TAKING LIFEHead-on Cedar Bluff Mayor Tammy Crane

Tammy Crane has never lived outside of the county and never plans to. She is a true native of Cherokee County, a graduate of Cedar Bluff High, class of 1987. Many of her relatives also live here, including two brothers who own businesses.

Her work life began when her mom opened Betty’s Pancake Pantry on Highway 9 in the eighties. Convenient and popular, the restaurant soon needed extra hands. With Tammy waiting on tables and cooking, it would become a family affair, and the kids were expected to pitch in because her mom still held a full-time job. Days started around 4:30 am, and Tammy and her sister began with chores, waiting tables, and serving hungry breakfast customers. As years passed, the girls ran the business until her mom officially retired after 30 years.

Tammy learned that the importance of hard work answers the demands of business. A discipline she inherited from her mother, she discloses. And, if the restaurant wasn’t enough work, she simultaneously started her own cleaning company, Crane Cleaning, which she still operates after 25 years.

She and her husband, Rodney, have been married for 23 years. In addition to six children and eight grandchildren aged six months to 14, they are also foster and adoptive parents. They share all the experiences of parenthood. Keeping up with sports schedules is complicated, but one can easily see she thrives on the well-being and growth of their children and the ones they foster.

Her passion is for the prosperity and future of the children of Cherokee County. She encourages the foster child program, where a nurturing home can give a child an opportunity for a better life that is, hopefully, happy and free from harm.

Tammy has an ‘open door’ policy regarding kids; her home has been just that.

The thought of homeless or neglected children troubles her. She has made her home available to older children needing a meal, bath, clean clothes, or all. Knowing how many to plan for dinner helps with a head count and a good sense of humor. The rule is that the first caller gets to pick the menu for the meal—unless it is Wednesday when the fare is always spaghetti. However, food-wise, the crowd-pleaser is always country-fried steak and homemade potatoes with gravy— and she is thankful she learned to cook in large quantities during her restaurant days.

At the restaurant, she had met hundreds of people who were frequent customers. People she still counts as friends. One was then Cedar Bluff’s mayor, the late Martha Baker. Ms. Baker was looking for the right person to mentor as a candidate for the Cedar Bluff Town Council and possibly someone to fill her shoes upon retirement. She was interested in Tammy Crane and talked her into running for town council in 2010. She was elected unopposed. Running for mayor, she was elected and unopposed for two terms. Although she had opposition in her third term in 2020, she won without a run-off.

As mayor, she wishes there were more funds available for road improvements. However, she is pleased with the new, modern playground and paving project that has enhanced the look and encouraged the use of the park. Adults like walking or jogging on the paths or using a picnic table while the kids have fun climbing on the playground equipment. New bathroom facilities have also been added for convenience.

Mayor Crane says she would like to see more growth, especially in new retail businesses. There are nice spaces available for shops and eateries. Some new business has been encouraging, and there have been ideas floating around that she hopes will make it to fruition.

One good thing is that Cedar Bluff is not in debt. “We pay our bills and don’t have to borrow money. But, we don’t know what might hit tomorrow, so we think we need to “save up” to buy what we need when we need it. That is our obligation to our citizens. Being frugal in a small town like ours is healthy,” she says.

Tammy says everyone is delighted to bring back the “Liberty Day” celebration again this year. It draws thousands of locals and those from surrounding counties who visit booths in the park and enjoy food, music, and entertainment. But, of course, the highlight is always the fireworks over the water—a perfect setting for a lakeside town like Cedar Bluff.

“The hardest thing about my job is getting people to understand that I can’t just ‘make things happen.’ Just like everyone else, I must follow legal guidelines and rules, too, whether I like it or not.

The best thing about being mayor is seeing the friendliness and support people give one another. And, of course, we depend on volunteers, like our fire department, to be there when needed. And, in times of trouble, you know the people in Cedar Bluff are ready to help their neighbors, whether they know them or not. That’s the way people here are.”

For more information visit www.cedarbluff-al.org