Newly installed Homewood City Manager Glen Adams, 57, said his hope is to help Homewood continue to grow and develop for decades to come.

Adams started the job in early March, with his contract running through the end of October.

As the new city manager, Adams’ job is to oversee the day-to-day operations of the city government, implement policies and manage city staff, all under the direction of the city council. Adams will help facilitate methods of achieving the goals the council creates.

“We have different communities that are all eclectically different, but they all say very adamantly that they’re a part of Homewood,” Adams told AL.com “So we need to be able to allow them to achieve their goals in coalition with all of ours, and it’s really a synchronization of all of those goals as we’re moving forward.”

Over his 26 years of active and reserve service in the U.S. Army engineer regiment, Adams gained experience in managing large-scale construction projects, overseeing public works and coordinating government operations.

Adams said his journey toward city management began in Savannah, Georgia in 1994 when he witnessed local leaders restore their community after a major storm. He said this inspired him to pursue public service, focusing on rebuilding, infrastructure and community development.

He later worked as the interim town manager of Purcellville, Virginia and the city manager of Santa Fe, Texas where he helped to mitigate flooding in the coastal region.

Now, Adams lives in Pell City and works alongside city of Homewood leaders. He is now responsible for working with city personnel, supervising every city department and enforcing the city’s ordinances.

While authority is still vested in the mayor of Homewood, Adams will be working directly with the city council to get things done.

“I’ve been given the free reign to really start developing the staff to raise up to the level of running things,” Adams said. “It’s giving the staff the permissions to step up to that role, to think independently and make things happen, whereas before they had to validate that with the council on a regular basis.”

Come November, the city council will be reduced from 11 members to four, each designated to represent one of four wards and to increase efficiency within the city government. The new city council will decide whether to extend Adams’ tenure in November.

“It’s a significant change in the structure, and it makes it easier for city staff to do the things the council wants, because there’s fewer ideas and it’s more cohesive,” Adams said.

“They’ve been receptive to my ideas of coming up with a comprehensive plan that we put into the budget so the new council that is elected can actually work with the citizens, the mayor, myself and each ward representative to see where we’ll be in 25 to 30 years.”

Adams said he will be working to bring all of Homewood’s communities from all four wards, such as Edgewood, University Park and Hollywood, together to move the city forward cohesively. He said he is currently working on making communication within the city government more efficient and cohesive.

Some concerns Adams said he wants to address with the city are walkability, parking and transit issues. He also said he wants to ensure Homewood communities remain engaged and inclusive.

Adams said he hopes his interim position becomes permanent.

“I’m super excited. I feel like I’ve been moving towards this position my entire life, and I’m hopefully going to continue in it. It’s just a great opportunity and I’ve loved every moment so far,” Adams said.