By Bonita Wilborn
Donnie Chandler was born and raised in Rainsville. He attended Plainview High School and graduated from there in 1971. In the late 1980s, with Donnie in his mid 30s, he ran for and was elected as a Rainsville City Council member.
According to his wife, Peggy Chandler, Donnie never actually had aspirations of becoming mayor, but when then mayor, Nathaniel Ledbetter, who was an employee of Sand Mountain Electric Cooperative (SMEC) received a promotion at work and felt that he would be unable to do justice to both his job at SMEC and his job as mayor, stepped down as mayor. That decision left the remaining two years of his term to Donnie Chandler acting Mayor Pro Tem. Although he wasn’t planning to ever become mayor, Donnie took on the job and grew to love it.
Peggy Chandler said, “He really enjoyed being mayor. He loved Rainsville and loved the people here. He was proud of all the things that were accomplished while he was in office.”
Several of the important things that came to fruition during Chandler’s time as mayor were: the Field of Dreams (As it is known by the folks in Rainsville. People from other areas know it as the Rainsville Sports Complex), which was started by Ledbetter in his administration, the re-locating of the DeKalb County Board of Education Building and Annex to Rainsville (a central location in the county) rather than in Fort Payne (the county seat), RTI locating in the city, Rainsville’s first (and currently only) motel, and a much needed sewer expansion.
Peggy said, “Donnie loved how he and the council members all worked together to get things done for the city. He really enjoyed getting on his golf cart, driving around house to house, and talking to all of the people. He told me recently that if he could still do that, he would. He enjoyed the campaigning as much as the job itself.”
Donnie Chandler, age 65, passed away Friday, February 8, 2019 at DeKalb Regional Medical Center. He served as Mayor of Rainsville for 10 years and served as the secretary and treasurer of the DeKalb County Mayors Association for a time. Prior to becoming mayor, Chandler served as a city councilman for 14 years. He made a living for his family as an employee of the Waterworks Board of Section and Dutton until his retirement.
Peggy concluded with, “He was a really good Christian man; he really was. What you saw was what he was. He was a great example of a father. I’ve never heard anyone say anything bad about him.”