BY ROBERT BURGINS, JR. WESTERN STAR STAFF
In the Sept. 22 runoff, the city of Bessemer and its residents made political history by electing the city’s first woman mayor.
Louise Alexander won the runoff against Mayor Kenneth E. Gulley. For 16 years Gulley led the city toward various triumphs with progressive efforts and faith-based leadership, yet the runoff found Alexander topping the polls with about 55 percent of the ballots.
At the dawn of a new season, Bessemer has chosen new leadership with a focus on transparency and family values in Alexander.
No stranger to politics and public service, Alexander represented District 56 in the Alabama House of Representatives from 2014 to 2022 and has owned a business, Alexander Unity Flowers & Gift, in Bessemer for many years. A graduate and product of Bessemer’s school system, she is an alumna of J.S. Abrams High School. She is a U.S. Army veteran and has served as a state legislator and a Bessemer City Council member.
On taking the mayor’s office, Alexander has told media outlets, she intends “to show where money is located and how it’s being spent. We want to take care of dilapidated housing and overgrown lots to ensure the upkeep of our city with a presentable aspect to residents and visitors.”
With an initiative to bring understanding and communication to the controversy surrounding the Project Marvel data center, she is also looking to revitalize the once-golden days of downtown Bessemer.
“You must earn trust and prove to others that your word is your bond” is the way Alexander plans to ensure sound policies and agendas in her role as mayor.
Working with the city’s employees as a team, Alexander looks to engage, build and restore varied aspects of the Marvel City. She took the oath outside City Hall on Monday, Oct. 5.