The Andalusia City Council on Tuesday accepted the retirement resignation of Councilman Ralph Wells, who has represented District 4 since 2012.
“It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to have earned the confidence of my friends and neighbors who have trusted me to represent them on the Andalusia City Council since 2012,” Wells said in tendering his retirement notice to the City. “In the past 11 years, we have accomplished many great things. I am particularly proud of the City’s solid financial position, the improvements we have made to the infrastructure, and our reinvestment in downtown. Andalusia has a rich, storied history, and it is important that we preserve the parts that we can while continuing to improve our community.”
Mayor Earl Johnson and members of the Council expressed their appreciation to Wells for his service to the City and said that he held them to a higher standard.
“Ralph has been a great member of the City Council,” Mayor Johnson said. “He made good use of his business background as the council made many decisions about financing and spending, and we are a better city because of his work.”
Councilman Terry Powell said, “Ralph has meant more to this city than most residents will ever know.”
Councilman Kennith Mount said he first met Wells when they lived in the same apartment complex as Auburn University students.
“It’s like Ralph’s on a pedestal, and I try to be as good as he is,” Mount said. “He knew more about budgeting than I knew there was to know. He has always been a good friend to me.”
Councilman Joe Nix also expressed his appreciation of the fellow councilman.
“It’s been an honor and privilege to serve with him on the council, especially because of the closeness of our families,” he said, adding that the Nix and Wells families’ association goes back many years.
Councilwoman Hazel Griffin also expressed her appreciation to Wells for the professionalism and expertise he brought to his work with the Council.
“We often talked about issues that came up with the city,” she said. “I trusted his opinion and valued his judgment.”
Wells, who retired from Carquest (formerly Taylor Parts), was first elected in 2012; re-elected in 2016; and won reelection again in 2020 without opposition.
When Wells first sought office, he said he was born, reared and educated in the city, and was given many opportunities because members of the community took time to teach and lead him. By 2012, he was ready to give back.
“I intend to listen well, to represent the people’s opinions in earnest, to make decisions after careful evaluation, to be honest and not take myself too seriously,” he said at that time. “I am not a politician, I am not seeking a higher position, I do not have an agenda. I just want to get involved in the community. I have been on the sidelines too long.”
Wells was also a former baseball standout who was drafted from Auburn University to play for the Atlanta Braves in 1966. During his time on the council, he also has been a strong advocate for improved recreational facilities. The City Council plans to name its new batting facility in Johnson Park for him.
After receiving his retirement resignation, the Council had to adopt a resolution declaring the District 4 seat vacant. The Council now has 60 days to appoint someone to the seat.
As CEO of Insight Global, Bert Bean leads a team of more than 4,000 employees in 66 offices in the United States and Canada. He’s grown that Fortune 500 company’s revenue to $4 billion since taking over as CEO in 2018.
The 17-year veteran of the recruiting business was too busy climbing the corporate ladder to make it to his 10th or 20th high school reunion at Andalusia High School.
But he he told a sold-out crowd at the 2023 Andalusia Area Chamber of Commerce Banquet Thursday that a watershed moment in his career came last year when he was told that a hometown company had contracted with his company for recruiting.
“A year ago, I was on a call with the guy who runs our Huntsville office and he said, “Hey, you know CDG? They’re up in Huntsville now and they called us out of the blue with some business to work on.”
Bean said CDG previously had worked with his company’s competitor, but decided to give Insight Global a shot because he was from Andalusia.
“I think all most people want is to know that they have done well by the people who raised them. When the chips are down, ‘Can I go home?’
“I got tears in my eyes when I got that call,” Bean recalled. “That was validation. I was so proud of the chance to support CDG and my hometown.”
Bean talked about the importance of values in the workplace before turning to lessons he learned in Andalusia.
“This town built me,” he said. “I had amazing experiences here. We moved here when I was 4, and moved away when I was 21 or so.
“First, I learned compassionate forgiveness from my favorite high school teacher, Mrs. Maria Smith,” he said.
Smith had assigned the class to do group projects. Each group was to write a report on a country, and prepare a dish from the country. He and two friends printed the first thing they saw about their assigned country, Chile, and signed their names. Then they served a can of Hormel chili as their dish.
“Mrs. Smith was cool,” he said. “She gave us an ‘F.’ But she let us do it again so we wouldn’t fail Spanish. That was compassionate forgiveness.”
He said he learned humility in fourth grade from Lela Horry.
“Her son was playing at Alabama. He wasn’t rich yet, and he was at home, so he came to class and asked his mother for money,” he said, adding that his teacher unceremoniously dressed her son down and told him no.
