Grayson receives significant appointment

Mayor Mike Grayson has been appointed vice chairman of the Committee on Community and Economic Development of the Alabama League of Municipalities.

“I was totally surprised” to be named vice chair, Grayson said. He had to ask the person next to him if he heard correctly.

“It was a committee I was really hoping to be on, and I’ve been on it four of the six years” Grayson said, referring to the six years he has been in office as mayor of Demopolis.

Chairman of the committee is Alberta McCrory, mayor of Hobson City. Serving with them will be four to six mayors or council members from each of the seven Alabama congressional districts.

The league principally serves as a lobbying organization, Grayson said.

“So many times, unless these guys have been on a city council or been mayor, they’ll just pass stuff that is just impossible, especially for a small town,” he said.

The committee’s focus on community development covers everything from “putting sidewalks down to industrial, economic development,” he said. “What we try to do is kind of give them what we feel would help us to help them.”

He thanked Walt Mattox for assigning him to the committee as he left as president of the League.

He said that even though a large number serve on the committee, most of them will show up for meetings. It has good discussions.