James Perkins Jr. is seeking a third term as mayor of Selma after serving from 2000 to 2008. The municipal election is Aug. 23.

Perkins is pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Selma. Perkins is the husband of Selma City School System parent facilitator Cynthia Perkins and a father who served as PTO president at most schools attended by their children, coached most sport teams on which their children played and mentored many children who are not his own.

Perkins delivers speeches all across the country, from Cornell University in upstate New York to Christian Love Baptist Church in Modesto, California and to diverse audiences from military personnel in Fort Knox, Kentucky to juvenile detainees in Omaha, Nebraska.

People who know Perkins describe him as a “prayerful, passionate, persistent and practical man who truly cares about people; a no non-sense guy who is about solving problems.”

Perkins served as mayor of Selma for eight years and was elected by his peers to leadership positions in national and international professional organizations.

Perkins is an entrepreneur who started a business with $50 and grew that business to over $1 million in annual sales. He taught mathematics and computer science at Selma University.

Perkins earned a bachelor’s of science degree in Mathematics from Alabama A&M University and completed numerous graduate courses in the master’s of business administration program at Auburn University at Montgomery.

Perkins is a graduate of Leadership Birmingham, Leadership Selma and Leadership Alabama.

Perkins speaks of his accomplishments by saying, “For all successes, accolades, and advancements, I say, ’To God be the Glory.’ My daily goals are to put God first and just treat people right. This is who I am and this is how I try to live my life.”