BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
Top Photo: Outgoing Elmore County Commission Chairman passes the gavel to incoming Chairman Bart Mercer. (Photo by Sarah Stephens/EAN)
Bart Mercer, District 4 Commissioner, was unanimously elected Monday night to take over as Chairman of the Elmore County Commission. Mack Daugherty will continue in his role as Vice Chair for the Commission. But much of the night was dedicated to thanking Stubbs for his service to Elmore County and the community.
The move comes as Troy Stubbs, who has served as Chairman, prepares to make a move to the State Legislature, as he is unopposed in the upcoming Nov. 8 election and is the Republican nominee for District 31.
“My last day as a county commissioner will be Nov. 7, however this is the last County Commission meeting I will participate in,” Stubbs said.
“Every county is different in the state of Alabama with respect to how they elect chairmen. Sometimes it is done by voters. In our case in Elmore County, the chairman is nominated and voted on by their peers. Following that, the chairman appoints the Vice Chairman,” Stubbs said.
Chief Operating Officer Richie Beyer addressed Stubbs, saying, “The Commission staff would like to present you some items that will hopefully commemorate your years as commissioner and Chairman. Hopefully we have done a good job trying to encapsulate what you remember during your time as a commissioner.”
Presents from Commissioners were then given to Stubbs. They included a a gavel personalized with his time as chairman. He was also given a digital picture frame that staff loaded with many photos over the years.
“I think the more interesting thing for you though is the gift that the commissioners want to present to you now. Your five pillars of the community are something that you have kept near and dear during your time as chairman,” Beyer said. He added that he was sure Stubbs could find a place to hang them in the House.
The five pillars that Stubbs holds dear are infrastructure, law enforcement, education, economic development and health care.
In reports from the Commission, each member took time to thank Stubbs for his dedication and leadership.
Henry Hines: “It has been an honor to serve with you and you being the chairman for the two years I have been on the Commission. We work great as a team. I tell everyone, I am a sports minded person, and your team is no better than your leader. I am honored that you are our leader. It is a great honor.”
Mack Daugherty: “Thank you so much what you have meant to this county commission and the citizens of Elmore County. I have never called you in six years where you didn’t act like you were 100 percent focused on what I needed to know or ask you. It didn’t matter if it was lte t night or a Sunday, you were always Johnny on the spot. I have been in Elmore County for 49 years. There is a long lasting legacy of service that you have now joined. The Stubbs, Enslens, Pinkstons…to say that you have already built a lasting legacy would be an understatement. You could not have done what you have without the support of your sweet Jenny.
“I thank Jenny and all those precious kids for supporting you and all the time and effort that you put into it. Your professionalism, leadership and your proficiency has just been unexcelled. This is not the end of our relationship. We look forward to visiting you at the state house with a long list of things that Elmore County needs.”
Bart Mercer – “When Troy was thinking about running he came and spoke to me. I had been involved with county government on the economic development side for a number of years. Fast forward a year from there and there I was sitting right next to him. He and I started this life journey together. It has been an honor to serve with him. What he said was always based on good, sound judgement. Troy is a highly intelligent person. He even spoke to a Russian cab driver one time in his native language. It shocked me. I have always been amazed at how he can navigate through a situation and it not be based on anything but pure intelligence and good judgement. We are going to miss you here. I know that you are not going far. We are going to call on your often. I appreciate your service.
Desirae Lewis Jackson – “It has been absolutely wonderful to serve with you. When we came in you took me and Commissioner Hines and you led us and looked out for us to make sure we didn’t many errors. To watch you have dealt with a lot of issues that came before the county and you always keep this cool, calm persona and treat everyone right and the same. That helped me to learn how to deal with a lot of things that I face as well. You are going to the House. So, it is really cool that we have a direct line to the House. So, we are not too sad.”
Stubbs then addressed the audience, including his family and many who had come to wish him well in his new adventure.
“I want to thank my family, my fellow commissioners and our staff. I have learned a lot along the way.”
Stubbs said that he moved around a lot growing up. His father was a college football coach. He lived as far west as Oregon. He was born in South Carolina and lived almost everywhere in between.
“During that time, I learned a lot about myself and community. When we made the decision to put roots down here and raise our family here, and I began to observe things that I felt maybe needed to be different, my wife told me, as a wonderful wife does, ‘Quit complaining and do something about it.’”
So he made the decision to run for office, but admits he isn’t sure that is what his wife meant.
“Little did I know that I would be a part of five commissioners. Two were coming back in office and three were brand new. And on my first day I was appointed as Chairman by my peers. Here we are almost six years later, and I have learned a lot. We have been through a lot together as a county family. There were challenges….some we anticipated and others we did not. We experienced tornadoes in Wetumpka and the county, a pandemic…those are just a couple of things that obviously we did not anticipate. But we were prepared for those things because we built a great team. We worked together, we communicated regularly and we were honest and direct with one another.
“I find that things will often take care of themselves. What I mean by that is not every problem has to be addressed immediately. A lot of problems will resolve themselves and I learned that along the way. I burned myself out in the beginning because every fire that came up I tried to put it out immediately. Then I learned, let’s see if that fire is still there tomorrow. And many times it is not. That is a testament to our staff, my fellow commissioners and the resiliency of the people of Elmore County.”
Stubbs said we live in an age where people communicate freely through many different forms of media. They are able to hear and see a lot of things, and sometimes they only see bits and pieces of the entire picture.
“It is our opportunity as commissioners to step in and be leaders. We can shape the narrative. It doesn’t mean we are changing the narrative. It means we are providing direction and understanding to people. In the end that is what people really want. They want to understand. They want to know what is going on and how they can help or what they can do to be a part of the solution.
“We as leaders need to give them that opportunity. I think we did that as a county commission. We engaged other government agencies, municipalities and other organizations. In doing that in a collaborative way, we did not get in the way of other groups or organizations. It led to a lot of success for the county. This is not the end. This commission is moving forward on many projects and there are many opportunities ahead. I look forward to watching the county commission and the county as a whole be a beacon of light for the state of Alabama.
“I could not be more proud of representing Elmore County in the state legislature. I already hear a lot of people talking about the good things that are happening here. I am proud to be a part of that and represent the great people of Elmore County. I am not one to try to give too much advice or direction. But there has been one thing…We often hear people say the squeaky wheel gets the grease. I have always heard that. The squeaky wheels does often get the grease, but sometimes they do not deserve it.
“It is not just people standing up. We have to not only participate in the process, but be so engaged that we understand what is behind it. We have to understand what motivates people. We can’t just pass quick judgement just to get someone out of our way or to stop doing something. We need to be willing to put in the time to engage with people who are supportive, or maybe have a different view than us. If we are willing to put in that time, we can be a part of the solution for the divisive country that we have become. It is a grassroots effort.
“No one is going to fix Washington, DC. But we can fix here. This is our little piece of the world. We need to do everything we can to make it the best place in America. And it starts with each of us. We need to be willing to not just look at things on a superficial nature. We need to peel it back. When we do that, we really make a lasting difference.”
The Elmore Autauga News would like to thank Stubbs for all he has done with the county, and we wish you the absolute best in your new adventure. We will stay in touch!
