DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — After nearly three decades as a councilman, District 1’s Billy Jackson said it’s time that he be the one to make a difference as mayor in the City of Decatur.
Jackson told News 19 on Monday morning after the city council meeting that he had been thinking about running for mayor for the past three years, but those thoughts intensified more recently, with the city’s elections just a few months away.
During an exclusive interview on Monday afternoon, Jackson said he has a lot of experience serving the city, something he hopes to build on as mayor.
“No one in the [city’s] history has ever served for 29 years, so when I go into the mayor’s office, I will go in as the most experienced government official to ever come into that office,” Jackson told News 19. “A person who has the understanding of how a government is supposed to work. A person who has the understanding of how things were done throughout and for that duration. So I’m going to be the most experienced person to ever go in that position.”
Jackson was elected to the city council to represent Decatur’s District 1 in 1996. He is the longest-serving current member of the council.
He is a lifelong Decatur resident and Austin High School graduate, Class of 1981. Following his high school graduation, Jackson attended Alabama A&M University.
Back in October 2023, current Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling announced he would not seek reelection in 2025. Bowling was elected in 2016. In 2020, he was the first mayor in nearly 30 years to serve back-to-back terms.
Jackson said he understands that throwing his hat in the ring for mayor will heat up the race. He said he has watched as Mayor Bowling has failed in his communication with the residents of his city – something he will seek to change immediately.
“For the past few years, we have seen that there is a lack of leadership from the mayor’s office. There’s a lack of accountability, and I want to be the person to bring that. If we have accountability and honesty and integrity in our mayor’s office, then the things that we see and the bridges that have been burned, the gaps that we have in our community, and the trust that’s no longer there can be rebuilt,” Jackson said.
Jackson added that things in city hall have grown tense and that is due to a lack of transparency from the mayor.
Four other people have told News 19 they are running for mayor: Current Planning Commission Chairman Kent Lawrence, Personnel Board Member Suzie Wiley, Justin Weil and former Decatur City Councilman Butch Matthews. Weil announced Monday that he is ending his candidacy for mayor to support Jackson. You can read his full statement here.
Decatur’s municipal election will be held on Tuesday, August 26, 2025.
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