September 2025 | Volume 13 | Issue 5
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
SERVING VESTAVIA HILLS, THE 280 CORRIDOR, HOMEWOOD, HOOVER, MOUNTAIN BROOK AND TRUSSVILLE
VESTAVIA HILLS’ COMMUNITY NEWS SOURCE VESTAVIAVOICE.COM | STARNESMEDIA.COM
The Grand Lady of Vestavia Hills By EMILY REED
See WUSKA | page A19
City Manager Jeff Downes
Healthy tension: city of Vestavia Hills, schools compete for finite resources
Sara Wuska broke barriers, built institutions and became the first woman to lead the city The first time Sara Wuska knocked on a door to campaign for mayor, she brought two things — her smile and her repuVestavia Voice tation as someone who got is highlighting things done. key moments, Wuska spent decades people and placmaking sure every task es in the city’s she took on made her city history throughbetter — a city she called out 2025. See home since the 1950s. more stories “My love for the at Vestavia Vestavia Hills community Voice.com. runs very deep,” Wuska said. “Not only did my children grow up here, but I’ve watched this community form and I’m so thrilled for what it has become.” As Vestavia Hills marks its 75th anniversary, no civic figure has left a deeper imprint than Sara Wuska — the city’s first and only female mayor, a founding member of its school board and a leader whose fingerprints still shape daily life. Now 94, Wuska reflects on a life of public service, private resilience and quiet power — the kind that helped build a city. This is her story.
School Superintendent Todd Freeman
By JON ANDERSON
Sara Wuska smiles in this portrait taken at her home in summer 2025. Now 94, Wuska’s mark on the city’s history predates its incorporation in 1950, extending to today. From serving on the school board, to serving as the city’s first woman mayor and continuing beyond her term as an active, engaged citizen, Wuska has help shape life in Vestavia Hills for decades. Photo by Emily Reed.
INSIDE
Sponsors...........................A4 City.....................................A6
Schoolhouse.....................A8 Business...........................A12
Jeff Downes well remembers when he was hired to become the city manager of Vestavia Hills in 2013. One of his main charges was to help the city grow economically so that it can provide the high quality of life and amenities that Vestavia Hills residents expect, he said. Knowing that schools are the primary reason people move to Vestavia Hills, he quickly scheduled a meeting with then-schools Superintendent Jamie Blair and asked Blair how much growth was acceptable to him. At first, there was silence. Then Blair told him he didn’t want to see growth, Downes said. It was clear there was some tension there, and that tension became even more evident when Blair said the school system’s budget was tight and asked how much money the city could afford to support the school system’s budget, Downes said. But tension doesn’t have to be a bad thing, Downes told the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce recently. “Tension is a good thing as long as you handle it appropriately.”
See HEALTHY TENSION | page A18
Real Estate......................A17 Events................................B4
Sports................................B6 Community......................B12 facebook.com/vestaviavoice
Education Guide
Medical Guide
Learn more about Vestavia Hills-area schools in our annual Education Guide.
Discover Vestavia Hills-area health and wellness services in our biannual Medical Guide.
See page A9
For 2025 city election coverage, go online to Vestavia Voice.com.
See page B1
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