By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Rick Hayes, president of the Ingenuity consulting firm in Pelham, recently announced he is running for Place 1 on the Pelham City Council during the upcoming municipal elections.

Hayes, a Pelham High School graduate and the son of former Pelham mayor Bobby Hayes, said he decided to run for a spot on the council after growing up in and being involved with the city.

“It’s a critical time for us. We’ve got to act now to keep the city going where we want it to go,” Hayes said. “The City Council needs to be focused on growing pride in our city. We’ve got to work together to take that next step.”

Hayes said he would like to see Pelham officials become “deeply involved” with the schools in the city in an attempt to make Pelham more attractive to young families.

“When you look at what brings young families to town, the main things are the schools,” Hayes said.

Hayes also said he would like to work to improve the city’s economy “on all fronts.”

“We’ve got to address retail development, but we’ve also got to address economic development on all fronts,” he said, noting he would like to help improve the city’s roads to attract business development.

Hayes said he and current Pelham Councilman Ron Scott, who is re-running for Place 2 on the council, share similar thoughts on the Pelham Civic Complex and other city-owned facilities.

“I don’t see those facilities as a drain, I see them as phenomenal assets,” Hayes said. “We’ve got to have a professional manager to run that (Civic Complex) facility.”

If elected, Hayes said he would like to support the city employees and ensure they “are the best” in the area.

“Employees used to fight to work in Pelham. I want to make it like that again. We want the best employees to work for us,” he said.

Pelham’s municipal election will be held Tuesday, Aug. 28 from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. at the Pelham Civic Complex.

“I believe that our best days are still ahead of us. We just have to come together and

take advantage of all our assets and strengths in order to maximize our potential,” Hayes said.