City Council, Place 3 (UNOPPOSED)
Chelsea city council candidate Christopher Grace has lived in Chelsea since 2003, where all of his children graduated from Chelsea High School. Appointed to Place 3 on the city council in 2019 to fill an unexpired term, he was elected to a full term in 2020 and is unopposed in the current election. Grace has worked as a civil engineer for 29 years, advising cities across the Southeast. His civic involvement includes graduation from Leadership Shelby County in 2014, work with United Way of Central Alabama, and serving as chair of the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce in 2021.
Why he’s running: “I desire to continue my service to the city in the next quadrennium. Our current council has set the stage for smart growth and improvements in quality of life. I want to see those efforts come to fruition. My skills and relationships as an experienced civil engineer bring a unique perspective to the council. I’m happy to leverage those for the benefit of our community.”
Q: What do you believe is the most important issue facing your city today — and why?
When we moved to Chelsea the population was around 4,000. Our city has now surpassed a population of 17,000. We have reached critical mass in a relatively short span. It is time for us to slow our pace and allow services and infrastructure to catch up. We don’t have 100 years of municipal equity like some cities smaller than us throughout the state. We need to make smart decisions so that we can maintain a high quality of life and keep Chelsea a desirable place to live.
Q: What is one specific initiative or policy you would champion if elected — and why is it a priority?
My intention is to continue to focus on smart infrastructure. We need to be thoughtful as we build parks, roads, and commercial infrastructure. We were able to commission a parks inventory and needs assessment in the last term. That plan charts a path for investment and maintenance of our parks system based on input from the community. We have a similar comprehensive document for the entire city which is required by statute that needs to be followed and updated as our city evolves and matures.
Q: How would you balance growth with quality of life — and why do you believe your approach is best?
I believe now is a good time to look at slowing our rate of growth to preserve our quality of life. We have great retail options on the cusp of announcement that should enhance our revenue stream and allow us to maintain our current infrastructure and look ahead to the next big capital investments.
Q: What is your vision for the city in five years, and why is that direction important now?
In the next five years I expect that we will exceed a population of 20,000. I expect that most of our low hanging commercial properties along Highway 280 will be built out along with most of our platted residential properties. In five years’ time it may be appropriate and necessary to bring public safety in-house instead of contracting with the Sheriff’s office. It may be necessary to also bring in solid waste collection and potentially utility services. Most cities our size already have those in place. These are important decisions that will have to be considered as our city matures.
Q: How would you ensure transparency and trust in government — and why are those values essential to you?
Our meetings are all required to be open. We rarely have attendees to council meetings unless there is something controversial on the agenda. I would encourage people to come to our meetings and get involved rather than sitting behind a computer screen and feeding off of social media. We have a lot of great things happening. If citizens have questions or concerns about transparency, I’d encourage them to reach out to city hall or one of the council members.
Q: How would you stay accessible and responsive to residents — and why is that type of leadership necessary?
I read every email I receive. Since the council serves at large rather than via districts, we often get blanket emails addressed to the council and mayor. In those cases, I would defer to the mayor and the chief executive or the mayor pro temp as the second in command. In most cases we are aligned in our responses. I’d encourage citizens to reach out to me directly if there are things in particular that I can help with or on which I may have special perspective.
Q: What’s one specific thing the city should do differently or better to support schools over the next four years, and why?
Our council has given millions of dollars to our county schools over the past five years through our special education sales tax. We have invested in capital projects where the county could not and have partnered with them to accomplish projects that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. Our county BOE is a great partner! We intend to continue our grant programs to support classroom teachers and fund a couple of large capital projects to enhance the student experience.
