She checked to see if the judge had ruled on the case; still nothing. She felt anxious still. At the time, two Black women were organizing Black voters to try to change that when they were accused of absentee ballot fraud, convicted by all-White juries and given the maximum sentences of four and five years in prison. Information about LaFayette, Alabama City Council Members City Council District A Terry G. Mangram (334) 497-9935 Click here to email Councilman Mangram District B David Ennis (706) 518-4441 Click here to email Councilman Ennis District C Toney B. Thomas (334) 864-5335 Click here to email Councilman Thomas District D Michael C. Ellis (706) 350-9762 Okay his medication: Hes taking it every day? Virettia asked. In the row behind them, Virettia sat with Ericka, a hand on her shoulder, thinking this would not be happening, not in this way, if Ericka were White. There used to be no Black, Cedric said. When investigators from the district attorneys office showed up at Mayfair Manor three times asking tenants if their absentee ballots had been coerced, she decided not to file a complaint with the NAACP. Our area has an abundance of natural resources and outdoor recreational opportunities for anglers and outdoorsmen, as well as having a major portion of the Sipsey River running through the center of the county. We are also the home of the Sipsey Arts Alliance. What mattered about her election what had spawned a lawsuit aimed at unseating her and nervous rumors about what her victory could mean was that she was the first to win outside the traditionally Black ward, breaking through what had seemed to her and other Black residents of Fayette to be the informal Rule of One. 2023 County Office. (205) 932-4510. .css-umdwtv{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#FF3A30;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:background 0.4s;transition:background 0.4s;background:linear-gradient(#ffffff, #ffffff 50%, #d5dbe3 50%, #d5dbe3);-webkit-background-size:100% 200%;background-size:100% 200%;}.css-umdwtv:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;-webkit-background-position:100% 100%;background-position:100% 100%;}In her latest work, McCrummen tells the tale of a Black woman named Virettia Whiteside, a member of the city council in a place called Fayette, Alabama. The Fayette time zone is Central Daylight Time which is 6 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). See vital information about voting in our county. The volunteerswho are appointed to the boards andcommissions serve as the link that connectsthe public to its governing body and serve asadvisors who make recommendations thathelp shape the policies and programs ofFayetteville. About Us Contact Us The matter involved a Black woman named Ericka Espy Hollis, whose house had burned down. Were hustling backwards, Virettia said. Stand behind me show up! Virettia had texted then. Our county is fortunate to have an abundance of industries ranging from agricultural and timber to industrial manufacturing. The Lafayette City Council serves as the community's legislative body, enacting ordinances, appropriating funds to conduct city business, and providing policy direction for city governance through the city administrator. He needs to go to the hospital.. Find 6 Town & City Halls within 22.8 miles of Fayette City Hall. Subscribe now! Email Address: Follow Citizens are both stockholders and customers; the elected body represents the board of directors and the manager is the chief executive officer responsible for the daily operations of the corporation. Rod, Jerry, Eddy, Tommy, and at the far end of the dais was Councilwoman Virettia Whiteside, now writing something down to keep herself focused. Its going to look fine. The City of LaFayette Alabama website home page WELCOME TO THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE The City of LaFayette, Alabama, the county seat of Chambers County, in East Central Alabama provides the perfect balance between rural and urban life. Seeking the position of mayor, replacing retiring Mayor Ray Nelson, will be: Kevin Bass, Rod Northam, Max Weaver and current City Councilman Cedric Wilson. The age distribution was 21.4% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.6% 65 or older. There had been others, all elected from the same ward since 1988, the one drawn after a federal lawsuit forced Fayette and other towns across the state to create districts that would enable Black representation. But.. We would love to have you come and visit Fayette County and see rural living at its best! But no one wants to talk about race in this town, she said. For all other departments, please click here. Learn more about the history of our probate office and the people currently operating it. Pictured is the Fayette Civic Center, where the Fayette municipal elections will take place from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25. Location of Fayette in Fayette County, Alabama. Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976. She is the newly elected City Council member for Ward 1, which includes the complexes she manages. Council meetingsare held in the first floor Council Chamber ofCity Hall, 433 Hay St. To speak before the City Council on a matter of importance fill out and submit this Agenda Request Form. Design by Tara McCarty. Rent out our incredible multipurpose complex for your next event. Tornado activity: Fayette-area historical tornado activity is slightly above Alabama state average.It is 134% greater than the overall U.S. average.. On 4/3/1974, a category F5 (max. Phone-Number: 334-864-7181 Meeting-Type: regular Submission . For a full list of our elected officials and department heads including contact information, click here. We just havent said anything about it. (Jared Ragland for The Washington Post). The mayor is a voting member of the Council. She said he was being ignored, that he needed help and she needed help, and so Virettia called a deputy at the jail, a White man she knew who was planning to