Prattville Mayor Bill Gillespie Jr. was recovering at a Montgomery hospital Thursday from what he called an “operation.”
Gillespie said he felt nauseated and had pressure in his chest after the Prattville City Council meeting on Feb. 17. “I thought it was indigestion from lunch, but I listened to my body and decided it needed to be checked.”
Gillespie, 67, drove from his home two blocks to the fire station in downtown Prattville, where emergency personnel took him to a hospital in Montgomery. He underwent surgery at 10am on Wednesday.
“It wasn’t like a major heart attack,” he said. “There was never any CPR. I think if it was an emergency, they wouldn’t have waited until the next morning.”
Prattville Mayor Bill Gillespie, Jr. speaks during an announcement ceremony introducing “Pratt,” an educational and entertainment facility that tells the history of Daniel Pratt and Prattville, on Monday, August 11, 2025, at The Mill in Prattville, Alabama.
Gillespie was originally sworn in as mayor in 2011 when former Mayor Jim Byard Jr. left to accept a state job. Gillespie was recently elected to his fourth full term.
On social media, Gillespie often shares photos of walks with his border collie mix, “Dog,” in downtown Prattville. “I feel good,” he said Thursday. “I’m looking forward to getting out and taking the dog for a walk.”
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Gillespie said he has been in contact with elected officials and department heads and that the city is “running well. We have a great team and the citizens of Prattville are well taken care of.”
He thanked the Prattville Fire Department and urged people to “listen to their bodies.”
“If you think something’s going on, you need to get it checked out.”
(This story has been updated to fix a typo.)
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney: mroney@gannett.com. To support his work, please Subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.
This article originally appeared in the Montgomery Advertiser: Prattville mayor recovers after hospital surgery
