Who Is the Mayor of Huntsville, Alabama: Role, Term, and Elections

The mayor of Huntsville, Alabama is Tommy Battle. He has held the office since 2008 and won a fifth consecutive term in 2024, which makes him one of the longest-serving mayors in the city’s modern history.¹ He is the 67th person to serve in the role.²

Who Tommy Battle Is

Battle was born in Birmingham in 1955 and moved to Huntsville in 1980 after earning a business degree from the University of Alabama.¹ He spent close to three decades working in real estate and small business before entering elected politics, and that private-sector background has shaped the growth-oriented approach he has carried through five terms.

What the Mayor Does

Huntsville’s mayor holds all executive power in city government. Under Alabama law, the mayor enforces local ordinances, oversees every municipal department, and is directly responsible for day-to-day administration.³ The mayor does not sit with the City Council or vote on its proceedings, but can veto ordinances the council passes.

Hiring authority comes with the job. The mayor appoints and removes the department heads who run public safety, infrastructure, and other city services, and also appoints members of certain municipal boards. Not every board falls under that power. Huntsville Utilities board members, for instance, are appointed by the City Council instead.⁴

The mayor also prepares and submits the city’s annual budget. For the 2026 fiscal year, Battle proposed an operating budget of about $343.7 million, which the City Council approved.⁵ Once the council adopts a budget, carrying it out through the year falls back to the mayor.

How the Mayor Fits with the City Council

Huntsville runs on a mayor-council form of government defined by Alabama state law.⁶ The mayor runs the executive branch. The five-member City Council, with each member representing a geographic district, acts as the legislative branch. The council passes local laws and approves the budget; the mayor implements them.

Political scientists call this a “strong mayor” system, because the mayor holds independent executive authority instead of serving at the council’s pleasure. The veto power over council ordinances is part of that independence.³

Term Length and the Next Election

Mayoral terms in Huntsville last four years, and Alabama law sets no term limits on the office.⁷ That is how Battle has been able to serve five consecutive terms. In 2024 he was the only qualifying candidate, and the City Council declared him the winner under state law without a contested election.⁸ The next mayoral election is expected in 2028. Huntsville’s municipal elections generally fall on the fourth Tuesday in August of the election year.

Running for Mayor

The eligibility rules are short. A candidate must be at least 18 years old, a registered voter, and a resident of the city for at least 90 days before the election.⁷⁹ Candidates should also expect a filing fee, which in recent Alabama municipal cycles has typically run around $1,000.

Reaching the Mayor’s Office

The office is on the seventh floor of Huntsville City Hall at 305 Fountain Circle, Huntsville, Alabama 35801. The phone number is 256-427-5000, and staff are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.² Residents can also submit service requests online through the Huntsville Connect portal at huntsvilleal.gov.¹⁰

1
City of Huntsville. About Mayor Battle
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City of Huntsville. Mayor’s Office
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Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code Title 11 Section 11-44D-4
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Huntsville Utilities. Governance
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City of Huntsville. Huntsville City Council Approves 343 Million Operating Budget for 2026 Fiscal Year
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City of Huntsville. City Council – About Us
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Alabama Secretary of State. Minimum Qualifications for Public Office
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City of Huntsville. Tommy Battle Declared Mayoral Winner for a 5th Term
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City of Huntsville. How To Run In A Local Election
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City of Huntsville. City of Huntsville