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Cody Sumners
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Staff photo.
Chelsea City Council members Cody Sumners, left, and Casey Morris spoke at a town hall meeting at the Chelsea Community Center about an alternative to the proposed 12.5-mill property tax to fund a Chelsea city school system.
Chelsea City Councilman and former Shelby County sheriff’s deputy Cody Sumners has announced his candidacy for mayor.
Sumners, who has served on the City Council since 2016, said his dedication to public safety and infrastructure were key motivators for his decision to run. He said a few years ago, he was approached by people in the community to run but didn’t think the time was right.
“I really had a lot of people start coming to me and talking about running for mayor,” Sumners said. “I still didn’t really have any desire to do it at the time. And then, as some time went by and talking to more people and looking around at things that I thought, you know, we might have to work on and do this different or that different, it just became something I was considering.”
Sumners retired this year from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. He said the decision to retire and his campaign were unrelated other than the time commitment.
“I was waiting until we got to 2025 and that way I could go ahead and retire and take it easy for a couple of months and start campaigning,” he said.
Staff photo.
Chelsea City Council members Cody Sumners, left, and Casey Morris spoke at a town hall meeting at the Chelsea Community Center about an alternative to the proposed 12.5-mill property tax to fund a Chelsea city school system.
MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY
Sumners is not only known in the community as a member of the Chelsea City Council but also for his work in mental health. When several Chelsea teenagers died by suicide in 2022-23, Sumners became a driving force in the community advocating for mental health resources. At the start of the year, he became president of NAMI Shelby, a mental health awareness group.
Last month, the Chelsea High School Student Government Association announced Sumners would be the next inductee into the SGA Hall of Fame.
Sumners said he will focus on ensuring continued growth while maintaining the city’s infrastructure and public services. His priorities include public safety, expanding the fire department and overseeing major infrastructure projects.
“We’ve got some things we need to catch up on. We’ve been growing and growing really fast. So, we’ve got some road projects that we need to catch up on,” Sumners said. “We’ve been growing and growing really fast, and maybe it’s time to take a look at that and decide. I know we’re working on a strategic plan right now. Hopefully, we’ll have that in place by the end of the year. So that’ll tell us what the citizens want and give us a roadmap of how to get there.”
A TRANSITION IN LEADERSHIP
Chelsea Mayor Tony Picklesimer announced that he will not seek re-election in 2025, bringing an end to his tenure after nearly a decade as mayor.
“It has been a terrific experience, and the good days outweigh the bad,” Picklesimer said in December. “But, you know, 10 years on the council, and now that will be nine years as mayor. That’s a pretty good run. So my wife is ready for us to do something different.”
During his time in office, Picklesimer played a crucial role in securing major developments, including the purchase of the Chelsea Library, improvements to the Highway 11 Sports Complex and the establishment of a third fire station. One of his most significant achievements was the passage of a 1-cent sales tax in 2019, which has generated millions for local school improvements.
A NEW GOVERNING STRUCTURE
Chelsea’s government is also undergoing structural changes. The city council last year voted unanimously to transition to a new form of government. After the election, the new mayor will no longer sit and vote with the council. Instead, the mayor will continue to administer the city’s government but will have the power to veto. The change was mandated by state law for municipalities exceeding 12,000 residents.
With Chelsea’s population surpassing 17,000, the council will elect a council president and vice president, with the mayor focusing on the city’s administrative operations. Those changes will go into effect after the election.
Elections this year are scheduled for Aug. 26. In Chelsea, the mayor acts as the chief executive of the city, giving the position a more hands-on role than an individual city council member.
“As mayor, you’re running the day-to-day operations of the city, so you can go and tell employees, ‘Hey, do this,’ or ‘We need to get this done,’” Sumners said. “Whereas a city council member, you don’t want to have five or six people trying to direct an employee.”
A CAMPAIGN FOCUSED ON GROWTH
Sumners, who has lived in Chelsea since 1985, emphasized that his experience as a public servant offers a unique perspective compared to Picklesimer’s business background.
“There’ll be some things that we continue, but I’m going to be coming in with a new set of eyes,” Sumners said. “I’ve been a career public servant, so I’m going to be looking at it from that point of view, whereas, you know, he was a career businessman, so he looked at it through that point of view.”
Sumners has yet to officially kick off his campaign, and the qualifying period does not begin until June. However, he said his candidacy was “probably one of the worst-kept secrets around.”
Sumners anticipates other candidates entering the race but believes his name recognition and deep roots in the community will be advantages.
“My family, we moved to Chelsea back in ‘85 when I was 10 years old,” he said. “So, yeah, I’ve been around here a while.”
