On Thursday, Nov. 24, the University of North Alabama’s Student Government Association invited Florence Mayor Andy Betterton for a meeting with their representatives. It featured a workshop on legislative leadership and an opportunity to meet Mayor Betterton.
Betterton introduced himself and led with his story at UNA and all of the opportunities the university provided. He enrolled at UNA in 1971 with his dad’s support, who encouraged Betterton to be a part of the UNA Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program because of his family’s military past.
Even with the opportunity to join the ROTC, Betterton found himself majoring in accounting and music education at UNA with a specialization in voice. After obtaining his bachelor’s, he pursued a Master’s of Arts in education.
After his time at UNA, Betterton was elected to the school board of District Six, participating in the historic consolidation of Bradshaw High and Coffee High Schools in 2004.
Betterton was elected to the Florence City Council in 2008. He served District Six for 12 years until he campaigned for Mayor in 2020, narrowly winning against Steve Holt by just 10 votes.
Since his mayoral election, Betterton has been in many meetings concerning city affairs, he told and wanted to share the dynamism of how these organizational discussions can be structured, and the potential changes coming to Florence; including the new Bank Independent Stadium and Pine Street potentially changing to a three-lane road.
While it’s obvious that these meetings’ structures heavily depend on those operating them, Mayor Betterton informs our SGA council that these meetings can be as serious or as silly as the people there want them to be. It can consist of debating various economic issues for an hour and then shifting into college football games in the next.
In other cases, people require attendees to register to speak before the meeting, and may only give them five minutes to introduce their topic before opening the floor for discussion.
After touching on the versatility of these meetings, Mayor Betterton wanted to allow the students to ask him questions regarding his time in legislative leadership, as well as another chance to get to know him.
In the case of student leadership, Mayor Betterton told UNA’s student government to get involved around campus and in the community. It is a long and grueling process to change the culture of a city like Florence, so being a positive influence on future generations while remaining versatile in your community is one of the most impactful steps you can take in an age where social media can cause such divisiveness.
Betterton also touched on the importance of getting involved on campus, encouraging students to network with as many professors and organizational leaders as possible to find mentors and guides that can help them for life.
He was also asked about advice for future politicians and how an elected position can enable underhanded behavior, to which Betterton responded with a call to action to be sincere. Being open and representative of the community first and foremost makes a strong leader, but if you aren’t representative of the community, don’t change yourself to gain votes.
While touching on sincerity, Betterton also discussed how an elected position can change politicians for the worse. While it can lead to cynicism, the goal of an elected person is to construct their best self and the best way to ensure that is to have positive support that still holds you accountable while remaining involved in your community.
Lastly, Betterton was asked about what UNA students can do to support the Florence area. He responded, encouraging students to mentor the next generation of students and lead by example. Simply keeping the city of Florence clean is a great first step to fostering a safer environment for younger generations as well as potential tourists visiting the area.
After the career advice, students asked Betterton what his favorite college football team was, to which he responded, “Roar Lions, but I support the ‘Tide, but Roar Lions still.”
Students also asked Betterton about his music education degree and his theater experience, to which Betterton recalled his time playing Daddy Warbucks from Annie, and several other plays with the Zodiac Theater Troupe and Shoals Theater.
