By Jeff Devine
Monday was a historic day for the City of Ozark as Charles Ward was sworn in as mayor in an inauguration ceremony attended by a large crowd. The ceremony was held at Matthews-Scippio Academy Church of God by Faith, and Alabama Chief Justice Sarah Stewart administered the oath of office, something which Ward has called “a special honor.”
Ward has had a highly decorated career in law enforcement spanning decades and reaching the highest offices within Alabama law enforcement. Most recently, he came out of retirement to serve as Chief of Police and Director of the Department of Public Safety for Ozark.
Ward campaigned on a promise to do his best to improve the city he calls home, focusing on attracting new businesses and bringing more jobs to the area. In an earlier interview, Ward previously said, “My first act will be to work with city department heads and other experts to formulate a plan where we set goals for how to improve all aspects of the city and lay out where the city is going. We need to work on figuring out the best courses of action to improve the city we all care about and create the best direction and goals to accomplish that.”
“One major thing is we have to bring in more jobs of all kinds for the city. From entry-level jobs, industrial careers, and on up to the jobs for individuals in the highest of professions, we need to stimulate growth and ensure everyone has a good job in Ozark.”
The Dale County Chronicle reached out to attendees for their comments on the experience of attending the inauguration. Optimism for Ozark’s future was a common response from those we spoke to, with one resident, Jason, saying, “The recent ceremony was profoundly inspiring, and I left feeling deeply optimistic about both the new leadership and Ozark’s future. The room resonated with the collective joy and readiness of the attendees to see our city move forward.”
Hope for Ozark’s future and change were common themes expressed by those in attendance.
The members of the Ozark City Council were also sworn in on Monday. Newly-elected members Bryan Macario and Caitlyn Cummings will join reelected Councilman Winston Jackson as well as Les Perault and Brenda Simechak, who were unopposed, on the Ozark City Council with their first meeting scheduled for today, November 4, at 5:00 p.m.
Before his most recent role, Ward served as the Director of the Department of Public Safety with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency from 2016 to 2021. He also had a decades-long career as an Alabama State Trooper, rising through the ranks. He served in various capacities with the State Troopers from 1985-2016. Before beginning his career as a state trooper, Ward served Ozark as a firefighter, fire medic, and shift supervisor during the years 1981-1985. Ward also served as a traffic homicide investigator, a field training officer, a tactical operations team member, a team commander, a Special Operations team member, a squad leader, and a commander, and he also served in other roles throughout his nearly 45-year career.
Some of Ward’s accomplishments, awards, and commendations include: the 2005 Alabama Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, awarded by the Alabama Attorney General; Recognized by the Alabama Junior Chamber of Commerce as one of the Top 10 Alabamians; Awarded the Trooper of the Year award by the Dothan Optimist Club; Served as a member of the Alabama Peace Officers Standards & Training Commission; Member of Alabama United Advisory Board; and many other awards and honors.
When Ward is not busy with his official duties, he enjoys spending his downtime fishing and beekeeping.
