Woody Baird insists he has “an impeccable record to run on.” Maybe in his stump speeches, maybe on his Facebook page, or maybe just echoing inside his own head — because outside that bubble, his record looks less like a statesman’s ledger and more like a blooper reel.
The job of a mayor is to set a course, bring partners together and create opportunities for a community to thrive. In Alexander City Baird has done the opposite. He has taken bows for projects secured before he arrived, created obstacles for those who tried to invest, and left taxpayers footing the bill for his missteps. What he calls an “impeccable record” is, in reality, a collection of failures dressed up with spin.
Baird Math 101: Credit Where It Isn’t Due
According to Baird math, if a project happens while he’s mayor, it must be his doing. Publix? Chick-fil-A? Scooter’s Coffee? Wharf Seafood? All secured before he ever took office or finalized through the Chamber of Commerce and the city council. Far from being the man who “brought” Publix, Baird actively fought against the project until the council overrode him. That’s like trying to veto Friday night football in Alabama. Good luck with that.
The Bud Porch Center is another case study in Baird math. This historic downtown property was sold under his watch for just $100,000 to a brewery he claimed would transform the city. Property owners and citizens begged him to reconsider, or at least open the sale to bids, but he pushed it through anyway. The brewery quickly folded, the building is now back on the market for nearly $1 million, and the only thing that transformed was the buyer’s bottom line. When your “revitalization” plan is indistinguishable from a fire sale, it’s not leadership — it’s a giveaway.
The Mayor of Nowhere
If development is about planting seeds for the future, Baird seems more interested in scattering taxpayer money to the wind. His much-discussed “gas line to nowhere” is a perfect example. He directed the gas department to run costly infrastructure for a development he swore was coming to Lake Martin. Spoiler alert: it never came. The line sits there, a literal pipe dream paid for by residents. Call him the Mayor of Nowhere — he builds it even if they don’t come.
And let’s not forget the concrete plant debacle. Baird supported placing a heavy industrial operation in the middle of town, surrounded by homes and businesses. The planning commission had to intervene and redirect the project to a proper industrial zone. You don’t need a degree in urban planning to know smokestacks don’t belong next to neighborhoods. But Baird math apparently says neighborhood + concrete factory = progress.
Riding a Rising Tide and Pretending to Swim
On finances, Baird struts around claiming he erased a multimillion-dollar deficit. The truth is more complicated — and far less flattering. Sales taxes, lodging taxes and property values were already climbing before he ever took office. The fiscal turnaround was underway thanks to earlier policy decisions and the natural growth of Lake Martin’s housing market. He didn’t rescue the city; he inherited an upswing and declared himself the savior. It’s the political equivalent of hopping on a moving train and demanding credit for its speed.
The same holds true for employee raises and the new City Hall. In 2020, the prior administration approved raises across the board, including special adjustments for police and fire. The City Hall project was bought, funded and nearly complete before Baird even found the light switches in his new office. His real contribution? Abandoning the old City Hall with no redevelopment plan, leaving a gaping hole downtown where leadership should be.
Conduct Unbecoming (Even for Him)
Of all the marks against his “impeccable record,” perhaps none is more damning than his conduct. In 2025, his behavior became so disruptive that the entire city council — all five members — voted unanimously to censure him and physically remove him from the dais. Think about that. When your own council, including those who once stood with you, decides the only way forward is to throw you out of the room, you’re not leading. You’re obstructing.
Add to that the persistent questions about his residency. Records Baird himself provided to the local newspaper cast doubt on whether he even lives within city limits. For a man so eager to lecture others about responsibility, the idea that he may not meet the basic requirement of eligibility is more than ironic — it’s indefensible.
A Pattern of Damage, Not Progress
Woody Baird’s record is not just a series of bad decisions; it’s a pattern. A pattern of taking credit where none is due. A pattern of blocking projects until others forced progress. A pattern of wasting taxpayer money on dead-end deals and ghost developments. A pattern of divisive leadership that alienates partners and erodes trust.
He wants to be judged on his record, and we should take him at his word. Because the record that really exists — in council minutes, property records, audits, lawsuits and public votes — paints a very different picture than the one he sells from the stump.
The Verdict
An “impeccable record” would mean vision, stewardship and progress. What Alexander City got instead was stalled projects, wasted dollars, lost opportunities, and a mayor whose own council couldn’t trust him to sit in the room.
So yes, Woody Baird does have a record to run on, and he’s right about that — he’s just been running in the wrong direction.
