Bill Kling is a Huntsville native who has served on the Huntsville City Council for over 30 years. He has been a tireless, experienced advocate for District 4. Bill's vision of growth and revitalization has brought new residences, retail stores, entertainment, and commercial development. Under his leadership Huntsville has grown to new heights and we are moving forward.
Bill graduated from the University of Alabama, where he earned a B.S. degree in Mass Media Communications and Public Administration. He further obtained a Masters Degree in Urban Studies from Alabama A&M University. He has varied experience in the broadcast and public relations fields, and has served as a public relations director, radio announcer and newscaster for WLRH public radio station; and broadcast instructor and public relations specialist for John C. Calhoun Junior College. He additionally worked for TARCOG (Top of Alabama Regional Council of Governments) as a planner. It is Bill's education and experience in the communications and planning fields, and his dedication to serving others, that ignited his passion to be accessible to the constituents he serves and to continually work to enhance their quality of life and the neighborhoods in which they live.
Bill is married to the former Tanjie Lyon, and together they have worked to make Huntsville a better place to live.
Tanjie's family settled in the Big Cove, New Hope, and Owens Cross Roads communities as early as 1808, and remained in the area for many generations. Shortly after her parents were married, they moved to Huntsville, eventually buying a home in "old" West Huntsville, and resided there for nearly 60 years. She has fond memories of swimming during the summers at the McCormick YMCA and of playing as a child at Brahan Springs Park.
Tanjie attended the Huntsville City public schools at West Huntsville Elementary, Stone Middle School, and Huntsville High School. As a youth, she participated in a nationwide church-affiliated leadership program, Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes, which trained her in all aspects of speech writing and public speaking. From 5th grade until her senior year in high school, Tanjie represented West Huntsville Church of Christ at the annual Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes' national public speaking competition. She was ranked in the top three in the nation for her age group for one year, but went on to win first place in the nation for her age group each of the remaining seven years. After high school, Tanjie attended and graduated from Lipscomb University with a BS degree in Government and Public Administration and a double minor in Finance and Biblical Studies. She went on to pursue her postgraduate education at Alabama A&M University, where she obtained her Masters of Urban and Regional Planning.
Tanjie was an urban planner by profession. She has written various plans and justification documents that brought in millions of federal and state dollars to the area for regionally significant infrastructure improvement projects. Tanjie also wrote the Tennessee Valley Community's justification report that was presented by the region during the federal 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process. This report assisted the Tennessee Valley region in retaining and growing its' military presence at Redstone Arsenal, resulting in thousands of new jobs. Several years ago, she took an early retirement to focus her attention on her elderly parents and two aging aunts, whose lives increasingly depended upon her care. She cared for them for over seven years, and managed all aspects of their lives and homes.
Tanjie enjoys attending District 4 neighborhood meetings, as well as constituent and community events with Bill. They will be celebrating their 29th wedding anniversary this summer.