Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Sam Gaston, left, and Cale Smith
Mountain Brook’s former city manager, Sam Gaston, left, will be working as a special assistant to Homewood’s acting city manager, Cale Smith.
Parliamentary procedure calls for two council members to bring a matter up for a vote — one to make the motion and one to second that motion.
But Homewood Councilman Chris Lane couldn’t be bound by formality when it came to bringing on board Sam Gaston, who was Mountain Brook’s city manager for 32½ years, as a special assistant to Homewood’s city manager.
After Winslow Armstead made the motion and Paul Simmons gave a second, Lane chimed in with, “Third!”
Mayor Jennifer Andress echoed her endorsement after the unanimous vote.
“Everyone approves,” she said. “All of us enthusiastically approve. Congratulations, Mr. Gaston. We will see you tomorrow.”
Lane was still giddy as he took his turn for comments near the end of the council meeting.
“I’m 110% for Sam,” he said. “I can’t tell you how far back this goes and what it does for Homewood. I’m so excited. I’m looking for Sam as he comes in to structure a comprehensive organization plan to where all of our employees have a guideline to shorten places where we need to be shortened up and places where we overlap.
“With his professionalism, I think it’s going to bring great honor for Homewood,” Lane continued. “I can’t tell you how excited I am about this.”
The Mountain Brook City Council was in executive session prior to its regular meeting on Dec. 8 when City Clerk Heather Richards fielded a call from someone spreading the news about Gaston. It was not the first call on the subject.
“News apparently traveled fast,” Gaston said. “I had people from Huntsville and other places saying, ‘I thought you retired.’ Well, I am somewhat retired.
“I was shocked how fast the word got out,” the veteran city manager said. “Good Lord, people are blowing up my phone.”
Gaston calls his part-time job a great opportunity for him and the city of Homewood.
“I’m really excited about working with Cale and the new mayor and council,” Gaston said. “I know a lot of the department heads here in the city of Homewood, so it’s a wonderful opportunity for us. I’m looking forward to it.”
Former City Engineer Cale Smith was about a month into being Homewood’s acting city manager when Gaston came on board with Mountain Brook’s neighbor to the east.
“To have Sam join our leadership team is certainly a benefit to the city of Homewood,” Smith said. “We’re excited to have Sam here. I think that Sam is excited to be here. And as we transition into this new form of government, I can’t think of anyone better to have on our team than Sam.”
Gaston said he just wants to help the good people of Homewood.
“It’s not about me,” the 69-year-old said. “I plan on working behind the scenes, advising Cale, the new mayor and council [and] working with the department heads. Again, this is not about me. It’s about the city of Homewood and their new form of government and to assist them in becoming the best they can be.
“Homewood was already a great community,” Gaston said. “I have a lot of great respect and admiration for this community and also for their leadership that they’ve got in place, both elected and appointed. I felt very humbled that they asked me to come and assist them, and that’s gonna be my role. It’s gonna be behind the scenes. It’s gonna be purely in an advisory and a mentor role. That will be it.
“I have been extremely blessed to [have] been able now to work for the two best communities in Alabama — Mountain Brook and Homewood,” the new Homewood hire said.
