The small town in Monroe County that served as the basis for the seminal American novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” elected its first black mayor in August.
Monroeville, which was fictionalized as Maycomb in Harper Lee’s classic book, voted to elect Charles Andrews, an African-American man who grew up in the small rural town he is now set to lead.
Andrews, 65, knocked off incumbent Mayor Sandy Smith and will take office on November 2.
“I am honored and humbled by your confidence and trust in me to represent you,” he remarked in a video posted to his campaign Facebook page.
Andrews recounted to Alabama Media Group that he watched the famous movie version of “To Kill a Mockingbird” in a segregated theater that was located in the heart of the town that he, decades later, would be elected to lead.
The city of Monroeville is currently estimated to have less than 6,000 residents and continues to struggle with population loss resulting from a lack of job opportunities in the area.
Tourism remains a financial lifeline for the city, which the state legislature has deemed the “literary capital of Alabama,” though even tourism has slowed during the coronavirus pandemic.
Monroeville’s next mayor has a long history in law enforcement. He rose through the ranks of the Alabama State Troopers and in the 1990s became the first black trooper to attain the rank of major. President Barack Obama appointed him to be the U.S. Marshall in Mobile.
“Together with you, we can make Monroeville the hub of southwest Alabama once again,” Andrews concluded in his victory message.
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95
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