Pelham City swears in mayor and new council, elects leadership and approves business license

Pelham City held a swearing-in and brief organizational meeting on Nov. 3, 2025, at which Mayor Rick Walsh and newly elected council members took their oaths of office, the council chose its leadership, and approved a liquor license for a incoming restaurant.

The newly sworn-in mayor, Rick Walsh, thanked residents for attending and invited the crowd to a reception after the meeting. "I just wanna thank everybody for being here tonight," Walsh said, noting the strong turnout and asking attendees to stay after the meeting.

Why it matters: The meeting completed formal transitions following the municipal election and set the council's internal leadership for the coming term. The council also cleared routine business that allows city operations and local economic activity to move forward.

Most of the evening was ceremonial. Mayor Walsh and five council members — Michelle Power, Chad Leverett, Christine Towns (surname also appears as 'Townes' in the oath transcript), Marcus Snowden (the oath transcript also contains the name 'Marcus Harris' in the administering lines), and Michael Harris — each took the oath to support the U.S. and Alabama constitutions and to observe the ordinances of the City of Pelham.

After the oaths, the council organized itself. Councilmember Chad Leverett was nominated and elected president of the council by roll call. Leverett, newly chosen to preside as council president, asked for patience as he settles into the role, saying, "I'm a newbie at this, so bear with me as we work through this."

Marcus Snowden was nominated and elected council president pro tem by the council.

Votes at a glance: - Election of Council President — Chad Leverett: Approved by roll call; Councilmember votes recorded as Yes from Michelle Power, Chad Leverett, Christine Towns, Marcus Snowden and Michael Harris. - Election of President Pro Tem — Marcus Snowden: Approved by roll call; votes recorded as Yes from the same council members. - Consent agenda (approval of the Nov. 3, 2025 meeting agenda, October 2025 regular council minutes, and a resolution listed on the agenda): Approved by voice vote. - Resolution for ABC license — Big Bad Breakfast: The council approved the ABC license request unanimously after a company representative described menu items as "fresh from scratch," noting they had made strawberry jelly that morning.

The meeting included a short period opened for public comment (speakers were invited and the time limit was stated at three minutes per person); no public-comment presentations are recorded in the transcript. City announcements noted Pelham City offices will be closed Nov. 11, 2025, for Veterans Day and Nov. 27–28, 2025, for Thanksgiving. A reception with refreshments followed the meeting.

The council adjourned after the organizational business.

Notes on the record: The meeting materials referenced a resolution number on the consent agenda that appears garbled in the audio/agenda text; the agenda and full text are available from Pelham City Hall and the city's website (pelhamalabama.gov). The oath transcript contains inconsistent spellings for some names (see clarifications).