Mayor-elect Williams ready to begin turning goals into realities for his hometown Phil Campbell

As he campaigned for the Phil Campbell Mayor position, Greg Williams didn’t make a lot of promises, with one exception.

In an interview with the Franklin Free Press two weeks before the August 26, 2025, election, William’s only promise was he would continue to run a positive campaign—no ‘getting in the mud’ as he put it. 

When Williams and incumbent Mayor Eddie Marbutt both addressed voters in the Phil Campbell Candidate Forum the final week before the election, both men stayed positive. 

Marbutt spoke about several accomplishments of the current administration, and when it was Williams’ turn, he acknowledged Marbutt in the instances Williams believed town benefited from the accomplishment. And when he differed from what was done, or how long it took the town’s elected leadership to act on certain issues, he expressed his opinion without hesitation.

Williams demonstrated remarkable transparency while campaigning, something not often seen in today’s politics. And some would label it a risky strategy. 

Williams has spent a lifetime speaking his mind about what he believes is important, and he wasn’t about to stray from that in a political campaign, win or lose.

The result of Williams’ campaign strategy was an Election Day victory by a margin of 17 votes, 97-82. A light turnout, indeed, but a win nonetheless.

“I’m glad they got some work done, especially toward the building downtown that’s been a long time problem for the town. But I just would have gone at it a different way,” Williams said. “They may not know the liability they’re exposing the town to by taking ownership of that building, or the insurance costs were going to have to pay and they don’t even know what it will take if they can be repaired.”

That issue, what should be done with the 10-partition building located in the heart of downtown Phil Campbell, became a central issue in the campaign. 

When Marbutt announced plans for the town to take title to the property in an agreement with owner Al Cartee where a group of businessmen in Phil Campbell would pay $30,000 and the town $10,000 to Cartee, some saw it as a welcome step toward some resolution on what has become a running eyesore. Others were skeptical. And when the deed transfer didn’t move forward as scheduled the following week, once again the issue remained in limbo, at least temporarily. 

“The main thing to concentrate on (once he takes office in November) is that building if (Cartee) signs the deed. We need to get some grants and we need a professional to come in and tell us how much it’s going to cost,” Williams said.

“The job’s not done just because the town takes ownership of the building. It’s only the beginning. We’ve got to talk with state officials about not taking that right of way away from us. I plan to speak with (U.S. Rep.) Congressman Aderholt to try and get some assistance,” Williams added. “Right now, if we tore the building down, the state would take the right of way on the west side. Some folks have said if we keep the sidewalk the state wouldn’t take it from us, but I want to get it in writing before we do anything.”

As he prepares to take office, Williams shared his priorities for his hometown, including annexing the Phil Campbell Industrial Park into the city, another problematic issue that’s lingered since town officials first purchased the land in Spruce Pine where the industrial park is located.

“That’s a priority for sure, as well as doing something with the Bates crossing. That’s one of my pet peeves and I’ve wanted something done about it for years,” Williams said.

Williams also mentioned getting a campground for the town, something that’s been a financial shot in the arm for the Town of Bear Creek for years.

“We’ve got that lake down there and we’re just wasting a good opportunity. We have to work with BCDA and annex part of the land along the lake,” Williams said. “Bear Creek gets the fees and we could do that and there’s no telling what kind of money we could bring in. All those campers would also go to stores in town to buy gas, groceries and supplies. And that would just keep the investment rolling.”

As a long-time member of the carpenter’s local union, Williams has a career of experience building homes, roofing houses, and he served as a foreman on most of the jobs he worked. He served the past 15 years as Director of Training for Mid South Carpenter, where he was over the training for millwright and carpenter apprentices in three states. 

Williams believes that experience and knowledge will aid him and the Phil Campbell Town Council when dealing with building issues.

Another issue he plans to tackle, realizing it won’t be easy, is to build back a swimming pool for the town. After the 2011 tornado, town leaders decided to build a splash pad over rebuilding the pool.

“Most people I talked to during the campaign wanted the swimming pool built back. That’s going to be another issue to tackle,” Williams said.

Williams outlined his goals and plans for Phil Campbell if he became mayor on a Facebook post prior to the election. 

“I outlined everything I wanted to do in that Facebook post and laid out what my plans are,” Williams said.

And immediately after winning the election, Williams stressed his support for the Phil Campbell Police Department, answering campaign claims he intended to defund the department if elected. That rumor gained legs when Williams’ son was arrested on a drug offense.

“I have no idea why people said that. I’ve got no issue with our police department. Yes, my son got busted for drugs but I can’t  help what a grown man does and he’s a grown man. Yes, I bailed him out but I have no idea where that turned into claims I’d defund the police department,” Williams said. 

“It ain’t gonna happen. We need our police department. People pay taxes and our businesses pay taxes and they’ve got to have protection. When we didn’t have a full police department, that gas station on the south side of town got robbed. I told the mayor then you better get some more policemen up here. People paying taxes expect that protection,” he added.

While Williams campaigned with full transparency of his goals, concerns and plans for Phil Campbell, he realizes there are five other elected officials who have an important voice in the town’s leadership.

“I don’t want a council up there just saying yes or no. I want them working on whatever they are put over. But if they don’t tell me before our meetings so I can put those issues on the agenda, it’s not going on there. I want our agenda set three days before our meeting. If there’s something I’m wanting to do, I’m going to put it out there and not hide it. The people of this town didn’t elect me to hide things,” Williams added.