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Shawn Lassiter on March 3 announced his intention to run for mayor of the city of Atmore.

At present, Lassiter holds the District 4 city council seat, and is mayor pro tem.

Lassiter said he knows it’s a bit early, but he wanted to get the announcement out for people to know.

Lassiter said he’s running for mayor because he loves Atmore.

“I love the people here in Atmore,” Lassiter said. “I’ve been here all my life. I was born and raised here. As a councilman right now, I’m a voice of many. I’m limited to what I can do to develop anything. I think, as mayor, this would give me the opportunity to step out, and to make things better for the community.”

Lassiter said if elected, his biggest concern for Atmore will be safety, adding that the city has several cameras, one of which helped solve a recent homicide.

“As mayor, I would like to work with the council, and try to get grants to make this happen,” he said. “That’s a big goal of mine. If we’re not safe here, who wants to live here? I realize this happens in other communities, but we have to try to do something there.”

Lassiter said another item he’d like to address is concerning infrastructure, namely ditches and roads.

“We’ve gone quite some time without paving some roads,” Lassiter said. “I think the mayor (Jim Staff) and the council have done a good job when we’ve gotten the roads paved. I want to get on a five-year program where we’ll eventually have all of the roads paved. A lot of cities do this, whether it’s through gas taxes or however we get the money. We just need to get on some kind of schedule to make it happen.”

Lassiter said another focus if elected mayor will be to join local organizations to bring industry and jobs to Atmore.

“Do I have a plan for that? I’m working toward one now,” he said. “I’ve been talking to people who may can help me.”

Another change he’ll bring centers on the city council meetings.

“They’re going to change,” Lassiter said. “They’re going to be structured a little different. Maybe before my time they were structured. What I’d like to see are the department heads. I want everybody involved. I want updates, and discussions on what we’re doing. What I love more than anything is transparency. We’re going to do that.”

Lassiter added that he’ll be implementing the new structured city council meeting format after June 1, when he becomes interim mayor. The city council will have to appoint somebody to fill his seat.

Lassiter is married to Hope, and they have two children, Natalie and Sydnie; and one grandchild, Roman.