run for sheriff and would need her support. She had often stared at the Trailblazer Award hanging on his living room wall, but she had not asked him about his experience, and he had not offered many details. Council Meetings - Fayette, Alabama City Council Meetings begin at 5:00 PM on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month in the City Hall. Originally known as "La Fayette", it incorporated on January 15, 1821. There were 11 provisional ballots counted in the final results of the Fayette municipal election, and four provisional ballots cast were ruled ineligible to be counted. She was still saying it now, trusting that the high road people had been advising her to take would eventually bring some relief, but it did not. Subscribe now! speckle park bull sales 2021 847-461-9794; fayette, alabama city council. All nine council members are elected from single member districts and only citizens within each district may vote for each district seat. You see what Im saying? . ? her cousin wrote. He came in and stood in front of her desk. It wasnt just the house she had bought in another ward, he said, explaining why he opposed her election. Click on the links below to view the Agenda and Minutes from the City Council Meetings. City government works closely with the local community college to provide employee training and programs for several companies that supply the region, nation and world with products in a variety of fields. Under the current electoralsystem, the City Council consists of ninecouncil members and a mayor. (Jared Ragland for The Washington Post), Former council member Cedric Wilson, at his home in January, served Fayette's historically Black Ward 4 for more than 20 years before stepping down in an unsuccessful run for mayor. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. Finally, she said, Hey Cedric. I wouldnt be so rude, so I said, Hey. And she said, Whatre you doing? And I said, Keeping busy. She said, Thats good.' But at a moment when old political orthodoxies were being challenged all the way down to small towns in the rural South, there were now two Black women on the Fayette City Council: one representing the Black ward, and Virettia Whiteside, 35, manager of two apartment complexes across from a vestigial cotton field on the east side of town. Sign up for Weather Alerts because seconds matter. Now.. . These dreams have been realized by the formation of several companies that grew to be leaders in their fields before being merged into larger entities. Not that Virettia, who had never been in Scotties store and had never been one of the people he sometimes invited in for afternoon tea and conversations amid the antiques, had heard him say any of this; she only had the lawsuit, along with her own knowledge that it was precisely because of what had happened in Aliceville and places like it that in 1988, Black voters in Fayette were able to elect the towns first Black councilperson, who happened to be her father. Males had a median income of $34,271 versus $27,500 for females. Across many fields of endeavor Fayette has been the starting point for people with great ideas, energy and expectations for tomorrow. (McCrummen won a Pulitzer in 2018 for her coverage of Judge Roy Moore, the Gadsden Mall Creeper, in Alabama.) The Council holds special meetings whennecessary; notice of the meeting must begiven to the public and media 48 hoursbefore that meeting. BOTTOM RIGHT: Cotton fields, such as this one in Fayette, still permeate the South. Fayette is a city and the county seat of Fayette County, Alabama, United States. Generally, no votes are taken. The mayor also appoints Council members to City Council committees and liaison positions. Mine will be a home too, once I get through with it.. In May 2000, voters approved the current election system of nine Council members elected by single-member districts and a voting mayor elected at large. All council members and Mayor Ray Nelson were present for the meeting. Look at the state Constitution. A city residentwishing to become mayor must specificallyrun for that office. The only municipal election within the county this year will occur on Aug. 25 in the City of Fayette, with every position on the ballot being contested. Hey Jordan, she said, and began telling him what the woman had told her. June 2, 2022 by by The Rule of One really was broken. Drop by between 6:30 and 8:30 PM for free refreshments and a visit. Posted-By: City of LaFayette, Alabama City Council: Meeting-Date: 2/13/2023 Meeting-Time: 5:30 PM: Notice History: Meeting-Location: FARMERS FEDERATION(ALFA) BUILDING 1006 AVENUE A SE LAFAYETTE, AL 36862. She started organizing tenants in the two apartment buildings she managed, Mayfair Manor and Valley Cove a multiracial coalition of fast-food workers, former addicts, veterans, the elderly, the disabled and a few who kept declining to fill out voter registration forms until it became clear they could not read. One percent of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. 35.5% of households were one person and 19.0% were one person aged 65 or older. (Jared Ragland for The Washington Post), Share your feedback by emailing the author. Population control. (Jared Ragland for The Washington Post), During her campaign, Virettia knocked on doors in Haughton Acres, a predominantly white, middle-class neighborhood in her ward. You will be surprised at what you can achieve here. