Photo by Jon Anderson
Vestavia Hills Mayor Ashley Curry talks with a resident outside the Vestavia Hills Civic Center polling place on municipal election day — Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025.
Mayor Ashley Curry has goals to continue propelling the city of Vestavia Hills to be one of the best places to live in Alabama.
“We are blessed with one of the greatest municipalities in the state,” Curry said on Wednesday after being re-elected to a third term on Tuesday. “We have one of the safest cities in Alabama thanks to our wonderful Police Department, which is critical for your citizens. People want to feel safe where they live.”
Curry defeated challenger Richard Cheatwood in the municipal election with roughly 4,662 votes (86.7%). Cheatwood received 717 votes (13.3%), according to the Vestavia Hills City Clerk’s Office.
“I am just overwhelmed with gratitude at the opportunity to serve Vestavia another four years,” he said after learning of his win. “I can’t say enough good things about this city. It is very easy to be the mayor here. We have a great school system, a great superintendent, a great police and fire department and great city management. I sometimes hear about issues other cities are having, and we just don’t have those issues. We truly have a wonderful city.”
Curry first moved to Vestavia Hills in 1986 and has called the city home for almost 40 years.
In 2016, he launched his campaign to become mayor, was elected in August and started his first term in November 2016. He ran successfully again in 2020.
“I think when I first decided to run several years ago, I didn’t really know what the outcome would look like, but I have been extremely blessed to be able to serve this wonderful city as mayor,” Curry said. “I consider it a blessing, and I am very thankful for all of the voters who showed up to the polls on Tuesday to cast their vote.”
Q: What do you think it was about your campaign that resonated with voters?
Curry: I believe the answer to that is not in what I necessarily did, but what we have done as leadership in the city over time. We have a wonderful council that has worked very hard together. We strategically plan every year, and our success is a result of careful planning. That planning that we do takes into consideration what the citizens want, even if we have to have town hall meetings, we want to hear from the residents of the city. We prioritize that, and we do what we can in a very fiscal way. We do not spend money that we don’t have, and we are very careful on what we plan. I think one example of this is the Vestavia Hills Civic Center. What a blessing that was. That was an old Gold’s Gym that happened to be next door to City Hall, and when that became available, we made a plan to utilize that space.
Q: What are some of your goals for your upcoming term?
Curry: A main goal is to continue the quality of life that we have here in Vestavia. Additionally, we need to provide enhanced fire service in Liberty Park. If you look at a geographical map, we are similar to a long island in that we extend from Highway 31 to the extremes of Liberty Park. It is very difficult for us to have one central fire station, so there is a definite need to have better fire protection there. Our police need a training facility up toward Sicard Hollow, which is a good place to have that. We have also heard from residents that they would really like a second library location. For those living in the northeast part of the city, we have heard that they have to travel to Mountain Brook or Hoover because it was too far to the main library in what we refer to as “Old Vestavia,” so that is a need we are working to address.
Q: You mentioned that you were excited about the Veterans Memorial. Can you speak more on that?
Curry: Our veterans memorial that will be at Altadena Valley Park is something I am very excited about. We anticipate that it will be completed within the next six months. The way it is designed is that our elementary age children can go there, and there is seating so they can learn about the history while at the park. The parking lot is big enough that a school bus can park there. It is located along the Cahaba River, which is just a quiet, serene space.
Q: Do you have any broader visions for your next term as mayor?
Curry: I don’t know if it can happen in the next term, but something I would love to see take shape is a new performing arts center. We formed an Arts Council, which is very active and designed to promote all of the arts in Vestavia. One thing that we think would help is having a centralized location for performances put on by the Arts Council. Something that we think may make the most sense is having a joint venture with the schools because, as it stands now, if there is a performance or something that requires a stage production, it is done at the theater at Vestavia Hills High School. That is something I can envision, and I would just say there is hopefully more to come on that.
Q: The city is celebrating turning 75 this year. What do you think has made the city successful up until this point, and where do you see it in the next 75 years?
Curry: When I moved to Vestavia, there were about 14,000 people that lived here. There was no Liberty Park, and there was no Cahaba Heights. It was in essence a “little village” or a small community of people. There was a vision for growth, and then over time the city acquired Liberty Park in 1992 and then Cahaba Heights in 2002. It wasn’t just growth for growth’s sake, but to benefit the city overall. I served on the park board in the ’90s, and there was no place to play soccer. We now have the Sicard Hollow Sports Complex that facilitated a need for people to be able to play the sports they wanted to play. Sometimes people think growth is a bad thing, but growth is good if you do it in a responsible manner and you don’t go outside of your means to accomplish it. I think Vestavia will continue to flourish in what I hope will be the next 75 years. I won’t be around to see it, but I expect that the quality of life that people have come to enjoy about Vestavia will only enhance. We have a great school system; we have wonderful local businesses that help boost a strong economy. Vestavia was a wonderful place before I came in, and I am thankful to help contribute to that in a small way.
Q: Do you foresee this will be your last term as mayor for the city?
Curry: I am in good health, and I enjoy what we are doing as a city, so I think if that continues, I hope to continue as well. I have told my wife if she ever sees me sitting around the house watching daytime television to stop me. I would like to continue the work for the city if I can, but if it is not for the city, I could foresee myself staying active in my church. I am very thankful that the citizens of Vestavia have such pride in our city. We are proud because the city offers us a good place to live, work and play. You can look no further than our city logo, which is “family, unity and prosperity.” We are all unified in what we want to do, and we promote family values, and the city prospers because of that. You couldn’t ask for anything better in my opinion.
