Again. The Fayetteville City Council meets regularlyin formal session on the second and fourthMonday of each month. Copyright 2015 City of LaFayette Website Development by Red Sage Communications, Inc. Click Here to watch the latest City Council Meetings. The mayor is elected at-large. See complete story in The Times-Record. These are informal meetings. Im telling you this is the best Ive seen him.. She was raising two sons. Find 6 Town & City Halls within 22.8 miles of Fayette City Hall. Phone-Number: 334-864-7181 Meeting-Type: special/called Submission-datetime: 1/27/2023 8:19:08 AM: Notice: Statements . 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. Federal election monitors were sent to Aliceville, and in the years after that more Black people were elected, a development that led to White flight and divestment that is the story of rural towns across the South. Cumberland County falls under the requirements of the Federal Voting Rights Act. We could never have death panels where you start euthanizing people, but I believe that. P.O Box 1111 Montgomery AL. These are just two of the companies that had had their beginning here. The City Clerk's Office maintainsmeeting minutesfrom City Council meetings and publishes a schedule of upcoming City Council meetings. What is the reason for that? She had imagined a big speech about love and fear and bravery that would end with her telling people, It doesnt matter if youre rich, poor, old, young, Black or White, I care about you. I love you too, but theres no work around here, the man said, and that was how it went all day long, a parade of people with problems that could be as small as needing a ride to the grocery store and as large as not being able to afford medication and as difficult as what had happened the night before, when Virettia had been asleep in her apartment when she heard someone crying. She sat down and tried not to cry. Drop by between 6:30 and 8:30 PM for free refreshments and a visit. All of the City Council's regular meetings are broadcast live onFayTV, the City of Fayetteville's Government Access Channel. Mayor Hinges on Voter Rolls, Preventing a Repeat of WWII-Era Imprisonment, Fox News Told Viewers What They Wanted to Hear. Due to federal intervention decades ago, a Black ward was created to guarantee that there would be one black member of the city council. Take the high road, people kept advising. The population was 4,619 at the 2010 census,[2] down from 4,922 at the 2000 census. Its hard even now to believe how crazy with fear the protests last summer made white people in this country. Phone-Number: 334-864-7181 Meeting-Type: regular Submission-datetime: 1/23/2023 . 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. 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. You may rent any of several rooms, including the auditorium, for your special event. Then she got a lawyer in Birmingham who asked the judge to dismiss the case, describing it as an attempt to intimidate Ms. Whiteside and to punish her for winning election to a traditionally white seat and literally an effort to keep Ms. Whiteside in her place. . (McCrummen won a Pulitzer in 2018 for her coverage of Judge Roy Moore, the Gadsden Mall Creeper, in Alabama.) (Jared Ragland for The Washington Post). 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. Aliska Hughes-Monroe, Virettia's best friend, was elected in November to represent Ward 4. 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. All ninecouncil members are elected from singlemember districts and only citizens withineach district may vote for each district seat. He lives near Boston and has three children. Besides Virettia, her cousin was running for a seat on the five-member City Council in another mostly White ward. She is the newly elected City Council member for Ward 1, which includes the complexes she manages. 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. We are conveniently located 40 miles from the City of Tuscaloosa and approximately 90 miles to the City of Birmingham. This is the position that Mayor Pro-Tem Wilson will vacate to make a run for the mayors job. They have breakfast at 5 AM and dinner as late at 8 PM. He needs to go to the hospital.. Individuals are also encouraged to become members. The Fayetteville City Council has establishedboards and commissions. The park will serve residents of the city and surrounding rural areas, offer a recreation area for people coming to work in LaFayette, and provide a gathering place for families, friends, and out-of-town visitors. Sign up for Weather Alerts because seconds matter. The median household income was $25,714 and the median family income was $36,589. Ultimately, Donald Trump Beat the System. 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. [9] Our county encompasses 630 square miles of beautiful farmland, forest, and private property. 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. Oh no, youre not going there, said the White woman. The City Council also appoints an attorney, who represents the City administration and City Council in all legal matters. I believe it with all my heart.. 1.4% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. She is the newly elected City Council member for Ward 1, which includes the complexes she manages. This Was Gerrymandering Cloaked in Civil Rights. She walked by the men chatting in the corridor and took her seat next to her colleagues, wondering if they had supported Scotties lawsuit. And so she had told herself, Stay cool, calm and collected. She had kept reminding herself: I am the first to sit up here for Ward One., She kept thinking about Ericka and Mike and the people counting on her to succeed, and about Cedric, her father and the people who had come before, and for that matter the people who might come after, and she kept telling herself what she knew to be true: This is bigger than me. The multiracial tenants include fast-food workers, veterans and elderly and disabled people. Seeking the position of mayor, replacing retiring Mayor Ray Nelson, will be: Kevin Bass, Rod Northam, Max Weaver and current City Councilman Cedric Wilson. Few people will say what I say, but people in this town were scared to death. We talked about it, Cedric said. All members of the Fayetteville City Councilserve concurrent two-year terms following acitywide election held in early November inodd-numbered years. 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. Check out the Gas Board website. Each office holder is elected to a four year term. This new twist on the old idea of gerrymanderingcloaking old Elbridges original notion in the moral camouflage of the Civil Rights Movementis not that uncommon. Council Lady Whiteside? the mayor said, turning to his left. 