City of Madison mayoral candidates speak to News 19 ahead of Aug. 26 election
MADISON, Ala. (WHNT) — In just two months, voters in the City of Madison will elect a new mayor. This comes as long-time Mayor Paul Finley is not seeking re-election.
The Madison Municipal Election is Tuesday, August 26th. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. that day, and one of the races on the ballot will be for mayor.
Dates to remember for Madison municipal elections
So far, three candidates have filled out their qualifying paperwork and told News 19 that they are officially in the race. Those candidates are: Ranae Bartlett, Margi Daly, and Steve Smith.
Voters may recognize Bartlett's name as she is a sitting city council member and previously served on the school board.
Bartlett told News 19 that she hopes voters recognize the leadership qualities she says she could bring to the office.
'I'm the only elected official who is running for mayor, and I think that people trust me, that I'm honest,' Bartlett said. 'Being financially responsible is a key component of being mayor.'
'Our market is resilient': Madison County housing market shows promise amidst national market slowdown
She said, if elected, she would focus on improving infrastructure and keeping schools strong.
'I think for the next administration, what we really need to focus on are roads and traffic and answering those concerns of our citizens,' Bartlett said. 'When we look forward to what we will be focused on, we're going to look at roads and schools.'
'I believe that Madison deserves leadership who listens intently, plans strategically, and delivers results for the people who elect them to serve,' she added.
Madison resident Margi Daly tells News 19 that she is a 'for the people' candidate and that she is running a 'grassroots campaign' for mayor. She said fiscal responsibility is her top priority.
'I'm for the people,' she said. 'I'm tired of watching the money be wasted, every council we're spending millions of dollars, and it's going to be on the backs of 19,000 rooftops,' Daly added.
Daly said improving infrastructure and quality of life in Madison would be a focus if elected.
She also said transparency is something she would want to bring inside the walls at City Hall.
'I will be open book,' she said. 'When I'm elected, any citizen can come down and see what the mayor and council are doing, I think that's the right thing to do, it's the way our government is supposed to work, but it does not work here in Madison currently.'
Daly does not have former political experience, but she tells News 19 that she previously served on an ABC Board.
'I have experience in New Jersey, I was and Alcohol Beverage Commissioner, which was in charge of 535 liquor licenses,' she said. 'I know the rules, I'm a rule follower, in general.'
Steve Smith is another familiar name around City Hall in Madison. He currently serves as City Administrator and previously served on the City Council.
He told News 19 that he believes his experience is what makes him the best candidate for Mayor.
'I've got the most experience, I know the in's and out's of city government, I know who brings the Friday doughnuts,' he said. 'So, just knowing the in's and out's, knowing how to work through the system, and making things better each and every day qualifies me to be the next mayor.'
He said he believes the city is on a good path right now.
'We're the best zip code in the state of Alabama, we've got the number one school system in the state of Alabama, why do we want to change that? Why do we want to change that path?' Smith said.
'As mayor, I'll always listen to all of our community because you know that's why we're there, to serve our people, serve the community, and I'm not running out of personal ambition,' Smith said.
The City of Madison Municipal Election is Tuesday, August 26, 2025.
The City of Madison has not released the official ballot for the municipal election yet.
Last week, a spokesperson for the City of Madison told News 19,
'While the open qualification period is June 10 – June 24th, the City Clerk's office must wait to hear back from the Alabama Ethics Commission. The official confirmed names will not be given before June 25th at Noon.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
6 minutes ago
- Washington Post
D.C. attorney general alleges violence intervention nonprofit misused funds
The District's attorney general has alleged that a nonprofit group hired by the city misappropriated funds that were supposed to go toward preventing gun violence in the Congress Heights neighborhood. In a lawsuit filed this week by D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb, the city is seeking to recoup more than $250,000 in government funds that went to Women in H.E.E.L.S. (Healing, Elevation, Empowerment, Love, Support) Inc. The group signed an agreement with the attorney general's office in March 2022 to operate one of four new violence-reduction program sites as part of the office's Cure the Streets program, according to the suit.
CNN
6 minutes ago
- CNN
Hundreds of Americans have fled Iran and others face difficulties leaving as Trump weighs US military action
Hundreds of Americans have fled Iran as the conflict with Israel has escalated, an internal State Department report said. The detail in the Friday situation report underscores that US citizens in Iran are at risk as President Donald Trump weighs US military action. The exact number of Americans in Iran is not known, and the State Department does not require US citizens to register their presence abroad. Unlike in Israel, where the US is working to establish transportation options out of the country for the estimated hundreds of thousands of Americans there, no such options are available for US citizens in Iran. The US does not have a diplomatic presence there. 'We do not anticipate offering direct US government assisted departure from Iran,' State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce noted at a press briefing Friday. The situation report described some Americans facing difficulties leaving Iran. 'Security alerts also note Americans seeking to depart should be prepared to encounter checkpoints and questioning from authorities,' it states. 'Numerous US citizens have described delays and harassment along their exit route.' It also notes that two Americans were reportedly detained while attempting to depart the country. One source trying to get a US citizen family member out of Iran expressed frustration at the State Department earlier this week, saying the agency seemed to defer everything to seemingly overwhelmed US embassies. This person wanted to see the department apply more pressure to Iran's neighboring countries to approve Americans' entrance. They also suggested dispatching embassy officials closer to the Iranian border to help. More than 25,000 people have sought information from the State Department about the 'situation in Israel, the West Bank and Iran,' Bruce said Friday. Bruce said that the people were seeking 'general information,' and some of them might be inquiring about departure. The department has launched a 'crisis intake form' for Americans in Israel and Iran wanting to know how to get out of those countries as the conflict continues. 'Americans seeking departure should take advantage of existing means to leave,' Bruce noted at the press briefing. Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Thursday that the US is 'working to get military, commercial, charter flights & cruise ships' for evacuation from Israel. Trump on Thursday opened a two-week negotiating window before deciding whether to strike Iran, setting off an urgent effort to restart talks that had been deadlocked when Israel began its bombing campaign last week.
CBS News
11 minutes ago
- CBS News
Former Michigan President Santa Ono will not return to university faculty, officials say
Former University of Michigan President Santa Ono will not return to a faculty position after he pursued the presidential role at the University of Florida and was rejected. A U of M spokesperson confirmed on Friday that Ono resigned from employment. The university did not provide any further details. Ono confirmed to The Detroit News that he informed the university he was returning, but stopped short of sharing his future plans. Ono was named Michigan's 15th president in 2022. He announced in May 2025 that he was stepping down to go for the same role at the University of Florida. He received initial approval from the university's Board of Trustees, but was rejected by the Florida Board of Governors a week later. Before the Board of Governors' 10-6 vote, several prominent conservatives raised questions about Ono over pro-Palestinian protests, climate change efforts, gender ideology and DEI programs at the University of Michigan and his previous academic positions. One of those conservatives was U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, who said that he had "serious concerns" about Ono potentially becoming president. Scott urged the Board of Governors to question the encampment that occurred on U of M's Diag last year and Ono's response to reports of anitsemitism on campus. Before becoming Michigan's president, he served six years as president and vice-chancellor of the University of British Columbia and as president and provost of the University of Cincinnati. He was set to replace Kent Fuchs, who became the school's interim president last summer after ex-U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse stepped down. Sasse left the U.S. Senate, where he had represented Nebraska, to become the university's president in 2023. According to the University of Florida's website, Fuchs remains the university's interim president.
