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. Mike, come in here, Virettia said, waving him in. 54 were here. Shown from left: Councilman Cedric Wilson (sitting in chair at far left), Councilman Jerry Nichols, Councilman Jason Cowart, Mayor Ray Nelson, City Clerk Dawn Clapp, Councilwoman Linda McCraw and Councilman Eddy Campbell. The same dreams and enthusiasm are still alive today in companies founded in Fayette. The per capita income for the city was $16,602. One on the gas board. The Rot Beneath Green Labels on Forestry Products, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Every day, the woman said. 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. The Council holds special meetings whennecessary; notice of the meeting must begiven to the public and media 48 hoursbefore that meeting. LaFayette has a mayor-council form of government. Black citizens are allowed to participate in local government, but not to approach anything remotely like controlling it. I cant understand why all of a sudden we are allowing this, said a White woman sitting in the front row with her daughter, addressing the board. There are may things we can do together to continue providing the environment of opportunity Fayette has always enjoyed. 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. Wade?. Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976. Its me. She felt anxious still. Official Facebook page for the City of Fayette Alabama Like spitting on the sidewalk. After upending a racial norm in the rural South, a Black councilwoman contends with defiance from a community she wants to serve, The Fayette City Council with members Tommy Williams and Virettia Whiteside meets at City Hall in the small Alabama town in January with Mayor Rod Northam in attendance. 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. 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. The Rule of One really was broken. He lives near Boston and has three children. All right, well call the meeting to order, the mayor said. Its going to look fine. Few people will say what I say, but people in this town were scared to death. This is bigger than me.. Council members and the mayor are not full-time city employees, but they are financially compensated for their time and expenses. The population density was 530.2 inhabitants per square mile (204.7/km2). I believe it with all my heart.. Whys there always only one Black? Virettia said. There were 2,239 housing units at an average density of 257.4 per square mile (99.4/km2). A White woman Virettia had known for years had sent her a private message asking how she was holding up but nothing public. This is the position that Mayor Pro-Tem Wilson will vacate to make a run for the mayors job. A city resident wishing to become mayor must specifically run for that office. Ward One Councilwoman Linda McCraw is not seeking re-election. Thornell authors economic development book. 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? Terms and Conditions. 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. Fayette City Council certifies election results. Its disguised pretty well but its right here among us. Of the 2,092 households 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. Appointees are to serve on only one boardor commission at a time and shall attend atleast 75% of regularly scheduled meetings onan annual basis from the date of theirappointment. Under the council/manager form of government, the Fayetteville City Council performs the legislative functions of the City, establishing laws and policies, sets strategic priorities and adopts the annual budget. People got to live, said the Black board member, Scott Walker, who had become visibly angry as the hearing went on. So, when Whiteside won her council seat, in which she represents a mixed-race district, and a friend of hers won the traditional Black seat, there were two Black citizens on the city council of Fayette, Alabama, which proceeded to lose a bit of its mind. BOTTOM LEFT: Residents sit outside Mayfair Manor. Fayette has a variety of things to see and do during your visit. The Municipal Court has created an Amnesty Program for all defendants that have outstanding balances from cases prior to December 31, 2020. City of LaFayette 50 Alabama Ave W LaFayette, Alabama 36862 334-864-7181 info@cityoflafayetteal.com. She was a full-fledged councilwoman without challenge. 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. Its 20 years I worked for that. Posted-By: City of LaFayette, Alabama City Council: Meeting-Date: 2/28/2023 Meeting-Time: 5:30 PM: Notice History: Meeting-Location: FARMERS FEDERATION(ALFA) BUILDING 1006 AVENUE A SE LAFAYETTE, AL 36862. The population was 4,619 at the 2010 census,[2] down from 4,922 at the 2000 census. The Council consists of seven members who are elected on a non-partisan basis in odd-numbered years. The mayor is a voting member of the Council. That the judge had dismissed the lawsuit. She is the newly elected City Council member for Ward 1, which includes the complexes she manages. June 2, 2022 by by One on the zoning board. Dont talk to her, talk to them, said the womans daughter, pointing to the board of three White men and one Black man. The City of Fayette is located in Fayette County in the State of Alabama.Find directions to Fayette, browse local businesses, landmarks, get current traffic estimates, road conditions, and more.According to the 2019 US Census the Fayette population is estimated at 4,249 people. See vital information about voting in our county. She took a deep breath and ventured into a subdivision called Haughton Acres, walking up to houses flying Trump flags, and as the campaign went on, the rest of the town realized this was no ordinary election. Please join me, the Council and others of our community as we strive to make Fayette an even better place to live, work and play. The City Council also appoints an attorney, who represents the City administration and City Council in all legal matters. 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. You see what Im saying? (Jared Ragland for The Washington Post), Virettia stands in Mayfair Manor's Community Room. For all other departments, please click here. You may not use this site for the purposes of furnishing consumer reports about search subjects or for any use prohibited by the FCRA. Others with regional and national reputations have also called Fayette home. At the 2010 census there were 4,619 people, 1,924 households, and 1,206 families living in the city. