Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks will serve as president of one of the state’s largest lobbying groups, the Alabama League of Municipalities, for the next year.

He was elected to the role at the League’s annual convention, held May 4–7 in Mobile. For the past year, Marks served as vice president.

Ken Smith, executive director of the league, said he looked forward to working with Marks. He noted the mayor has served on a number of League committees, including the executive committee and board of directors for the Alabama Municipal Insurance Corporation, a mutual insurance company created by the League in 1989 to provide Alabama’s cities with liability insurance.

“Mayor Marks was very active this past year as vice president and is an asset to our organization,” Smith said. “He will continue to serve us well as president.”

During his acceptance speech, Mayor Marks thanked his municipal colleagues for the honor to serve as president and emphasized that being a mayor or council member is the best job in politics because it’s the job closest to the people.

“It is where we meet, greet and impact the real lives of real people on a day-to-day basis,” he said.

He also explained the job of building cities and towns is never done, adding the process is not a marathon or sprint, but instead a relay race.

“As we take the baton from our predecessors, with their cumulative strengths and obstacles, we then run with all our might, hopefully building a stronger community for our citizens and our future knowing that, someday, we will pass the baton on to the next leader,” he said.

About Marks

Marks began his municipal service in 2004 as a council member and assumed the position of mayor in 2010 when former Mayor Dan Williams won a seat in the Alabama Legislature. He was elected to his first full term in 2012.

The mayor completed the league’s basic and advanced Certified Municipal Official programs and is currently working on his CMO Emeritus designation. The designation is awarded to officials who have acquired a minimum of 120 credit hours of continuing CMO education through a series of one-day programs designed for mayors and council members who voluntarily wish to receive formal training in municipal government.

About the League

Based in Montgomery, the Alabama League of Municipalities represents more than 450 member municipalities. Functions of the League include:

• Securing the enactment of legislation enabling all cities and towns to perform their functions more efficiently and effectively;

• Offering specialized training for both municipal officials and employees;

• Holding conferences and meetings at which views and experiences of officials may be exchanged; and

• Conducting continuing studies of the legislative, administrative and operational needs, problems and functions of Alabama’s municipal governments.