By Sarah Kuper
When Stewart Welch III was approached by a City Council member about running for mayor of Mountain Brook, he went straight to the leading expert for advice – current Mayor Terry Oden.
“I just said, ‘Let me talk to Terry.’ We had a long meeting where he filled me in on the state of the city and I left encouraged and excited,” Welch said.
Oden has announced he will be retiring after serving as Mountain Brook’s mayor for 20 years.
Welch was born and raised in Mountain Brook, and he remembers living in the “country” where his family rode horses through the woods for miles without running across another development.
Since then, a lot has changed and Welch has founded two Mountain Brook businesses, including The Welch Group – a fee-only wealth management service.
Welch said he believes his finance management and entrepreneurial background are things that make him well suited for the mayor’s position.
“I’m most excited to interact with the business community. I love meeting people who want to start something new, create jobs and grow the area.”
Welch said the position is attractive to him because of the great work of city leaders who have gone before him.
“The city is hitting on all cylinders. Mountain Brook is debt free, which is remarkable. Education, police and fire, libraries – everything is running smoothly. My job will be not to mess it up.”
He admits he does have one big worry about stepping into the role.
“I’m very intimidated to step into Terry Oden’s footsteps. I don’t want to disappoint anyone.”
Welch said the timing is right for him; he has faith in the leadership at his two businesses, which will give him time to dedicate to mayoral duties, and he has the support of his family.
“At first my wife said, ‘Are you crazy?’ But I think she was worried about the nature of politics. From what I see, Mountain Brook isn’t really like other cities in that way. City Council seems very cohesive and everyone is on the same page.”
Welch is involved in the Mountain Brook community as well as in the greater Jefferson County area as he shares his wealth management wisdom through a recurring segment on WBRC Fox 6 and in a column on AL.com.
He said he has many close friends who are also involved in Mountain Brook and on whom he believes he can depend if he needs advice or information.
Though no formal announcement has been made, Welch said his candidacy is no secret.
The election is Aug. 23.
