Clanton Mayor Billy Joe Driver does not know what it means to work part time. Since taking the oath of office in 1984, he has been available 24 hours a day seven days a week.

In fact he has missed only three of more than 570 council meetings, due to illness, in the past 24 years. The office of the mayor of Clanton is officially a part-time position.

He takes his obligation to serve the people of Clanton seriously. Once when an insufficient number of sanitation workers reported to work, Mayor Driver stepped onto the back of a city sanitation truck and loaded garbage all day.

Mayor Driver sees many opportunities for Clanton in the coming months. The city has plans to double the size of the present water treatment plant, providing additional water for existing customers as well as sufficient water for new customers.

The opening of Jefferson State Community College’s Clanton Campus in the fall of 2008 is the beginning of new educational opportunities for people throughout the Chilton County area. The building of a civic center by the city and Jefferson State can afford many new opportunities for citizens as well as others in the state that will use the facility for meetings and conferences.

Driver, known to most people in Chilton County as simply Billy Joe, was elected to the Clanton City Council in 1972 and served 12 years before being elected to the city’s top administrative position in 1984. He was elected for his seventh term as mayor in 2008.

He has served as president of the Alabama League of Municipalities and has and does serve on several state and national municipal organizations.

Driver believes one of the most important duties of any mayor is to make sure city funds are used wisely and efficiently.

“The city’s money belongs to the people of Clanton,” he said, “I work hard to make sure every cent is spent in a way all our citizens benefit.”

As mayor, Driver serves as a member of the council and has the right to vote on matters coming before the city council.