16-05-2025
John Squires announces bid for Anniston Ward 1 Council seat
ANNISTON — John Burton Squires is entering the race for the Ward 1 seat on the Anniston City Council in the upcoming August election.
The 53-year-old Squires, a military veteran and hiring manager at On Time Staffing, will face incumbent Lewis Downing and Ben New.
Originally from Illinois, Squires said his career has taken him across the globe.
'When I lived in Illinois, I went into the military,' he said. 'Eventually moved down to Texas, where I spent 20 years before I went around the world while I was in the military.'
After his service, he moved to Dallas and later relocated to Anniston in 2019 through a job transfer with Honeywell.
His educational background includes a paralegal degree from El Centro College in Dallas and a political science degree from Jacksonville State University.
Though he has never held elected office, Squires said his work and life experiences have prepared him to serve.
He said Anniston's leadership has had time to deliver results in the last five years, adding: 'Some things have gotten done and some things have not.'
He said he wants to help ensure Anniston residents can find empl;oyument.
'Our town actually has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state,' he said. 'I want to change that.'
He said he's committed to working with local K-12 schools to boost educational attainment and said he would be a 'champion' for students.
Squires called the city's trash problem 'a multi fold problem.' He said some residents struggle to pay their garbage bill, especially those on fixed incomes.
'We're not hearing solutions,' he said.
He floated the idea of using community service programs and drawing on an Oxford-style model where residents receive free trash pickup.
Jobs, Squires said, are at the heart of his platform.
'What the city needs first is jobs,' he said.
He expressed strong support for small businesses and said he hopes to connect them with veterans, disabled individuals and those seeking second chances. 'Some of the best workers I've met are people who have had a problem,' he said. 'They're trying to do it better. Why don't we encourage them?'
Squires said city leadership should be transparent and accessible.
'I totally believe in it,' he said. 'If you see me walking my dog, I want you to be able to come up and say, 'Hey, Councilman Squires — call me John.''
He also spoke about supporting veterans more effectively.
'We need to help our veterans. We need to help them get their benefits,' Squires said, proposing better staffing of veteran service offices, including the use of volunteers.
Squires said he believes in second chances for residents who have faced hardships.
'People make mistakes,' he said. 'There are federal grant programs that help hire people with second chances.'
He noted that many companies he's working to bring into the area are supportive of that mission.
Outside of his professional and civic ambitions, Squires has also engaged with local students. For the past two years, he has organized a reading contest for area elementary school children and said he plans to launch a writing contest next year for older students.
