Tommy Battle

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Tommy Battle
Tommy Battle.jpg
67th Mayor of Huntsville[1]
Assumed office
November 3, 2008
Preceded byLoretta Spencer
Member of Huntsville City Council
from District 1
In office
1984–1988
Personal details
Born
Thomas Massengale Battle Jr.

(1955-12-03) December 3, 1955 (age 65)
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Eula Sammons
​
(m. 1988)​
Children1
Alma materUniversity of Alabama,
Tuscaloosa

Thomas “Tommy” Massengale Battle Jr. (born December 3, 1955) is an American businessman and politician who serves as the 67th and current mayor of Huntsville, Alabama. His first term began November 3, 2008, and he has since been reelected in 2012, 2016 and most recently in 2020.[2][3]

Early life and education[]

Battle was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on December 3, 1955. When he was 14 years old, he had his first job working for his father's restaurant. Battle went to Berry High School (now Hoover High) and spent his summers doing jobs in order to raise money for college. These jobs would range from working at shipyards in Mobile to working on ovens in Birmingham. While working, Battle would usually reside in boarding houses[citation needed].

Battle later attended the University of Alabama, in Tuscaloosa, to study business, as well participating in the Student Government Association and Alabama's renowned debate team. Battle would later join the Alabama Republican Party, where he would find his motivation to improve public service in Alabama. In 1975, Battle would become the chairman of the university's College Republicans, and later the Alabama College Republicans[citation needed].

After graduating college and holding a B.S. degree in business, Battle became a manager for Britling on the Highland in Birmingham, which he sold later on. Battle later moved to Huntsville in 1980, becoming a local real estate developer, and was elected and served one term on the city council as the council's finance chair from 1984 to 1988. During this time he met Jennifer and son Drew was born. Battle left the council to run for the mayor's office, falling just short of a win in a tight run-off against Democratic candidate Steve Hettinger in 1988[citation needed].

After the election loss, Battle started Battle Real Estate and owned or became a management partner in several firms in the retail and real estate sectors.[4][5][6]

Political career[]

Mayoral elections[]

2008 election[]

Battle announced his mayoral candidacy against incumbent Loretta Spencer on March 26, 2008. Battle's policies were fiscal responsibility, a streamlined government that supported free enterprise, economic development, education, and creating jobs. In his campaign, he sharply attacked Spencer on several issues. Among these were cost overruns and delays on a city jail constructed in Spencer's term, the city's controversial involvement in the relocation of a downtown rescue mission into a residential neighborhood, and what Battle claimed was inequitable treatment of some city neighborhoods, particularly minority areas.[7] Prior to the first round of voting, Spencer was endorsed by The Huntsville Times.[8] The Committee of 100, a group of businesspeople, issued a joint endorsement of Battle and Spencer.[9]

In the municipal election on August 26, 2008, Spencer led Battle by 14,871 votes to 14,486. However, two minor candidates received 673 votes, preventing Spencer from attaining a majority, forcing a runoff with Battle.[10] During the runoff campaign, Battle sharpened his attacks on Spencer, and pointed to a "bridge to nowhere". The bridge in question was constructed by the city, and ended at an undeveloped empty lot. Spencer claimed the lot was expected to be developed at some point in the future.[11] In the runoff, on October 7, 2008, Battle decisively defeated Spencer, by a vote of 21,123 votes or 56 percent for Battle, to 16,821 or 44 percent for Spencer.[12]

2012 election[]

Battle swept the polls in the mayoral election of 2012. On August 28, 2012, he beat out Loretta Spencer and Jackie Reed by gaining 81 percent of the vote, the largest margin of victory in a Huntsville mayoral election to date. The voting results were as follows:[13]

  • Battle: 22,838 (80.7%)
  • Spencer: 4,312 (15.2%)
  • Reed: 1,159 (4.1%)

He won convincingly in all 44 precincts citywide.[14]

Battle's successful campaign preached deliverance through the current recession while maintaining a balanced budget. Athens State University political science professor Jess Brown said Battle had a "boyish, quasi-Andy Griffith" charm that appealed to voters.[15]

2016 election[]

On September 23, 2015, Battle posted a statement confirming his running for a third term as mayor in 2016.[16]

Battle later won against his opponents, with over 80% of the votes cast for him.[17][6]

  • Battle: 13,896 (80.7%)
  • Spencer: 1,516 (8.8%)
  • Reed: 1,799 (10.5%)

2020 election[]

On August 25, 2020, Battle won reelection with 77.65% of the vote.[18]

Mayor of Huntsville[]

During his second term, Battle, working with the State of Alabama, began the Restore Our Roads campaign and received a $250 million roads package designed to pay for necessary roadwork as well as increase economic development. In order to help fund the development further, a one-cent sales tax increase was proposed by Battle. The city council unanimously approved the increase and Huntsville saw the $453 million construction project grow to fruition.[19]

