Tommy Battle
| Tommy Battle | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 67th Mayor of Huntsville | |
|
Assumed office November 3, 2008 |
|
| Preceded by | Loretta Spencer |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
December 3, 1955 Birmingham, AL |
| Spouse(s) | Eula Sammons |
| Alma mater | University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa |
| Religion | United Methodism |
Thomas Massengale Battle, Jr. (born December 3, 1955) is an American politician who serves as the mayor of Huntsville, Alabama. His first term began November 3, 2008, and he was re-elected in August 2012 and once again in August 2016 with over 80% of the vote. He is married to the former Eula Sammons, a retired Kindergarten teacher named Madison County Teacher of the Year in 2000. Together, they have one son, Andrew Joseph "Drew" Battle who is the assistant vice president for commercial banking at ServisFirst Bank Huntsville.
Battle was born Birmingham, Alabama in 1955, attended the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa in Tuscaloosa then later moved to Huntsville in the 1980s to operate Britling's Buffet, which he sold in 1989. Battle served one term on the Huntsville City Council from 1984-1988. After serving as the Council’s Finance Chair, Battle left the Council to run for the Mayor’s office, falling just short of a win in a tight run-off against Steve Hettinger. Battle owns or is managing partner in several firms in the retail and real estate sectors. Battle is a graduate of the University of Alabama, from which he holds a B.S. degree in business. While attending UA, he was a member of the school's renowned debate team and served as an elected executive of the Student Government Association. Battle also served as Chairman of the College Republican Federation of Alabama
Battle announced his candidacy against incumbent Mayor Loretta Spencer on March 26, 2008. 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. Prior to the first round of voting, Spencer was endorsed by The Huntsville Times. The Committee of 100, a group of businesspeople, issued a joint endorsement of Battle and Spencer.
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. 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. 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.
...
Wikipedia