78 Photo Essay: April Herron, Mayor of Carbon Hill

Words by Terrell Manasco | Image by Blakeney Clouse

April Herron knows practically every street, alley, back road, hill and holler in Carbon Hill. Her dad, Dewayne Kennedy, once served on the city council and utilities board when April was a child and she would follow him all over town. 

Carbon Hill knows April, too. By the time she served on the industrial board and city council as a representative for District 3, she had evolved into a well-known local figure by working in the food industry as a teen. “I’ve been a waitress in this town since I was 14,” she says. “I’ve been pouring their coffee and bringing them biscuits since I was a child.”

April says she’s also known for her stiff upper lip and strong back, qualities that should prove helpful as mayor, an office she has held since July 2019. She recalls spending many hours in the mayor’s office as a girl, so the job itself carries with it a sentimental element as well. 

Being a small-town mayor may not seem demanding, but April says she is always working, making phone calls and replying to emails at all hours of the day. “I went Christmas shopping in Fultondale and I was still getting phone calls.”

Since taking office, April has been encouraged by the progress she sees. One I-22 project which was stalled is now moving forward. “We’ve got the I-22 light (installation) project on Exit 46,” she says. “We have the truck stop there already and are hoping to draw more business, maybe a hotel. That's been four years in the making. With the help of Senator Reed and Rep. Wadsworth we were able to pull it together. I’m excited to see it. It gives me hope.”

The mayor isn’t alone in her optimism. She says more people are now taking an interest in making the town of Carbon Hill nicer and neater. “A boutique just opened up. There is opportunity here,” April says. “We just have to get the right investors and start pulling from that interstate.”

Another reason for hope is Carbon Hill’s prime location—situated between Tupelo, Memphis, Birmingham, and Nashville—which offers opportunities for attracting more business. 

“We are more stable than we were,” April says. “We see light at the end of the tunnel.” 

Which calls for a celebration. Pour the coffee—and bring a round of biscuits, if you please. 78