In 2015, Battled pushed the City of Huntsville to buy body cameras for the Huntsville Police Department. The purchased costed tax payers 1.2 million dollars. Battle said the price was worth it as "We can provide a trust situation with police and our general public."[20]

In 2016, Battle announced that Google Fiber was coming to Huntsville, a move Battle strongly supported.[21]

Battle favored the expansion of ridesharing companies such as Uber and Lyft into the city, and rewrote the vehicle for hire ordinance to make clear that such companies could operate there.[22][23][24]

In the hotly-contested December 2017 special election for the Senate, Battle endorsed former State Supreme Court Judge Roy Moore, stating "As a Republican, we were going to support whoever the Republican party nominated during our primary. The Republicans nominated Roy Moore."[25][26]

In April 2018,[27] a rookie[28] Huntsville Police officer, William Darby, shot and killed a suicidal man within 11 seconds[29] of arriving at a call. In August 2018, Mayor Battle urged the Huntsville city council to pay or assist with paying for Darby’s defense. The city paid $89,000 for his defense.[30][31] In May 2020, Darby was found guilty of murder.[32] After the verdict, Battle released a statement[33] that says he "disagree with the verdict" and that "Officer Darby followed the appropriate safety protocols in his response on the scene", and Darby "was doing what he was trained to do in the line of duty." Darby was cleared of wrong-doing by the city police review board[34] and as a result was still being paid by the city of Huntsville until late July.[35] On August 20, 2021, Darby was sentenced to 25 years in jail for the murder.[36] Battle pushed to prevent the bodycam footage from being released.[37] The footage of the murder was released on August 27, 2021.[38]

Fifteen Huntsville-area organizations,[39] including the Alabama chapters of Southern Christian Leadership Conference and NAACP Youth Council, have denounced Mayor Battle's handling of the George Floyd protest that occurred in and around Big Spring Park on June 3, 2020.[40] Huntsville Police along with SWAT and Incident Response Team[41] used tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets to end the protest.[42][43]

Calls for resignation[]

Following the murder conviction of William Darby, political groups[44] and politicians[45] have called for Battle to resign.[46] Locals have also started an online petition calling for Battle's resignation along with Huntsville Police Chief Mark McMurray.[citation needed]

2018 gubernatorial election[]

Main article: 2018 Alabama gubernatorial election

Battle unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination for governor of Alabama in 2018 as an "outsider" candidate; he lost in the Republican primary to incumbent Kay Ivey.[47][48]

Battle has touted strong job growth under his tenure, as well as the city's top credit rating from credit rating agencies.[49][50]

Personal life[]

Battle married Eula Sammons, a kindergarten teacher at Monrovia Elementary, in 1988; they have one son, Andrew "Drew" Battle, and two grandsons.[51] Sammons died on October 20, 2020.[52]

Battle is a member of the Trinity United Methodist Church.[6]

References[]

