Dr. Rod MacPherson’s GOALS
If elected,
(1) I will immediately urge the Montevallo Water Board (MWB) to request that their commercial suppliers of drinking water begin removing the toxic (poisonous) and carcinogenic (cause cancer) chemicals from their water. If that is not practical, I will request that the MWB take steps to purchase a Reverse Osmosis system, including activated charcoal filters and UV technology, to reduce the dangerous ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Montevallo’s drinking water.
(2) Reduce crime by strengthening the Police Department,
(3) Invite the University of Montevallo to share its vast academic resources with the city schools to help academically improve them,
(4) Restore “honesty” and “openness” at City Hall,
(5) Stop wasting the taxpayers’ money on ill-conceived projects (a hotel),
(6) Reject defective building plans that cause flooding (Indian Highlands and Arden),
(7) Investigate the mismanagement of Ms. Mahler’s donated money, home, and land,
(8) Investigate if Mayor Nix had legal authority to demolish the Historic Victory Building,
(9) Enforce local and state laws to rid the city of illegal “Boarding Houses,” and
(10) Begin investing the taxpayers’ money in long-neglected infrastructure projects needed throughout the city and reduce the overspending on “Main Street” projects.
This website contains information concerning Montevallo’s dangerous drinking water.
Mayor Nix has long ignored Montevallo’s dangerous drinking water.
Mayor Russell “Rusty” Nix swore to an Oath of Office to be HONEST, and with that oath, the mayor has the moral and legal responsibility to protect the personal health, safety, and well-being of the residents of Montevallo and the public at large.
Since the 1980s, nationwide publicity has focused on the dangerous chemicals found in drinking water. Over the four-and-1/2 years Mr. Nix has been Montevallo’s Mayor, he has not taken any steps to remove the toxic (poisonous) and carcinogenic (cause cancer) called Forever Chemicals from Montevallo’s drinking water. Equally important, Mayor Nix has not even informed the residents of these dangerous chemicals in our drinking water. Furthermore, there are laws that compel mayors to be honest with the public. The Right to Know Laws, Public Notice Laws, Freedom of Information Laws, and certain Alabama Laws all have a bearing on the mayor’s duty to inform the public of a known danger.
Other mayors throughout the nation, and in Alabama, are taking actions to remove the ‘Forever Chemicals’ from their drinking water. Unlike the other mayors, why has Mayor Nix continued to ignore these dangerous chemicals in the drinking water?
Movies like Erin Brockovich, Dark Waters, TV documentaries, and TV news programs have informed us about the dangers from Forever Chemicals (collectively grouped as PFAS). Information about these toxic and carcinogenic chemicals has been routinely published in newspapers and magazines. Daily information on Forever Chemicals shows up on the news feed to my computer nearly every day.
Mayor Nix has told us that he served on Montevallo’s Water Board. During Mayor Nix’s term in office, Montevallo’s Water Board was testing for 29 PFAS in our drinking water. During 2023, 2024, and 2025, Montevallo’s water quality test reports showed that many of the 29 PFAS were present in our drinking water. These water quality tests can be seen on the website for the Alabama Department of Environmental Management’s e-file.
Humans can be injured in a variety of ways by Forever Chemicals. The following list provides a small sample of the assorted harms that can be meted out to those drinking water tainted with Forever Chemicals.
Unborn and Young Children:
The unborn absorb PFAS from their mother’s blood. PFAS excreted through lactation leads to lower birth weights. Since children drink more water, eat more food, and breathe more air per pound of body weight than adults, it increases their exposure to PFAS. They crawl on floors and stick things in their mouths which leads to more contact with PFAS in carpets, dust, toys, other playthings, and cleaning chemicals.
Children and Young Adults:
PFAS are connected to developmental disorders, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic illnesses, and various cancers.
Women:
PFAS can cause reproductive damage, delayed fetal growth, increased blood pressure, high cholesterol, suppress the immune system, thyroid disease, preeclampsia, and introduce cancers (breast, ovarian, liver, bladder, and so on).
Men:
PFAS can cause assorted ailments, stomach problems, assorted diseases, and cancers (testicular, kidney, prostrate, thyroid, etc.)
According to one expert, there probably isn’t a single tissue or an organ system in the human body where PFAS destructive impacts haven’t been reported. Less than a drop from one of the PFAS can cause harm to humans, animals, and the environment.