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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.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Voters talk outside the Vestavia Hills Civic Center polling place on municipal election day — Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Michael Vercher, a candidate for Vestavia Hills City Council Place 3, talks with a voter outside the polling site at Vestavia Hills Methodist Church on municipal election day — Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025.
Vestavia Hills Mayor Ashley Curry has been re-elected to a third term, defeating challenger Richard Cheatwood in Tuesday’s municipal election.
Unofficial results show Curry received 4,662 votes (86.7%), while 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,” Curry said. “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. I often don’t say much because I don’t want to come across as a bragger, but we truly have a wonderful city.”
Curry said he was pleased by Tuesday’s voter turnout.
“It almost rivals what we did in 2016,” he said. “The voter turnout was very good today, and I am delighted to be able to represent the city for the next four years.”
Curry has served as mayor since 2016. He said he initially did not expect to stay in office long-term.
“I had retired from other jobs, one of which was being in the FBI for 25 years, and I was encouraged to run for mayor,” he said. “At the time, I told people they didn’t want me running for mayor because I am not a politician. But, I can confidently say I have enjoyed my time as mayor and serving this wonderful city.”
Looking ahead, Curry said he is especially focused on the creation of a permanent veterans memorial at Altadena Valley Park.
“Right now, we are one of the only cities who does not have a veterans memorial, and I am really looking forward to seeing that completed,” he said.
Council Place 3 heads to runoff
In the race for City Council Place 3, Michael Vercher and Brian Demarco are headed to a runoff after unofficial results showed neither candidate received a majority.
Vercher led the three-way race with 2,098 votes (39.35%), followed by Demarco with 1,731 votes (32.47%). Jacob Pugh finished with 1,502 votes (28.17%).
The runoff is scheduled for Sept. 23.
“I have never been more proud of my city than tonight,” Demarco said. “Seeing how many people showed up compared to state and even national elections is just a fantastic turnout. I am really proud of everyone who showed up today to vote.”
While he had hoped for a clearer result, Demarco said his campaign will stay the course.
“I have never been in a runoff before, but I am not planning on changing my campaign moving forward,” he said. “I am proud of the way I ran things up until this point, and I plan to continue with much of the same going into the runoff.”
Demarco’s platform includes a focus on infrastructure, stormwater runoff, school board appointments and sidewalk improvements.
Vercher also expressed gratitude to voters and said he’s excited to continue the campaign.
“I am really looking forward to getting into the details of the runoff,” he said. “I have never been involved in an election, but I plan to keep my campaign the same moving forward.”
He said he looks forward to working with the current council and mayor to keep Vestavia moving forward.
“I am pleased I was able to get enough support to have a runoff, and I look forward to hopefully being put in a position after the runoff to serve the city,” Vercher said.
Pugh, who placed third, said he’s proud of the effort he put in and the tone of the race overall.
“I am proud of the way we all ran in the campaign,” Pugh said. “I enjoyed getting to know those guys and meeting them. I think both Brian and Mike are quality individuals, and the city will be in great hands regardless.”
Pugh noted that he knocked on roughly 2,000 doors during the campaign and had no regrets.
“Obviously it wasn’t the outcome I was hoping for, but I look forward to seeing how voters support the runoff and the candidate they choose,” he said.
Cook wins Place 2; Weaver and Pilcher certified
In Council Place No. 2, incumbent Kimberly Cook was re-elected with 3,496 votes (65.15%), defeating Karl Julian, who received 1,870 votes (34.85%).
Julian said that while the results were not what he hoped for, he was proud of his campaign.
“I knew it was a longshot, but it was something I felt like I needed to do when I decided to run, and I am really glad that I did,” Julian said. “We had a great voter turnout, and it was really encouraging that roughly 35 percent of the voters supported me.”
Efforts to reach Cook for comment on election night were unsuccessful. (See comments from Cook in this follow-up story.)
In Places 1 and 4, Rusty Weaver and Ali Pilcher were unopposed and have been certified to the council.
