‘Dark horse’ candidate in the race for gov? Lessmann urged to run; Lee Greenwood ‘hit piece;’ and more in this week’s OTR

Off The Record: The latest rumors and rumblings in North Alabama

Dark horse

Whispers of a dark horse candidate in the race for governor have everyone guessing. The as yet unnamed and unannounced potential candidate is from the Wiregrass and evidently successful enough to self-fund. The 2026 governor’s race is already everyone’s favorite guessing game with plenty of possible candidates including Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, Attorney General Steve Marshall and Ag Commissioner Rick Pate. Ainsworth is the rumored frontrunner while Marshall might have his eye on a different office. Could this dark horse throw a wrench in Ainsworth’s plans?

Lessmann urged to run

Cepeda CEO Alice Lessmann is reportedly being strongly urged to run for Madison City Council. The retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel is a Madison City School board member and the Alabama Association of School Boards District 9 director. Madison’s municipal elections were moved by the Legislature to next August and rumor has it several long-time incumbents are either not running or likely to seek other offices. One Lessmann would-be supporter says, “Alice knows our community and values. She is smart, caring and exactly what we need in a leader.”

Greenwood ‘hit piece’?

Reportedly, producers for the HBO show “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” have been calling around North Alabama looking for information for an upcoming segment on singer-songwriter Lee Greenwood. One source reports the producers for the late-night talk and satire television program wanted to know if two veterans had actually received their homes as part of the Helping A Hero program which Greenwood supports. Not only did the veterans receive their homes, this source says originally there was only going to be one house. Breland Homes then decided to build two houses rather than picking just one veteran to receive a home. He adds the show won’t find much: “Digging for dirt on Lee, perhaps the most beloved singer in the South, is about the dumbest thing I can think of.”  A representative of Greenwood’s camp responded to the inquiries saying the show is likely looking for a hit piece due to the Hall of Fame performer’s support of former President Donald Trump. 

Crack down on AirBnBs

The city of Huntsville is cracking down on AirBnbs. This week, the city filed multiple suits against local Realtors operating illegal AirBnBs within the city limits. Generally, short-term rentals are not permitted in most residential zoning districts in Huntsville and short-term rentals are defined as stays under six months, 179 days or less. This follows a similar action in May against the illegal rentals that are frequently found on websites such as Airbnb, VRBO and HomeAway.

Space & Rocket Center changes course

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center has abruptly changed course after an outcry from members. The Space Center had alerted members it would no longer participate in the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) Reciprocal Membership Program. The system provides free general admission to more than 250 participating ASTC Passport Science Centers worldwide. As expected, this was not a popular decision and this week it was announced the center had reversed its cost-saving measure.