Elberta Mayor, Jim Hamby, Decides to Retire Early
ELBERTA Ala.
While many folks around the country were throwing their hat into one political arena or the other, one local mayor had already stepped down in October making way for another person to take over leadership of Elberta.
Jim Hamby, who served as Elberta’s mayor since 2020, walked away from the position, while the Elberta Town Council “voted to make Steve Kirkpatrick mayor and Randy Kurts (mayor pro tempore).”
Hamby stated that he was fulfilling his promise to retire early from the extended term he and all other elected municipal officials were given.
Hamby made October 15th, his last official day as the town’s mayor.
Hamby’s decision to step down early follows a 2021 state law that extended municipal terms by one year. The change, which affected cities across Baldwin County, aimed to separate municipal and presidential election cycles, reducing voter confusion, easing poll worker fatigue and addressing equipment shortages. As a result, the next municipal elections will take place on Aug. 26, 2025.
Qualifying opens June 10, 2025, at 8 a.m. and closes June 24, 2025, at 5 p.m. Qualifying is done through the city clerk.
Any necessary runoffs will take place Sept. 23, 2025, and those elected will be sworn in Nov. 3, 2025.
Hamby, who was initially elected in 2020, expressed reluctance at the extended term when it was first announced.
“I didn’t sign on for that. Eight years is enough for George Washington. Eight years is enough for Jim Hamby,” he told Gulf Coast Media in 2022, noting he would follow Washington’s example by not overstaying his time in office. “I’m not comparing myself to George Washington. I’m just following his example.”
The town which is built along a busy stretch of US 98 has managed to remain a quiet, friendly and community oriented city, and a great place to live, though growth is beginning to move their way and like much of Baldwin County, the ruralness is fading into a more metropolitan area.
