By MACKENZEE SIMMS | Staff Writer

PELHAM – As his first term on the Pelham City Council comes to an end, Councilmember Rick Wash announced his candidacy for mayor of Pelham on Monday, Sept. 17.

“I always said that I would probably just do one term on the city council and that is the case,” Wash said. “Next year, I will not seek reelection as a councilman here in Pelham. But, with that being said, I do want to put all the rumors to rest. After much consideration and thought and prayer with my family and my friends, I will be running for mayor next year.”

The current mayor of Pelham, Gary Waters, has been serving as the mayor since he was first elected in 2012 and will finish his third term after next year’s election. Recently, Waters has been very open about deciding to not seek reelection.

According to Wash, the information that Waters would not be seeking reelection spurred Wash to consider running himself.

“After finding out that my that my dear friend, Mayor Waters, is not going to seek reelection, I feel compelled to serve my community and to further my time with the city,” Wash said.

Before being elected to the Pelham City Council, Wash dedicated more than 13 years to law enforcement with the Pelham Police Department. During his time, he served as a D.A.R.E. officer and a member of the Law Enforcement Torch Run.

Wash began his term as a city council member on Nov. 2, 2020.

During his announcement on Monday night, Wash introduced a special guest at the city council meeting who came to endorse him: his mother.

“I am very, very proud to have my mom, Janice Wash, here with us tonight,” Wash said. “I love her dearly.”

In addition to his mother, Wash shared that he was honored to share his news with the citizens of Pelham and his fellow city employees.

“I wanted to unveil this (news) and talk about this in front of the city I love and in front of all the city’s employees that I truly, truly respect,” Wash said.

As a final note, Wash made a request of all those gathered at the meeting.

“If you would, as we embark on this next year, please pray for me and my family as we take this journey together,” Wash said. “Please put me and my family in your prayers as we go through this together. We’ve got exciting times ahead of us here in Pelham.”

Wash is the second candidate to announce his intentions to run for mayor of Pelham after Council President Maurice Mercer announced his candidacy on Monday, Aug. 26. The two are the only members of the Pelham community to step forth so far.

Those interested in more information about Rick Wash can visit Pelhamalabama.gov/824/Rick-Wash.