Ben Reynolds, Mobile City Councilman representing District 4, responded to residents’ concerns at an annual community meeting at the Mobile Christian School on Tuesday, September 29th at 6:00pm. Other city officials speaking at the event included City Engineer of Mobile Nick Amberger, Sheriff Paul Burch, Mobile Police Department Deputy Chief of Operations, Melvin Jones, Second Precinct Captain Ted Johnson, Fire Chief Barry Glisson, and presiding Judge of Municipal Court, Carvine Adams.
Some upcoming projects Reynolds addressed that are scheduled to be finished in the coming year included the Regions Arena, new Mobile International Airport, Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine at University of South Alabama, and nursing-focused Health and Science Innovation Center at Spring Hill College. For District 4 specifically, Reynolds noted the upcoming boat launch, Cypress Creek golf course, and new fire station on Azalea Road. He also introduced a new gateway initiative intended to “get Tillman’s corner back to the way it used to be, back to the glory days of Tillman’s corner”. He cited new possibilities as updated infrastructure, lighting, sidewalks, and general landscaping.
Chief Barry Glisson noted the new fire station on Azalea Road as a benchmark showcasing the health of the organization. He noted that eleven of the eighteen fire houses in the city are more than fifty years old. The department has not experienced any fire-related fatalities in 2026 so far and Glisson aims to finish the year as such. He urged the community to ensure their own safety and that of their neighbors by making sure they have active smoke detectors installed, a service the fire department provides for the community upon request free of charge. “If you know of somebody that doesn’t have a smoke alarm, reach out to us, and we can get that done,” said Glisson.
Community efforts have also been a large help to the Mobile Police Department, according to Deputy Chief of Operations Melvin Jones and Second Precinct Captain, Ted Johnson. Both noted a decline in crime statistics within the year, which Johnson credits to community support. “Because of people in the community mostly helping out, looking out, giving us information. Even little things like if they see something on their cameras – just calling us or sending us an email, that all helps tremendously more than you know,” said Johnson.
On the judicial side, Judge Carvine Adams noted an improvement in the Municipal Court’s ability to serve the community with cases presented by the police department. “I like to think that our community service and what we do for the community and how we provide access to justice and access to the courts have really improved over the years,” said Carvine. She notes that the judges are located primarily on the second floor of the Mobile Government Plaza.
One of the biggest concerns within this meeting was the introduction of the Pay-As-You-Go Program, which would allow funding for updating and improving infrastructure across the city. This program will be voted on during the general election on November 3rd. “We really need everyone to get out and vote to get our attention back to Mobile. We’ve got a congressional race that is going to make a real big difference in the money coming back to Mobile from D.C,” said Sheriff Paul Burch.
If passed in November, Reynolds and Amberger predict to have funds available around February, which would allow work to begin mid-year, though the timeline is dependent on a number of factors.
Some residents, especially in Theodore, voiced concerns about the struggling infrastructure and lack of community centers for children in District 4. Reynolds explained that there are no current plans to build new centers, but he believes that the first step should be to improve and update the locations that exist already. Additionally, construction issues and timelines across the city frustrated many residents. Reynolds and Amberger responded that they are not always in control of contractor priorities and many issues arise from current lack of budget available.