A current Whitesburg city councilman announced his intent to run for the vacant Carroll County District Five Commissioner position when qualifying begins in early May.
Retired Carroll County Fire Marshal Jay Williford told WLBB radio this weekend that while he was apprehensive at first to resign his councilman role to seek the commissioner seat, support from the community has convinced him that being able to represent more people of Carroll County, including residents of Whitesburg, is a good idea.
Williford worked for Carroll County for 28 years before his retirement in September. He is now the fire marshal for Douglas County.
Talking about his motivation to run for commissioner, Williford said he will place focus on employee pay and retention. He also expressed frustration over a recent $700,000 purchase made by the county. Commissioners approved the purchase of four new mowing tractors via a municipal contracting agency. Williford said local contractors were never given the opportunity to bid on the purchases and while it is possible that no local businesses could have matched the price approved, they should have at least been given the chance to do so.
Williford is currently serving his third non-consecutive term as a Whitesburg city councilman.
JayÂ’s wife, Amy, is the current mayor of Whitesburg, which is dubbed the little city with a big heart.