“I learned that no matter what, you’re never too big for your mom to correct you,” he said.
“I learned something as simple as kindness from watching Melinda Maynor,” he said.
Not long after the Bean family moved to town, his mom’s van broke down.
“She managed to limp this thing to the garage, and they told her it would take three weeks to repair,” he said. “We walked home to Prestwood Bridge Road, and every day, my mother walked us to school.
“Mrs. Melinda Maynor saw us and insisted that my mother take one of her cars, and use it as much as she needed it. That was kindness.”
From one of his first bosses, Jan King, he learned to be on time.
“I was a lifeguard at the city pool, and I was not always on time. Thank you, Jan.”
And he said he learned the value of hard work when he got a summer job working with Dr. Toby Atkinson at the animal clinic.
“I thought maybe I wanted to be a vet and I wanted to learn about it,” he said. “Dr. Atkinson made me work hard. I got to work at 6 a.m. and it seemed like I left at 6 p.m., cleaning out stalls, and bathing dogs.
“I have so much respect for veterinarians,” he said. “I learned I can work hard. I talk about (Dr. Atkinson) all the time, about the value of hard work, and what we call grit.”
He said he learned to have pride in your craft and a standard of excellence by watching Meryane Murphy and the Andalusia Ballet.
“Mrs. Murphy taught my sister ballet,” he said. “We went to see her in ‘Nutcracker’ and ‘Messiah.’ As I kid, I was more into sports than ballet, but I could see the professionalism and the standard of excellence, whether you’re performing in New York City or the Dixon Center in Andalusia.”
Bean also said he and his mother, Betsy Bean, arrived for the event early and enjoyed driving around Andalusia for the first time in a number of years.
“It looks so vibrant,” he said.
Bean also talked about the process he used when he took over as CEO of Insight Global to develop the company’s values, and to teach those values across the company. He also shared stories of how the resulting value statement helped the company to thrive during the pandemic, when many companies were not hiring.
Registration opens Wed., Feb. 1, for Miracle League of Covington County baseball.
Miracle League operates on the premise that “Every child deserves a chance to play baseball.” The program is free and open to all ages. Players cannot be disallowed from participation because of degree of disability if approved by the parent or guardian.
Miracle League also is looking for “Angels in the Outfield” to assist players; coaches; and team moms.
You can register during business hours at Johnson Park, or online at cityofandalusia.com. QR codes for easy registration can be found on the city’s social media pages.
For additional information, please call Grayson Lumpkin at 222-2714 or Jill Ainsworth at 334-208-3645.
Registration opens Wednesday and continues through Feb. 15 for the City of Andalusia’s baseball and softball leagues.
Baseball is open to players ages 4 through 15. For baseball, the age cut-off date is May 1, 2023.
Softball is open to players ages 4 through 12. For softball, the age cut-off date is January 1, 2023.
Tryouts for both sports will be Friday, Feb. 17. Tryouts are not required for ages 6 and under, and the 13-15 baseball players will try out after the school season ends.
For both sports, the registration fee is $35 for one child; $55 for two children; and $75 for three or more children. Scholarships are available for those with financial need.
You can register during business hours at Johnson Park, or online at the following links:
QR codes for easy registration can also be found on the city’s social media pages.
For additional information, please call Johnson Park at 222-2714.
Mayor Earl Johnson on Tuesday recognized Municipal Judge Mike Jones Jr. with a resolution as he prepares to step down from the office as he takes on a new role in Montgomery.
Friends, family members and court officials were on hand for the presentation and the reception that followed.
Jones, who was appointed municipal judge in 2008, is stepping down to take on a new job as an assistant attorney general for the Alabama Secretary of State.
Mayor Johnson said that during his time on the bench, Jones has reorganized and streamlined the municipal court, and that during his time in the House of Representatives, he drew upon his experience in family law and as a municipal judge to sponsor and influence legislation that improved the lives of families affected by the incarceration of a family member.
Included in that work was legislation allowing those who had lost driving privileges for legal reasons to have a limited license allowing them to drive themselves to and from work, empowering them to provide for their families, rebuild their lives, and move out of the court system.
Jones thanked the “great professional staff” of the municipal court, including the prosecutors and defense attorneys, court referral officer and the probation officers,
He said many things he observed and learned as a municipal court judge, he took back to Montgomery and used to improve legislation.
Jones has practiced law in Andalusia since 1994 specializing in family law. He served in the Alabama House of Representatives from 2010 until 2022, and was chairman of the powerful Rules Committee in the last quadrennium.