Calera elects new mayor for first time in 16 years

CALERA, Ala. (WIAT) — The city of Calera has a new mayor for the first time in 16 years. City Council Member Kenny Dale Cost won the mayoral election with 82.32% of the votes. Incumbent mayor Jon Graham received 17.68% of votes.

It was all smiles and cheers at the Calera Community Center Tuesday night as Cost found out he will be the next mayor. Cost has lived in the city for 68 years and was elected to city council in 2020. He says the votes speak for themselves and it’s clear the people of Calera are ready for a change.

“My wife and I started 9 months ago, door to door, working. I’m a firm believer if you work, it’ll pay off,” Cost said. “The atmosphere’s changed over the last 12 hours [Tuesday]. They came by and seen me at the polls, they seen me standing out in the sun, waving at them. They know I’m going to work for them and I’m going to make sure that I have transparency with them.”

Cost says since the city is now above the 12,000 threshold, the government is changing and he’s excited to be taking the helm and helping to move the city forward. One of the mayor-elect’s priorities is bringing new businesses to Calera, like restaurants and hotels, not only bringing in more revenue but adding jobs to the city.

“We have three exits here, most cities don’t have three exits, so my goal is to open up the third exit. I’m going to get the revenue in this town, work with this council. This council’s going to be nothing like you’ve seen before,” he said. “We’re going to work as a team. This city needs to stay and be a part of me and the city. This is not I, it’s we.”

Cost says while he’ll officially take office November 3, he’ll start working first thing in the morning.