Brighton Elects Brandon Dean One Of Alabama’s Youngest Mayors

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2016/08/IMG_0881.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:1365;s:6:"height";i:981;s:4:"file";s:20:"2016/08/IMG_0881.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:12:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_0881-336x241.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:241;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:5:"large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_0881-771x554.jpg";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:554;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_0881-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:12:"medium_large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_0881-768x552.jpg";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:552;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:18:"IMG_0881-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_0881-600x338.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_0881-600x600.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_0881-433x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:433;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_0881-369x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:369;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:28:"ab-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_0881-600x400.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"ab-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_0881-600x600.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"IMG_0881-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_imagify_optimization_level] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:513432;s:14:"optimized_size";i:330876;s:7:"percent";d:35.560000000000002;}s:5:"sizes";a:10:{s:4:"full";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:48:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/08/IMG_0881.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:290135;s:14:"optimized_size";i:189962;s:7:"percent";d:34.530000000000001;}s:9:"thumbnail";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:56:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/08/IMG_0881-140x140.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:6944;s:14:"optimized_size";i:5123;s:7:"percent";d:26.219999999999999;}s:6:"medium";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:56:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/08/IMG_0881-336x241.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:20002;s:14:"optimized_size";i:14381;s:7:"percent";d:28.100000000000001;}s:5:"large";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:56:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/08/IMG_0881-771x554.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:80711;s:14:"optimized_size";i:47263;s:7:"percent";d:41.439999999999998;}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:56:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/08/IMG_0881-600x338.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:41232;s:14:"optimized_size";i:25069;s:7:"percent";d:39.200000000000003;}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:56:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/08/IMG_0881-300x300.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:21515;s:14:"optimized_size";i:15326;s:7:"percent";d:28.77;}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:56:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/08/IMG_0881-433x311.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:29696;s:14:"optimized_size";i:18764;s:7:"percent";d:36.810000000000002;}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:56:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/08/IMG_0881-369x265.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:23197;s:14:"optimized_size";i:14988;s:7:"percent";d:35.390000000000001;}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}}}
        )

    [_imagify_status] => Array
        (
            [0] => success
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => Special
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

)
1678707442 
1472123216

The City of Brighton has new mayor-elect. At 24, Brandon Dean is one of the youngest in Alabama and the nation. He won without a runoff in a race with five candidates.

Dean is one of four millennials elected Tuesday in the city of 3,000 people that has wrestled with paying its bill and keeping its police cars rolling. In addition to Dean, three of the city’s new council members are 31 or younger. Dean says they will work together to help make Brighton better.

“We’ve obviously faced some serious budgetary issues that will have to be worked out,” Dean says. The simple fix to that is now we have leadership that creates a profile for our city that we have never had.”

Dean plans to increase the marketing of Brighton so that it can attract more industry, retail, and jobs.

A graduate of the prestigious Howard University in Washington, D.C., Dean says he had opportunities other than returning to Brighton but chose to come back.

“No matter where I was in life or what I saw or experienced, whenever life got difficult, whenever things were hard, whenever I got knocked down and needed a way to get back up, it always somehow involved me returning to this place that I call home,” he says.

Dean says he plans to start next week working with a transition team.

However, there still may be other unresolved issues in the Brighton election.

A complaint has been filed over absentee voting in Brighton. The Alabama secretary of state’s office confirmed the complaint to AL.com but did not release any details.

Last week, a Jefferson County district attorney said he was investigating potential voter fraud in Brighton over absentee ballots. He says 80 absentee ballot applications listed the same address, which was a candidate’s home.

 

4 confirmed dead after U.S. military aircraft goes down in Iraq

The U.S. Central Command confirmed that at least four of six crew members on the KC-135 aircraft were dead, after the refueling plane went down in western Iraq on Thursday.

It’s Chalamet vs. ballet in this week’s news quiz. Are your answers en pointe?

Meanwhile, if you've been paying attention to medicine, basketball and the British Parliament, you'll get at least three questions right this week.

Bucking stigma, more places turn to factory-built for affordable housing

Mobile homes have long been zoned out of cities and suburbs. But with updated designs and a housing shortage, they're increasingly being welcomed as more-affordable starter homes.

Trump wants more apprenticeships. An Arkansas manufacturer is giving it a try

President Trump has touted apprenticeships as part of his promise of a golden era for American workers. But are his administration's investments enough?

Democrats set a turnout record in Texas, so is this the year it turns blue?

Latinos helped Texas Democrats set the new record for a primary, but the state has been a white whale for the party for decades.

At the Winter Paralympics, some athletes have found business opportunities

At the Winter Paralympics, athletes with prosthetics often modify them to fit their bodies more precisely. That has led to some competitors starting their own businesses to help fellow amputees.

More Front Page Coverage