DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — On the final day of qualification, Decatur activist Sarah French announced that she is running for the city council seat in District 4.
“It was just in my heart that this is what I was supposed to do,” French explained. “I had many leaders request that I go and do this. I had a lot of citizens that I don’t even know requesting me to do so, I felt that was God telling me this is what I needed to do.”
French said her mission is to get her district on track by being a leader, a role that she is accustomed to.
French is an activist and has not been shy about organizing support for the family of Stephen Perkins since the police shooting death in 2023.
“I got involved because of the shooting of Steve Perkins, then in that involvement, I realized how much is also going on in our city that is wrong,” French said. “It’s stuff that is going on that they’re not making the citizens aware of. I believe we need transparency so that citizens know what’s happening in the city, so that we can change it before they make decisions that the citizens don’t want.”
Through activism, French has held city leaders accountable for the lack of economic development in the city, while calling for an overhaul to the police department, something that has already begun with the hiring of Police Chief Torry Mack.
“What’s been going on for many years here needs to change, and we’ve already started that with the police department. We see it transform before our very eyes,” French said. “We see the DPD officers’ attitudes change, and they are following all policy and procedures, and we want to see that for the rest of our city.”
Incumbent councilman Hunter Pepper made it official to News 19 on Monday that he will not seek reelection to District 4.
French is one of five candidates for District 4. Jamie Handley, Joshua Horton, Jason Putman, Angie Thom and Pam Werstler are all running for the seat.
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