The Alabama League of Municipalities’ (ALM) “Live Locally Alabama” campaign seeks to highlight the crucial role that local government plays in creating healthy and vibrant communities across the state’s 465 cities and towns. The state’s diverse range of communities consist of an abundance of cultural, recreational and educational opportunities–all with the singular purpose of developing a sustainable future. 

Local government is often described as being the government closest to the people. As part of the Live Locally Alabama campaign, we are visiting with municipal leaders in different regions of the state throughout the year to see how they are contributing to the aforementioned goal. Many Alabama municipal leaders display a sincere love and commitment to their communities; we met with three of them recently. 

Let us take a look at some of their community projects in south Alabama that are contributing to Alabamians’ quality of life.

 

Experience One of a Kind Entertainment in Atmore 

Mayor Jim Staff, a lifelong native of Atmore, said, “I love Atmore because of the people here in Atmore. It’s a small town, very vibrant, and everyone gets along with one another.” Mayor Staff’s love for Atmore and service to the community stems back more than 25 years. Mayor Staff served as a council member for District 5 from 2000 until 2012, when he was elected to his first term as mayor.

The city was recently able to bring their vision of creating a live entertainment venue to life by creating a unique stage made from a boxcar, donated by CSX. The city conducted a venue name contest and “Boxcar Willie” was the winner! Today, locals and visitors alike gather downtown at Boxcar Willie Park to enjoy musicians, including American Idol finalist Will Moseley, who performed at the Atmore venue in 2024.

 

Gather with Community in Loxley 

Loxley Mayor Richard Teal has seen similar success in his community through the construction of a new public gathering space in Loxley Municipal Park. “We’re in the process of building a large pavilion and that contributes to our annual strawberry festival that draws over 100,000 people annually,” he remarked. The Baldwin County Strawberry Festival has become a beloved tradition for the community, which raises funds for Loxley Elementary School and for ARC Baldwin County, Inc. Mayor Teal believes the new pavilion will attract even more visitors to the festival, and hopes that the community will put the pavilion to use, from birthday parties to weddings.

Since 1988, Mayor Teal has embraced what it means to “live locally” by serving on Loxley’s City Council. After four years as mayor pro-tem, he was sworn into office as mayor on June 24, 2020. He has continued to be a devoted community member and was recently honored by the Alabama League of Municipalities for 30 years of exemplary service.  

In addition to the pavilion, the city is working on a new city center which will feature a new city hall, public library, museum and office space for every city department. Architects on the project, WHLC, state that the new city center, which will span over 45,000 square feet, is “where southern charm meets a growing community.”

 

Explore Art in Enterprise

Enterprise Mayor William Cooper taught band students for over four decades before taking on the role as mayor in 2017. He previously represented District 1 on city council for 28 years prior to making history as the city’s first African-American mayor. Known as “the City of Progress,” Mayor Cooper has dedicated his career to maintaining that reality for Enterprise. 

His city boasts a highly unique and photo-worthy public art project. “Weevil Way” is comprised of nearly 30 boll weevil statues, the city’s unofficial mascot, and many businesses proudly display their own customized weevil statues as a symbol of the unified Enterprise community.

“Our Weevil Way has been somewhat of a monumental task for our city,” Mayor Cooper said. “It encourages people to come downtown and look and take pictures. It has actually become a tourist attraction for our city!”

Regardless of these communities’ location, population or demographics, each of the mayors proudly commits to bettering the lives of their residents through the Live Locally Alabama campaign and showing off the state’s unmatched hospitality. They encourage all cities and towns to take on the challenge.

For more information on the ALM Live Locally Alabama campaign, including municipal and citizen campaign resources, visit their website.