Demopolis councilman Thomas Moore has been elected by his colleagues to serve as President of the Alabama League of Municipalities.

“Thomas has served on the League’s Executive Committee and has been actively involved with the League for many years,” said League Executive Director Ken Smith. “As League Vice President, he attended numerous League meetings and training sessions as well as workshops hosted by the National League of Cities. He has a great deal of municipal knowledge and his leadership skills will serve us well as League President.”

Moore becomes only second League president from Alabama’s rural Black Belt and the first from Demopolis and Marengo County.

“It’s quite an honor,” he said of the appointment. “But I have to thank the council and staff that has allowed me to be active in the League on a state and national level and to give Demopolis a great opportunity to shine. They saw enough in me to grant me this opportunity to serve.”

Moore also serves on the Board of Directors for the Municipal Workers Compensation Fund, Inc., a program developed by the League to provide worker’s compensation insurance, loss control and risk management services to Alabama’s municipalities and municipal entities such as utility boards and industrial development boards.

In addition to his committee involvement Moore has attended many League workshops and training sessions and has completed the League’s Basic and Advanced Certified Municipal Official programs.

Through these programs, Moore received formal instruction on council meeting procedures, parliamentary procedure, Open Meetings Law, public records, ordinance drafting, conflicts of interest, State Ethic Law, duties of the mayor and council, tort liability, competitive bid law, zoning and planning, annexation, municipal regulatory powers, municipal revenues and expenditures, personnel actions and leadership development.

High on Moore’s goals for his one-year term is to grow the League’s membership by reaching out to the smaller communities and explaining the resources and value in becoming members.

“Some of the smaller municipalities aren’t members of the League,” he said. “What they don’t understand is there’s a lot of resources available to members…legal assistance is available, legal help with developing and writing ordinances…in liability and workers comp insurance…”