Candidates running for Foley City Council seats in next Tuesday's municipal elections gathered last week for a moderated Q&A forum in front of an audience of about 75-80 people.

All 10 candidates participated in the session that lasted about an hour. They largely agreed on most topics, from what's going well in Foley to where improvements can be made to address growth in terms of traffic and infrastructure, in addition to statements of support for public safety personnel and public education. There were no negative statements made toward opposing candidates, a point Larry Engel, who is running for the District 4 seat against Philip Hinesley, said was "refreshing."

"There's no mudslinging, like what is going on in some surrounding areas," Engel said.

Candidates challenging incumbents, such as Derrick Perdue to District 5's Charlie Ebert III, said they see Foley going in the right direction in terms of managing growth, noting the temporary building moratorium in place and construction as evidence of addressing infrastructure needs, and campaigned to continue what has been started but with a new face.

Incumbents cited the city's positive financial rating and their current efforts to update the comprehensive plan as good signs, and challengers offered ideas on business and education partnerships.

WHO’S RUNNING?

Wayne Trawick is aiming to retain the District 1 seat on city council he has served since 1998. He has been self-employed in Foley for the last 50 years, owning and operating several businesses and being involved with multiple building and development projects, according to his bio on the City of Foley’s campaign website. He served as national director, state director, director and president of Baldwin County Home Builders from 1994-2000 and served on the Bancorp Board of Directors from 2007-2008.

Barry Hughes, the second candidate for District 2, is a bi-vocational pastor at Daybreak Church in Elberta and has served as a poll worker and member of the Baldwin County Board of Registrars as well as working with many elections and campaigns, according to his bio and the GCM Voters Guide.

Vera J. Quaites has served on Foley City Council in District 2 for 16 years. She has worked in health care, industry, real estate and public safety, including at Foley Nursing Home and South Baldwin Hospital and 10 years at Hughes Aircraft/Delphi where she rose from an assembly role to production supervisor and human resources supervisor. She currently works at Collins Aerospace, where she has served for eight years. She has completed 16 years of training through the Alabama League of Municipalities and holds a Certified Municipal Official certification.

Donald Barnett, who does not have a bio on the city website and could not be reached by GCM for its Voters Guide, is running for District 2.

Timothy “Tim” Lower, the third candidate for District 2, is a small business owner, real estate broker and entrepreneur with generational ties to Foley, he read from his bio during opening statements. He is heavily involved in two Chambers of Commerce and currently is the Alabama state broker for SimpliHOM as well as owner and manager for commercial properties. He founded Island Time Office Suites to help foster the growth of other local entrepreneurs.

Looking to succeed Councilman Rick Blackwell, who has served District 4 since 2008, are two candidates. Philip Hinesley has served as a Foley planning commissioner since 2006 and has been community development director for the city, natural resource planner for the State of Alabama and an outreach ecotourism specialist for environmental projects for Gulf Shores/Orange Beach Tourism and Auburn University, according to his bio and information provided in GCM’s Voters Guide.

Larry Engel is also on the planning commission, serving since 2021. He is a lifelong resident of the Foley area and has been actively involved in the community from youth sports coaching and PTA roles to service in civic clubs, according to his bio.

Councilman Charlie Ebert III seeks to retain the District 5 seat he has held since 2006. He has been president of multiple civic clubs in addition to serving more than 12 years with the Foley Volunteer Fire Department and co-chairing the Foley Kids Park Building Committee, according to his bio and GCM Voters Guide.

Derrick Perdue is also running for the District 5 seat. He worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 25 years, where he chaired the Combined Federal Campaign, according to his city campaign page bio. He supervised Coats for Kids and Intellectual Disabilities campaigns for the Knights of Columbus and helped build wheelchair ramps through Ecumenical Ministries, as well as working with Habitat for Humanity.

Q: What’s going well in Foley?

Quaites, Barnett, Hinesley and Perdue said they think Foley is managing its growth well, with Quaites and Engel mentioning the amenities offered in the area, such as food, medical and recreation opportunities, as a good quality of life.

Lower said the city has done well with partnering with the Chamber and growing amenities but that “infrastructure needs to keep up.”

Ebert and Hughes highlighted the financial strength of the city, noting a top 5% financial rating for the annual budget.

Q: Where do you see areas of improvement to be made in terms of growth, traffic and infrastructure?

Everyone agreed growth will continue to be inevitable, but the key is how to manage it.

Hinesley said “we need to plan better” and address drainage issues in District 4. Engel built on that sentiment, saying development runoff is affecting rivers and streams and that “we need to be more restrictive” with projects.

Hughes said he wants to see more law enforcement monitoring the “inner-city areas” and Beach Express.

Quaites said focusing on smart growth, encouraging businesses that create jobs and add to quality of life, will be a lesser strain on schools.

Barnett said there should be a bigger emphasis on addressing mental health and homelessness because that “comes with it [growth].”

Q: What about the lens of growth when it comes to crime?

Again, there were no ideological disagreements on this topic. Quaites highlighted the hiring of 10 additional police department positions, and Trawick mentioned the financial boost the city gets from issuing traffic tickets.

Barnett said he supports more training for law enforcement officers, and Lower said the city should partner with federal agents to avoid bringing in businesses “that are money laundering, underpaying people, making them work overtime with no pay.”

Q: And what about education?

Trawick and Quaites again agreed, highlighting the city’s $300,000 it provides to Foley’s schools for extracurricular activity requests submitted by teachers.

Hughes said because we “realized institutional teaching is not the only method that works” during the COVID-19 pandemic, the city should partner with other schooling opportunities, such as groups that homeschool, offer remote learning, churches and private schools.

Barnett said business leaders and CEOs should visit schools to talk with kids about opportunities after school.

Engel focused on school safety, and Perdue said he doesn’t believe in government regulation when it comes to anything, especially schools.

“I don’t know much about the woke system,” he said, promising to prevent any “woke agenda” out of curriculum.

Ebert, referring to his wife’s inside look at education needs as a secondary math teacher for the Virtual School, said it should be a priority for ESOL ((English for Speakers of Other Languages) students to learn English so they can pass their tests.

Municipal elections are Aug. 26. Foley votes by district, so you will only see the district in which you live on the ballot. To look at a district map and see your sample ballot, read the GCM Voters Guide at www.gulfcoastmedia.com/2025votersguide.