Florence Mayoral Candidate Rick Singleton
FLORENCE – Two-term Mayor, Bobby Irons, who is stepping down from his post, today endorsed former Florence Police Chief, Rick Singleton to replace him. Singleton, is in a tight contest with Mickey Haddock for the post. The municipal election is August 28, and there are many issues facing Florence for the man who wins the post. Florence is the largest city in The Shoals, and as such, is the economic center of this portion of Northwest Alabama. Matters that will have to be dealt with immediately include the City’s now-closed landfill, water and sewer infrastructure, Cypress Creek waterway problems, and Police Department issues, to name but a few.
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Outgoing Mayor Irons endorses Singleton
At today’s news conference, Mayor Irons said, “I have been honored to serve this great City as Mayor for the past eight years and I am very pleased with the direction our City is headed. I believe our best years are ahead of us but it will require strong, experienced, qualified leadership to direct us to that next level. That is the reason that, today, I am endorsing former police chief Rick Singleton in his campaign to be the next Mayor for the City of Florence.
Chief Singleton is an honorable man with character and integrity and he will be a strong leader for all of the people of Florence. He has the education, governmental and business experience to be an effective manager for our city. Rick has a Bachelors Degree in law enforcement and business administration and a Masters Degree in Criminal Justice. He has numerous certifications from both State and Federal agencies, including the FBI. He has been a successful small business owner for the past twenty years which is very important when it comes to understanding the needs of the small business owners in our City. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. For the past sixteen years he has also managed the largest department in city government with 140 employees and an annual operating budget of ten million dollars.
The City of Florence is a large business with a budget of over 200 million dollars, 800 employees and twenty major departments reporting to the Mayor. The Mayor is a full time chief executive officer for the city and must be responsible for the day-to-day operations and fully accessible to the 20 department heads and the forty thousand citizens of Florence twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
Chief Singleton is highly qualified for the Mayor’s position and I endorse him without reservation.”
Bobby Irons – Rick Singleton
Singleton told The Quad-Cities Daily, “This is an honor. Mayor Irons is leaving a tremendous legacy as the leader of our City. He’s been a key player in job recruitment with S.E.D.A. (Shoals Economic Development Agency) and the other Mayors; all the development, new retail businesses, older businesses expanding and thriving. He’s leaving some big shoes to fill, but I’m excited about filling those shoes. he’s left a great foundation for us to build on, and we can’t wait to keep our City moving forward.” When Mayor Irons told him that Singleton would have his endorsement, the former Chief was thrilled, “I’m humbled by the fact that Bobby has that kind of confidence in me and my leadership ability to take this City forward.”