  1. ^ Before 1916, the office was known as "President." Battle is the 11th to hold the title of "Mayor."
  2. ^ "Tommy Battle - Mayor of Huntsville, AL". Bama Politics. 23 October 2018. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  3. ^ "2020 Huntsville, AL Mayor Election Results". Bama Politics. 20 November 2019. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  4. ^ "Former Councilman Battle Seeking Mayor's Job". The Huntsville Times. March 27, 2008. p. 2B.
  5. ^ "Candidate Profile: Tommy Battle". WHNT-TV.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Meet Tommy – Battle For Alabama". Battle For Alabama. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  7. ^ "Battle Pitches Platform to Bring Change". The Huntsville Times. July 2, 2008. p. 6B.
  8. ^ "For Huntsville Mayor". The Huntsville Times. August 17, 2008. p. 20A.
  9. ^ "Committee of 100 Endorses Spencer, Challenger Battle". The Huntsville Times. August 22, 2008. p. 2B.
  10. ^ "Spencer, Battle to Meet in Oct. 7 Runoff for Mayor". The Huntsville Times. August 27, 2008. p. 1A.
  11. ^ "Battle Decries Bridge to Nowhere". The Huntsville Times. September 18, 2008. p. 1A.
  12. ^ Roop, Lee (October 7, 2008). "Battle's Victory over Spencer Decisive". The Huntsville Times.
  13. ^ "City of Huntsville, Alabama *** Huntsville *** Alabama *** HuntsvilleAL.gov". www.huntsvilleal.gov. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  14. ^ "Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle's 81 percent vote total a modern-day record". AL.com. 29 August 2012. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  15. ^ "Huntsville voters have spoken: Tommy Battle re-elected mayor in landslide (Updated)". AL.com. 29 August 2012. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  16. ^ "Huntsville mayor Tommy Battle will run for re-election in 2016". AL.com. 24 September 2015. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  17. ^ "Huntsville Election Results". City of Huntsville. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  18. ^ "2020 Huntsville, AL Mayor Election Results". Bama Politics. 20 November 2019. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  19. ^ "Mayor Battle touts job creation, entrepreneurs and Huntsville's quality of life in 2015 State of the City address". WHNT.com. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  20. ^ "Huntsville police testing new body cameras". WAFF 48 News. Gray Media Group, Inc. NBC. 14 December 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  21. ^ "Google Fiber is bringing its ultra-fast Internet service to Huntsville". AL.com. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  22. ^ "Uber ridesharing service not coming to Huntsville anytime soon". AL.com. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  23. ^ "Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle extends olive branch to Uber". AL.com. 12 June 2015. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  24. ^ "Huntsville City Council approves Uber ordinance". AL.com. 12 February 2016. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  25. ^ "Huntsville mayor endorses Moore for Senate". Waff.com. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  26. ^ Roop, Lee (27 October 2017). "Tommy Battle responds to pushback at home for endorsing Roy Moore". AL.com. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  27. ^ Beachum, Lateshia (8 May 2021). "Alabama police officer convicted of murder for shooting suicidal man in 2018". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  28. ^ "Huntsville Police Officer William Darby takes stand in his murder trial". CBS 42. 6 May 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  29. ^ "Huntsville Police Officer William Darby found guilty of murder". Nexstar Media Inc. WHNT News 19. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  30. ^ "Huntsville says it has paid $89,000 for William Darby's murder defense, disciplinary hearing on indefinite hold". WHNT News 19. 20 May 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  31. ^ Torres-Perez, Alex (18 May 2021). "City won't say how it's paying for legal fees of Huntsville police officer convicted of murder". WAAY 31 ABC. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  32. ^ Remkus, Ashley (7 May 2021). "Huntsville police officer William Ben Darby convicted of murder for shooting Jeffery Parker". AL.com. The Huntsville Times. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  33. ^ "Police Chief, Mayor release statements on Murder conviction of Officer Darby". WHNT News 19. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  34. ^ "Jury convicts Alabama officer of murder in 2018 shooting". FOX News. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  35. ^ "Officer convicted of murder still gets paid in Alabama". The Associated Press. 11 May 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  36. ^ Remkus, Ashley (20 August 2021). "William Ben Darby, Huntsville officer convicted of murder, sentenced to 25 years for shooting Jeff Parker". The Huntsville Times. AL.com. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  37. ^ Gattis, Paul (Jun 10, 2021). "Huntsville city council, mayor's office at odds over police body cam video". The Huntsville Times. AL.com. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  38. ^ Remkus, Ashley (28 August 2021). "Judge releases video of Alabama police officer shooting and killing suicidal man". The Huntsville Times. AL.com. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  39. ^ "Coalition of Huntsville-area groups respond to Mayor's statement on protest". WZDX-TV FOX 54. Fox News. 5 June 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  40. ^ "UPDATED: Downtown Huntsville protest ends with riot gas, arrests". WAFF 48 News. Gray Media Group, Inc. NBC. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  41. ^ Lightfoot, Franklin & White, LLC (22 April 2021). "Report by Independent Counsel to The Huntsville Police Citizens Advisory Council" (PDF): 50 of 248. Retrieved 29 August 2021. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  42. ^ Klapp, Caroline (23 April 2021). "Breakdown of 248 page report on Huntsville Police response to June 2020 protests". WAFF 48 News. Gray Media Group, Inc. Station. NBC. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  43. ^ Remkus, Ashley (23 April 2021). "Protest review finds 'unprofessional' behavior, policy violations by Huntsville police". The Huntsville Times. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  44. ^ Divers, Bridget (19 May 2021). "Civic group again calls for Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle's resignation". WAAY 31. Allen Media Broadcasting, LLC. ABC. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  45. ^ Moon, Josh (20 May 2021). "State lawmakers, civil rights group renew calls for Huntsville mayor's resignation". Alabama Political Reporter. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  46. ^ "Rosa Parks Day Committee again calls for Mayor Battle's resignation after statements made in support of convicted HPD officer". WHNT News 19. Nexstar Media Inc. CBS. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  47. ^ "Battle loses primary".
  48. ^ "Tommy Battle stresses outsider status in race against Kay Ivey".
  49. ^ "No. 1: Huntsville, Alabama". www.kiplinger.com. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  50. ^ "Touting 16,000 new jobs, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle kicks off reelection campaign". AL.com. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
  51. ^ "About Mayor Battle". City of Huntsville. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  52. ^ Roop, Lee (2020-10-20). "Eula Battle, wife of Huntsville mayor, dies at 65". The Huntsville Times/AL.com. Retrieved 2020-10-21.

External links[]

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