Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed wins second term with big victory
Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed cruised to a big victory Tuesday night, winning a second term in office.
With 98% of the vote counted late Tuesday night, the unofficial results show Reed with 57% of the vote, compared to his nearest challenger Barrett Gilbreath’s 39%. Two other candidates were far behind in the single digits.
Reed spoke to supporters saying that he thanked them, thanked God and thanked voters for his victory. He says his first term was the most rewarding and most challenging four years of his life. He acknowledged that not everything was perfect, but he doesn’t get to redo a statement or a decision.
SEE COMPLETE MONTGOMERY CITY ELECTION RESULTS
Reed said Montgomery is in a better financial position than it has been in more than three decades. He attributed much of the city’s progress to working with other government leaders at the local and state level.
In the future, he called on investments in affordable housing, public safety and guaranteed basic income.
Reed said he had already reached out to some of the other candidates who ran in this election — those in the mayor’s race as well as the city council races — to ask for their support in the years ahead.
Reed said the old Montgomery is not coming back. He said the city will not settle for scraps and crumbs as it had in the past. He wants Montgomery to be the city of first choice.
Reed will continue his legacy as the city’s first-ever Black mayor when he was first elected in 2019. He will now work with some new faces on city council in the next four years.