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Virettia had always thought of her town as a nice place to live but a hard place to be anybody unless your granddaddys uncles cousins a somebody. For a while, her father had been somebody the citys first Black councilman but that was long ago, and she had always wondered what to make of his silence about the experience. The median age was 40.2 years. We may earn a commission from these links. Maintain a leisurely lifestyle featuring natural beauty and historic architecture in the city limits, while still enjoying the fast pace activities of nearby Auburn/Opelika (30 miles), Montgomery (70 miles), Atlanta (80 miles) or Birmingham (120 miles). This aint the half of it, baby.. From its beginning as one of the earliest towns in northwest Alabama, industrious citizens have captured the future with their visions and dreams. At the 2000 census there were 4,922 people, 2,092 households, and 1,303 families living in the city. I was in the next window. This Was Gerrymandering Cloaked in Civil Rights. She had imagined another version of the moment, one where she had turned to the camera and said to the whole town of Fayette, Why are you so frightened? Every day, the woman said. He answered after two rings. The mayor acts as theofficial head of City government and presidesat City Council meetings. I worked for that spot. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. . . About 15.4% of families and 20.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.2% of those under age 18 and 15.9% of those age 65 or over. City of Fayette Mayor - jdawson@cityoffayettemo.com . The Rot Beneath Green Labels on Forestry Products, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. All this is you now, Aliska said. All council members and Mayor Ray Nelson were present for the meeting. Thats why theyre so mad.. I dont have anything tonight, she said, looking out at the faces in the audience, and then at the mayor. All of that was still in the air as Virettia, preparing for the first full City Council meeting, drove through town one day with her friend Aliska Hughes-Monroe, the new councilwoman from the traditionally Black ward, to see about a zoning issue. All right, well call the meeting to order, the mayor said. No FBI Agent Should Just Trust Trump to Tell Truth, Republican Senators Form Wingnut Xylophone, How to Line Your Pockets While Reshaping the Court, SCOTUS Ponders Whether to Dub Loans Unforgiven, Effort to Recall N.O. People think we dont have a problem, but we do. All of the City Council's regular meetings are broadcast live onFayTV, the City of Fayetteville's Government Access Channel. Growing up in Fayette during a time of growth and initiative I know the citizens of our town have the heart to continue the progressive actions that have always characterized our town. Comes now the Plaintiff Scottie Carl Porter she read, recognizing the name of a man she only knew as the owner of an antique store downtown and a superfan of President Donald Trump who had lost his own bid for City Council. The per capita income for the city was $15,553. The building houses government offices, including the Fayette legislative body, and provides public records, government services, and information about Fayette services. I know its hard youre his mom and thats your baby, but Im here, Virettia said, waving over another tenant behind on his rent. Phone-Number: 334-864-7181 Meeting-Type: regular Submission-datetime: 1/23/2023 . The history of that town, called Aliceville, suggested a more complicated reality, one of Black voter suppression that extended into the 1980s, when White officials still held nearly every position of power, even though the population was roughly 40 percent Black. The mayor is elected at-large. Like many other Mayfair Manor residents, Zach supported Virettia during her council run. Its me. Hes sick. Why now?. The multiracial tenants include fast-food workers, veterans and elderly and disabled people. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males. Of the 1,924 households 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples living together, 18.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. Fayette County Circuit Clerk Democratic Party Samantha Howard (205) 932-4617 Website Fayette County Coroner Republican Party Timothy "TK" Kimbrell (205) 361-4828 Fayette County Probate Judge Republican Party Mike Freeman (205) 932-4519 Fayette County Sheriff Republican Party Byron Yerby (205) 932-3205 Email: info@fayetteso.com Website The Fayetteville City Council meets regularlyin formal session on the second and fourthMonday of each month. Virettias mother had shopped at his store. Aliska Hughes-Monroe and Scottie Carl Porter are seeking the council position in Ward Four. Our history of is one of people with the vision and daring to achieve outsized goals for a town our size. The population was 4,619 at the 2010 census, [2] down from 4,922 at the 2000 census. Now she called Cedric Wilson, the former city councilman who had lost his bid for mayor. Posted-By: City of LaFayette, Alabama City Council: Meeting-Date: 2/1/2023 Meeting-Time: 4:30PM: Notice History: Meeting-Location: 50 Alabama Avenue West P. O. Their combined presence changed the longtime makeup of the council. She had surprised herself by deciding to run. Individuals are also encouraged to become members. Preachers: nothing. Thornell authors economic development book. No, said Jerriolyn Lacey. How he wasnt exactly upset that he lost, but that he lost behind all those things that were said by people he thought he could trust. Should an appointee fail tocomply with the attendance requirement orfail to attend three regularly scheduledmeetings, the appointee shall beautomatically removed. The median household income was $25,714 and the median family income was $36,589. Can You Prove Those Colonists Weren't Witches? The White city councilmen: nothing. The residents have got protection because weve got ordinances, said the mother, going on about declining property values, until Ericka finally stood up. The mega-rich. I kept my yard up. See complete story in The Times-Record. She was on her own. Even though Virettia had never met Scottie Porter, he was not exactly a stranger. Others with regional and national reputations have also called Fayette home. Find Vital Records and Voter Records related to Fayette City Hall. When I get through with it, its going to look nice. I believe it with all my heart.. (Jared Ragland for The Washington Post), Virettia stands in Mayfair Manor's Community Room. Her best friend was running in the traditionally Black ward.