City council member Alison Moore Nichols running for Chelsea mayor

Chelsea City Council member Alison Moore Nichols is running for mayor.

Nichols was born and raised in Chelsea and has served on the city council for four years. Her two sons, 18-year-old Joe and 13-year-old Jack, have kept her involved in the community, and Nichols said her ability to build relationships and her experience on the council are two things that have prepared her to run for mayor.

“Because I’m so active in the community, I’m blessed to talk to so many people, and because I drive our roads for a job, it allows me to see what the genuine priorities are for our citizens on a day-in, day-out basis,” she said.

Public safety and road improvements need to be some of the top priorities for the city, Nichols said, and there are a few issues she has recognized during her time as a bus driver for Shelby County Schools.

“Public safety is my number one thing, and I probably was made more aware of it because of driving the school bus and recognizing how much we have grown,” she said. “Our roads have not kept up with our growth.”

One problem area is the intersection of Old Highway 280 and Highway 11, Nichols said, where many new drivers have to “shoot the gap” to get to and from the high school.

“Our schools are extremely important to me, and I believe that with the slogan, ‘It’s all about family,’ that means it has to be about the schools, and it can’t be about the schools if we don’t care how they [students] get there,” Nichols said.

Nichols’ family was involved in the school system as she grew up, including her father serving as chairman of the board of education, and Nichols said this sense of service has always been something important to her family. As the city has continued to grow, Nichols said schools have seen a strain.

“Obviously the schools need more money because we have the same size school as we had when we were a 4A school,” she said. “We’re a 6A school with a three-year projection to become a 7A school, and the numbers aren’t a surprise.”

While she is glad for the additional 20 classrooms the Shelby County school board plans to add the high school, Nichols said she still has concerns for the growing student body. One is the safety of students in portable classrooms during inclement weather. If the school continues to need portables, Nichols said they need to consider a tornado shelter for the school.

“That’s what government is really about — doing things for individuals that they would not do for themselves,” Nichols said. “Schools, roads, public shelters are things that government should focus on first for quality of life.”

Because she was born and raised in Chelsea, Nichols said she hopes to see the community continue to grow while sticking to the traditions that make it great.

People move to Chelsea for its sense of community, good schools and churches, Nichols said, and more families moving to Chelsea creates a need for more resources and amenities.

One way Nichols hopes to build Chelsea is by bringing in more businesses, which will help build the tax base without increasing taxes for citizens. Those businesses can also bring consumers to other Chelsea businesses, as Nichols said the Applebee’s has done for local restaurants like Hartley’s.

If elected, Nichols said she would also work toward greater transparency and more communication between the city’s government and its citizens. Attendance at the biweekly city council meetings is low, and Nichols said that shows a barrier between the government and its constituents. Some individuals don’t feel the council is approachable, and then their ideas are not heard.

“Our goal is to get more people, more citizens to participate in city government because it can’t reflect something it doesn’t know,” Nichols said.

For more information, visit Alison Moore Nichols for Mayor on Facebook.

The election for Chelsea mayor and five city council seats is scheduled for Aug. 23. Council member Dale Neuendorf is also running for mayor of Chelsea.

If you are running for city council or mayor in Chelsea, you can reach our community reporter Erica Techo at erica@starnespublishing.com.