What Mountain Brook’s first elected female mayor has planned for the city

Graham Smith quickly made her mark in Mountain Brook; first as a Cherokee Bend Elementary School PTO member, then PTO president and before she knew it, she was asked to serve on the city council and is elected mayor.

We sat down with Mountain Brook’s soon-to-be first female mayor to learn a little more about her priorities for the city, and what this experience means to her.

Meet Graham Smith, Mountain Brook’s first elected female mayor

Smith was working for Senator Shelby in Washington, D.C. when her family moved to Mountain Brook in 2012. Her husband grew up here, but Smith wanted to get more involved in the community since it was all new to her.

She called longtime city council member Billy Pritchard and asked about the process of being put on the council.

“In my mind, I thought, ‘This will be easy, right?’

Billy didn’t laugh me off the phone, and he was very polite when he said, ‘Why don’t you just start volunteering in the community?’ So I threw myself into work at the school, different community organizations and started volunteering with the PTO.”

Since taking Pritchard’s advice, Smith has held many positions throughout multiple realms of Mountain Brook, such as serving on:

• Cherokee Bend Elementary School PTO as President
• Editorial Board
• Planning Commission
• City Council

Nearly three years into her role as a city council member, Smith has been confirmed as the Mayor of Mountain Brook—officially as of July 14.

“When I looked back at what I enjoyed the most about serving on the council and where I could provide the most value, it was the larger community engagement—and I would have that opportunity serving as mayor.”

Her campaign website reads: “I wasn’t born in Mountain Brook… I chose Mountain Brook.”

Graham wants to “keep the train running” in Mountain Brook

So, why does Graham want to invest so much of her time in Mountain Brook?

Easy. The people.

When she starts her term in early November, Graham has a few initiatives she and her council want to focus on:

• “Don’t mess it up”: Keep the train moving as well as it has, and try not to let things come off the rails.
• Dress up the villages: Support existing businesses, encourage visitors and tourists
• Development: Maintain + enhance physical structures, emphasize green space and thoughtful commercial development

“I truly am honored to be the first elected female mayor of Mountain Brook. It’s my greatest joy to watch residents be proud of the city. Anything I can do to enhance that is most meaningful for me.”

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