You’ve probably heard the name. Maybe you’ve seen him on the news talking about the Port of Mobile or seen his face on a campaign poster over the last decade. But honestly, if you really want to understand Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, you have to look past the standard political talking points.
He didn't start in a smoke-filled room. He started in a lumber yard.
For nearly forty years, Stimpson was a businessman. He wasn't kissing babies or drafting policy; he was looking at balance sheets for his family’s business, Gulf Lumber Company. When he decided to run for the 108th mayor of Mobile back in 2013, he wasn't just another politician looking for a promotion. He was a CFO who looked at his city’s bank account and realized it was a total mess.
Why the Financial Turnaround Actually Matters
People usually glaze over when politicians talk about credit ratings. It sounds like boring "adulting" for a city. But for Mobile, it was basically life or death. When Stimpson took office, the city was staring down a $4 million deficit.
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He didn't just tweak the budget. He brought in a finance director who earned the nickname "Dr. No."
Between 2013 and 2025, the city managed to pay down nearly $100 million in bonded debt. They slashed $200 million in unfunded pension liabilities. Think about that for a second. That is $300 million that isn't just disappearing into a black hole of interest anymore. Because of those moves, Moody’s and S&P bumped up the city's credit ratings, which makes everything—from paving a road to building a park—way cheaper for the taxpayers.
It wasn't all just cutting, though. He pushed through a penny sales tax in 2015 that actually went back into the neighborhoods. $3 million per district. No more wondering why the "other side of the tracks" got the new playground while your street had potholes deep enough to swallow a hubcap.
The "One Mobile" Vision and the Reality of the Divide
Stimpson campaigned on the idea of "One Mobile." It’s a catchy slogan, but the reality on the ground has been a bit more complicated. In his first few elections, the voting data was pretty stark. He had massive support in white neighborhoods and almost none—single digits, kinda—in African American communities.
He knew it. He didn't hide from it.
He pledged to bridge that gap. Part of that was the "Supplier Diversity Program," the first of its kind in the city, designed to make sure minority-owned businesses actually got a fair shot at city contracts. Did it solve everything? Of course not. Mobile still has deep-seated racial and economic divides that a single mayor can’t just "business" away in a decade.
The Big Projects You Can See From Space
If you drive through Brookley Field or down to the waterfront, you can see the Stimpson legacy in real-time.
- Airbus: They’re doubling production. By the time 2026 rolls around, Mobile will be the fourth-largest producer of commercial aircraft in the world.
- The Airport: They are literally moving the commercial airport from the outskirts of town back to downtown.
- The Port: It’s now the deepest channel in the Gulf of Mexico.
These aren't just "ribbon-cutting" photo ops. These are fundamental shifts in how the city makes money. He treated the city like a 400,000-person startup that needed a better logistics chain.
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Not Everyone Was a Fan
It wasn't all high-fives and surpluses. Stimpson had some legendary brawls with the City Council. He also took a lot of heat for cutting funding to the arts. Organizations like the Mobile Opera and the Mobile Symphony saw their city checks shrink, which led to real-world layoffs.
And then there’s the environment. Despite the "One Mobile" talk, his administration faced criticism for not being aggressive enough on pollution and environmental protections in a city that’s literally surrounded by water.
The Hand-Off in 2025
After three terms, Stimpson decided to step away. He didn't run for a fourth term in 2025, instead endorsing Spiro Cheriogotis, who eventually won the seat.
He left the city with a two-month "rainy day" reserve fund. He left with a police and fire pension fund that’s on track to be fully funded by late 2026. Most mayors leave behind a pile of debt and a few half-finished bridges; Stimpson left a city that is finally moving past what he called its "perpetual potential."
What you can take away from this:
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If you are looking at how to impact your own local community, Stimpson’s tenure proves a few things. First, fiscal health isn't just for bean counters; it’s the only way to actually afford the stuff people care about, like parks and raises for city workers. Second, a business background is a powerful tool, but it has to be tempered with an understanding of a city’s unique cultural and racial history.
To see the shift for yourself, take a look at the "Map for Mobile" framework. It’s the literal blueprint they used to change the city's zoning and development. It shows you exactly how they planned the growth you see today. You can also track the progress of the new $300 million Mobile Arena project, which is the final "big bet" of the Stimpson era, funded by the very debt-reduction strategies he put in place a decade ago.