was unyielding and even sometimes bordered on bullying, but he was unapologetic about his leadership style, saying that his tactics were in support and furtherance of a quality life for the citizens who paid the salaries of the public servants, although he never accepted a salary while mayor. He was financially supported by family real estate and other holdings. He often verbally tangled with vocal critics on the city council, particularly former councilman Joe Reed, a black leader who represented a decidedly minority district in the city. But Folmar also took great pleasure in jousting with former city councilman Richard Moncus, who represented a primarily white constituency in a heavily middle class section of Montgomery. Moncus became a pariah on the council, but he also had constant disagreements with another white councilman, Dr. Rick McBride. So, in 1991 Folmar put together what he called "Montgomery's Team," basically a group of hand-picked city council candidates he could entrust to help him push his policy agenda. At the polls that year, he received the solid supporting city council he wanted. Folmar was also successful in helping to direct the city's economic development successes during his time in office, although the city's most celebrated economic development prize - Hyundai Motor Manufacturing - followed a few years after his leaving office. Folmar often addressed the senior civic classes of area high schools during his time as mayor. On such occasions he often drew criticism for the Civic Center raid that city youth blamed on effectively killing the concert business in the city. Once Folmar answered that criticism by saying "You can stay at home and get as high as a Georgia Pine and I won't care. But when you bring it out on my streets, it becomes my business." He often characterized himself politically as "so conservative if it were up to me, I would take down all the traffic lights and let the strongest, fastest car get through the intersection first." Racial issues and bigoted remarks Folmar's controversial stances were cast at the outset of his political career in the 1970s in highly controversial city council votes along racial lines. Among them were the championing of a vote to spend a large portion of federal grant money on a public golf course and softball fields on the predominantly white east side of the city rather than using all of the grant money to