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August 2, 2012

Rodell Knight seeking Hanceville mayor seat

By Benjamin Bullard The Cullman Times

Lifelong Hanceville resident Rodell Knight has announced he will run for mayor in the August 28 municipal election.

Knight, 47, served as a deputy and narcotics investigator with the Cullman County sheriff’s office over a 10-year career. He also worked five years with the Cullman County  water department, and served a term on the Hanceville city council in the 1990s. Currently, he operates a local home-based contracting business.

If elected, Knight said he intends to seek out and eradicate any sloth, financial malfeasance, or abusive practices perpetrated by employees, police, and other elected officials. Above all, he pledged to change the culture at city hall.

“The biggest thing for me is that I want the attitudes of the employees to change, especially the police department,” said Knight. “I want the employees to want to get up in the morning and want to come to work every day, knowing they don’t have a boss acting like a dictator standing over them, afraid they’re going to lose their job.”

Knight and fellow first-time mayoral candidate Jeff Hancock will each attempt to unseat incumbent Kenneth Nail in the three-way mayor’s race.

Knight said his best shot at winning office is to keep his message positive, and to promise his support now for the candidate who earns residents’ trust on election day — even if it’s someone else.

“I’m not saying anything negative about Kenneth,”  Knight said. “He was elected by the majority of the people, and they got what they voted for. I’m not running on negative ads; I’m running because I want to be mayor. Whoever wins, I will get behind them. I’m running to serve — not to be served.”

“But,” he added, “I do feel there are things going on with our city officials; things going on with our water department; things going on with our street department; our police department, that just aren’t right. All may be well, and maybe what I feel is just a ‘feeling.‘ But I promise the citizens of Hanceville that I’ll find out if there is anything going  on that ‘just isn’t right.’ The books, ordinances, laws, budgets and bills will all become an open book for every citizen. I promise that anything hidden; any question, will be exposed and answered.”

Knight has one daughter, Macey, and a son, Johnathon. He pledged to seek new avenues to involve young people in Hanceville’s civic life.

“We need to have our young people participate in our city, and especially to teach them work ethics,” Knight said. “I’ll look for ways to include young people at every turn.”



* Benjamin Bullard can be reached by e-mail at bbullard@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131 ext. 270.

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