As candidates prepare for the Aug. 25 municipal election, seven unopposed candidates were officially declared elected during Tuesday’s Gadsden City Council meeting.
City Council Members
District 2 Councilman Steve Smith and District 4 Councilman Kent Back will each serve another four-year term after their current terms expire Nov. 2.
Smith will begin his second term on the council. He chairs the General Administration Committee, serves as vice chair of the Education and Recreation Committee and is a member of the Public Safety Committee, according to the city’s website.
Smith is also the Pastor-Servant Leader at Destiny Christian Church in Gadsden, according to the website. A 1985 graduate of Litchfield High School, Smith grew up in public housing with his mother, Estella Hendricks, and four siblings. According to his city biography, he believes in empowering young people to build, maintain and distribute wealth.
Kent Back will serve his third term on city council, where he chairs the Intergovernmental Committee, is vice chair of the Finance Committee and is currently a member of the Community Development Committee and Community and Economic Development Committee, according to the city’s webpage.
Back also serves on the Human Development Committee of the Alabama League of Municipalities. He graduated from the league’s inaugural Economic Development Academy and has earned the Certified Municipal Official and Advanced Certified Municipal Official designations.
Graduating from Gadsden High School in 1977, Back went on to earn a B. A. in Mass Communications from Auburn University.
Gadsden City Council holds open-session meetings every Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Gadsden City Hall.
School Board Members
Five Gadsden City Board of Education members were also declared elected after running unopposed.
Areatha Rita Smith, District 2, graduated from Litchfield High School before attending Tennessee State University, according to her bio on Gadsden City School’s website. She serves as pastor of New Destiny Christian Church, with her husband, City Council member Smith.
Rev. Z. Andre’ Huff, District 3, graduated from Gadsden High School before attending Gadsden State Community College, Shorter College and Birmingham Easonian Baptist Bible College. He currently serves as Senior Pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church and works at Anniston Army Depot, according to his bio.
Mark Dayton, District 5, serves as vice president of the board. He was first elected in 2019 when Gadsden transitioned from an appointed to an elected school board.
Stewart graduated from Emma Sansom High School, where she served as a majorette for three years. She worked as a dental hygienist for more than 20 years and serves on the Etowah County Democratic Executive Committee. She is also a member of the National Children’s Oral Health Foundation, serving on its America’s ToothFairy Committee, according to her board biography.
Hon. Wm. Allen Millican, District 7, graduated from Emma Sansom High School before attending Gadsden State Community College, the University of Alabama and Birmingham School of Law. First elected in 2019, he practiced law for more than 40 years before retiring as presiding circuit judge of Etowah County, according to his board biography.
