ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — In a repeat of the 2012 election in Robertsdale, local businessman Roger Booth will challenge Mayor Charles Murphy in his quest for a seventh term as mayor.
A lifelong …
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ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — In a repeat of the 2012 election in Robertsdale, local businessman Roger Booth will challenge Mayor Charles Murphy in his quest for a seventh term as mayor.
A lifelong resident of Robertsdale, Booth has owned his own business for more than 30 years. He has also served as a volunteer with the Robertsdale Fire Department, serving as assistant chief from 2001 to 2006 and received the Firefighter of the Year award. He has attended Faulkner State Community College, the Alabama Fire College and the Georgia Fire College.
When asked why he wanted to run for mayor, Booth responded, “(I’m) tired of the same old promises to ‘continue to add value to all city services through advanced technologies and future planning opportunities.’ We have had sewer and drainage issues well over 20 plus years. Yes, we have made some improvements, but if we want to continue to ‘keep our community safe and build a brighter future for our community,’ we must address the issues at hand that are not safe for our community.”
When asked to list the issues facing the city, Booth listed them as debt issues, sewer issues, drainage issues, electrical issues, roadway issues, recreational issues and micromanagement issues.
“We continue to purchase commercial properties, some of which we have to borrow monies to purchase,” he said, “yet, we have not been addressing our primary issues at hand like correcting the sewer and drainage issues.”
Booth, his wife Mary and family attend Unshackled Baptist Church in Robertsdale and he recently became an ordained minister with Universal Life Church Ministries.
“Not only am I able to perform weddings, funerals or Baptisms, but I visit with people who are ill, or who have lost a loved one, to talk with them and help provide healing and comfort,” he said.
Murphy and his wife, Lynn, have lived in Robertsdale for 39 years, where they raised their three children and now have nine grandchildren. He is retired from AT&T with 35 years of service, a member and deacon at Robertsdale First Baptist Church, and holds a degree in accounting from Troy State University.
First elected to the city council in 1988, Murphy was elected mayor in 1992 and has served six consecutive terms in the position.
“These have truly been great financial times for our city and each of you have been a part of it,” Murphy said. “We still have much to be accomplished and we need to plan out for our ‘Centennial Celebration,’ which will be observed in 2021. This is why I’m seeking another term as your mayor so we can continue to move our city forward.”
He is past president of the Alabama League of Municipalities, a member and Paul Harris fellow with the Robertsdale Rotary Club, has served on the Catholic Social Services executive board, is past chairman of the Baldwin County Mayors Association, was selected Central Baldwin Man of the Year in 2010, a volunteer reader at Robertsdale Elementary School, serves on the steering committee with Baldwin County United, Executive Board Member for Electric Cities of Alabama, serves as a Board Member for AMIC, and is a Navy veteran.
“In seeking another term as mayor, I want to initiate improvements that will provide long term benefits for our growing community, while retaining our ‘small-town flavor,’” Murphy said, “to continue to add value to all city services through advanced technologies and future planning opportunities, while keeping our community safe and building for a brighter future for our community.”
