Cynthia Lee Almond resembles an acrobat balancing on a narrow tightrope as she works to fulfill each of her roles as wife, mother, lawyer and Tuscaloosa City Councilwoman with grace and poise.

“So few people are able to really achieve that perfect balance in life,” long-time friend Amanda Espy-Brown said. “I think Cynthia’s greatest accomplishment is that she is very selfless, and while she is a dedicated councilwoman, good lawyer and does a lot for the community, she has never sacrificed her role as mom and wife to do those things.”

Judge Brad Almond, Cynthia’s husband of 20 years, agrees that his wife possesses the rare ability to juggle all of her positions and duties effectively.

“I think she is very diverse in the different roles that she has and does each of them very well,” Brad Almond said. “Her practical, low-key personality allows her to accomplish all of the things that she has to accomplish every day, and gives us the structure that we need at home. ”

Cynthia Almond grew up in Tuscaloosa and attended Central High School, where she was known as a braniac, Espy-Brown said. Cynthia Almond said high school was when she first gained an appreciation for a good, solid public education system, a cause she now champions as chair of the education committee on the city council.

She went on to attend Vanderbilt University until her father became sick with cancer, and she returned home to obtain both undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Alabama. After working in a law practice and for the University of Alabama School of Law, Cynthia Almond decided to run for Tuscaloosa City Council in 2005.

“I ran for city council because I wanted to be able to have an impact on the city of Tuscaloosa and how things are run in our government,” Cynthia Almond said. “I’m a believer in an honest, open government that works for the people.”

Cynthia Almond refuses to take personal credit for anything that has been accomplished during her terms in office. However, she has worked diligently to expand curbside recycling, create a multi-purpose fitness trail and build an amphitheater.

One of her favorite projects is known as “Noah’s Ark,” which is designed to fix storm water damage issues.

“She reads huge documents and really studies what she does in order to make an informed, intelligent decision and not an emotional one,” Espy-Brown said. “She does the things that are not glamorous or fun behind the decisions she makes in order to do what is best for her constituents. I trust her not just as a friend, but as a councilwoman.”

In addition to being a dedicated councilwoman, Cynthia Almond remains an active member at First Methodist Church, is hosting a foreign exchange student from Kenya in her home, and has a private law practice where she works on many juvenile cases.

“I continue to do it because it gives me a sense of fulfillment,” she said. “I want to make some positive change for a child who doesn’t have a good home life.”

Cynthia Almond said that Sandra Bullock from “The Blind Side” is the movie character whom best describes her life, because she was so headstrong and did things whether or not people thought she could.

Espy-Brown describes Almond as “unflappable.”

“The main thing about her is she is very steady and consistent,” Espy-Brown said. “She has made up her mind about right and wrong, and she is not easily swayed.”