporting our schools and raising money for our schools.”
Smallwood went on to explain that he took pride in his office and his staff, seemingly contradicting his prior statements to the Trussville Tribune, where he blamed his staff for his repeated negative audit findings.
SEE: State audits find Democrat Jefferson County tax collector JT Smallwood’s office in ‘noncompliance’
He said that his office "specifically and consistently funded every school district in this county."
The other two candidates discussed their personal giving and support of Trussville Schools through event sponsorships and participating in fundraisers before Smallwood sought to clarify, that he, too, gave to the school system as an individual and through his family, and although the "largest fundraiser" claim has been a central part of his campaign he declared, “We don’t make a point about doing it, we do it behind the scenes.”
[Relevant portion beginning around the 6:18 mark]
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