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. The syrup is still produced locally in a manufacturing facility in downtown Fayette. A & E Family Restaurant has opened in the old Cruze-In location in The Triangle. You won, they kept reminding her, as she kept thinking of how she was supposed to handle this moment in a changing America, and now the mayor was moving through the agenda, turning to his left for comment. There were 2,239 housing units at an average density of 257.4 per square mile (99.4/km2). This aint the half of it, baby.. The mayor acts as the official head of city government and presides at City Council meetings. Fayette operates under the Mayor-Council form of government. 54 were here. From 30,000 feet we look at Aliceville and we know 20 years ago it had a White mayor and now it has a Black mayor, and a Black council, and its got s--- left, he continued. But getting back to what you were saying, baby.. Black citizens are allowed to participate in local government, but not to approach anything remotely like controlling it. Design by Tara McCarty. Click on the links below to view the Agenda and Minutes from the City Council Meetings. The per capita income for the city was $16,602. Scottie Porter had responded to the post. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.7 males. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. Antiques store owner Scottie Porter lost a lawsuit against Virettia that disputed her eligibility to hold office in Ward 1 because she owns a home outside of it. Under the current electoralsystem, the City Council consists of ninecouncil members and a mayor. She told Virettia she wanted to speak on her behalf at the meeting, but by now Virettia had decided she needed to speak for herself. (Jared Ragland for The Washington Post), TOP: Despite aging buildings and the occasional downed sign, Fayette has been trying to revive its downtown area. She tried to remember that this was the whole reason she had run in the first place. When I get through with it, its going to look nice. Her second chance came a few minutes later, after the police chief gave his report. Why now?. The racial makeup of the city was 75.34% White, 23.38% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.30% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. They drove past the apartments, past an old plantation house, a Christian supply store and out along a strip of highway where there was a Ford dealership, two local banks and a small airport. Our county is a wonderful place to live with tremendous opportunities for growth, development, and industrial development with our proximity to the I-22 Corridor. 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. There were 2,336 housing units at an average density of 273.0 per square mile (105.4/km2). 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. She was a full-fledged councilwoman without challenge. An indication that the actual power structure might change surely brings the night sweats to the good white citizens of the town. what black person have you seen come to my defense Ill wait NO ONE, she had texted her cousin in a moment of frustration. Fayette is a town where people have always found opportunity waiting to be fulfilled. Fayette is a city and the county seat of Fayette County, Alabama, United States. 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. Fayette is organized in a mayor-council form of city government, with a mayor elected citywide and five council members elected from districts. 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? How White colleagues hed come to consider friends after 24 years on the council had backed off supporting him after the rumors started that he had recruited all the Black candidates to run at once, which was not true. The median age was 42 years. She was not the first Black person on the City Council in the rural town of Fayette. Mayor and City Council Members. 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. Then came her last chance, the part of the meeting where the mayor asked each council member for updates on their own committees or anything else happening in Fayette. She listened as the mayor opened the first regular meeting of the new council. 32.8% of households were one person and 14.0% were one person aged 65 or older. Fayette municipal election is Tuesday, Aug. 25. The Fayette Art Museum has over 5,000 pieces of art by nationally recognized artists. Virettia asked him who was on the abatement board. Phone 205-932-5367. You can also pay your bill on-line. Call us today to get any more information about our county. All Rights Reserved. Mailing Address: 103 First Avenue NW, Suite 4, Fayette, Alabama, 35555-2627 Virettia also manages Valley Cove. That she had won. She read the post again, which gave her a feeling that reminded her of a time when she was a little girl and living for a while in a tough part of Detroit after her parents got divorced. Address, Phone Number, and Hours for Fayette City Hall, a Town & City Hall, at Temple Avenue North, Fayette AL. The biggest threat to the male ego is a black woman, she said, reading out loud a quote someone had sent her as she began work one morning at Mayfair Manor, where she had a glass-front office in the lobby and the first tenant of the day stopped in just after 8 a.m. You doing okay, Junie? Virettia asked an elderly woman. The Fayetteville City Council is the elected governing body representing the citizens of Fayetteville. 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. The reality was that she could not afford to make a scene, she said, not in a town like Fayette, not with so much at stake. The Fayette City Council met in a special called meeting at noon on Tuesday Sept. 1 to add the legitimate provisional ballots cast during the Aug. 25 primary and to certify the election results. As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,285 people, 1,888 households, and 1,178 families residing in the city. Ox Bodies, now a division of TBEI, is a world leader in truck dump bodies, Fayette Fabrication, founded in 2014, provides custom carts, racks and skids for the automotive industry across the southeast. Popularity:#1 of 2 Town & City Halls in Fayette County#114 of 236 Town & City Halls in Alabama#3,438 in Town & City Halls. Leading us in prayer will be Wade Jackson, he said. 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. The Civic Center will be celebrating their 40th Anniversary on March 25th. The Municipal Court has created an Amnesty Program for all defendants that have outstanding balances from cases prior to December 31, 2020. Subscribe now! We would love to have you come and visit Fayette County and see rural living at its best! Its me. 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. The building houses government offices, including the Fayette legislative body, and provides public records, government services, and information about Fayette services.