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.85. 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. Her father: nothing. Get your date and time reserved early while they are available. As hed told Virettia: I felt fooled by 'em. BOX 87 LAFAYETTE, AL 36862. 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. The Fayetteville City Council is the electedgoverning body representing the citizens ofFayetteville. 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. At the 2000 census there were 4,922 people, 2,092 households, and 1,303 families living in the city. Fayette is a city and the county seat of Fayette County, Alabama, United States. Youre going to see some things, Cedric said. All Rights Reserved. She sat down and tried not to cry. It is time to renew your membership. Ultimately, Donald Trump Beat the System. I think Fayette dodged a bullet.. Phone-Number: 334-864-7181 Meeting-Type: regular Submission-datetime: 1/23/2023 . A few days later, Virettia was still upset, and when a tenant whod helped on her campaign stopped by her office, she started telling her what had happened. Jeremy Dawson . 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. (Jared Ragland for The Washington Post). She was not the first Black person on the City Council in the rural town of Fayette. 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. TheFayetteville City Councilis an elected body representing the citizens of Fayetteville. Its hard even now to believe how crazy with fear the protests last summer made white people in this country. Information found on CountyOffice.org is strictly for informational purposes and does not construe legal, financial or medical advice. Lord give me the strength, Virettia thought to herself. The Fayette City Council with members Tommy Williams and Virettia Whiteside meets at City Hall in the small Alabama town in January with Mayor Rod Northam in attendance. No suggestions! (Jared Ragland for The Washington Post), A corkboard at Mayfair Manor displays a newspaper clipping about Virettia's council election win in November. All the White department heads were going to be fired. We talked about it, Cedric said. Citizens only vote for a candidate running in their respective districts. She is the newly elected City Council member for Ward 1, which includes the complexes she manages. Please enable JavaScript in your browser for a better user experience. A federal judge later tossed out the decisions, but not before the matter helped spark the largest civil rights march in the South since the famous Selma-to-Montgomery march in 1965. Learn more about our 15-man engineering crew and view their contact information here. Its a lot of language about us in the Constitution of Alabama thats been there since 1921.. BOTTOM LEFT: A sign for a business in Virettia's ward. FAYETTE, Ala. The men in ties stood in the corridor of City Hall, talking with a kind of familiarity that the newest council member did not yet feel. As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,285 people, 1,888 households, and 1,178 families residing in the city. City Council March 8, 2016 @ 5:00 pm Add to calendar Details Date: March 8, 2016 Time: 5:00 pm Venue City Hall 203 Temple Avenue North Fayette, AL 35555 United States + Google Map Phone: 205-932-5367 View Venue Website The mayor is elected at-large. 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. Board of Alderman . The meeting begins at 5 PM at the Fayette City Hall, 204 Temple Avenue North. Her first chance to say something came with the first item on the agenda, covid-19. LaFayette, Alabama maps, city districts, nearby cities, location It wasnt just the house she had bought in another ward, he said, explaining why he opposed her election. The local radio stations are WLDX Big Cat and WTXT. 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, AL 35555-2684 (205) 932-4510 . Hey Jerry, the mayor said to one of the other councilmen as he came in. 36101 334-544-0248 egrimes@montgomeryal.gov: DISTRICT 2: Brantley W. Lyons 4256 Lomac Street (36106) 334-557-4196 blyons@montgomeryal.gov . When a rumor started that her candidacy was illegal because she had recently bought a house in another ward, she explained that yes, she had bought the house she hoped to live in someday but as her tax returns, voter registration, bills and sworn oath indicated, she lived with her sons in an apartment at Mayfair Manor. 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. 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. She tried to remember that this was the whole reason she had run in the first place. Take the high road, people kept advising. Yet.. Virettia held her hand as the board voted, each of the White members siding with the White neighbors, and the one Black board member siding with Ericka, thwarting the unanimous vote needed to block the trailer. 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. Now she called Cedric Wilson, the former city councilman who had lost his bid for mayor. Rent out our incredible multipurpose complex for your next event. 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. (Jared Ragland for The Washington Post). Besides the Mayor, there are five council members. She pretended like she didnt see me. Check back often to see our calendar of upcoming events and our latest county job openings. The situation became so delicate that when local ministers held a prayer vigil for racial justice during the height of nationwide protests, an organizer quietly asked people not to bring Black Lives Matter signs for fear of confirming the imagined apocalypse. We strive to hear every single question, concern, and comment to better enhance the quality of life in our City. What he had told her was that she would learn her own lessons, and so she was trying, going one evening with Aliska to observe a hearing of the zoning board of adjustments. Sign up for Weather Alerts because seconds matter. Males had a median income of $34,271 versus $27,500 for females. Im going to meet with Kip tomorrow at 11, she said, referring to the airport manager. Didnt nobody do nothing to help me.. We are also the home of the Sipsey Arts Alliance. All members of the City Council are elected to represent you. Free viewers are required for some of the attached documents.They can be downloaded by clicking on the icons below. In addition to these . According to the Kppen Climate Classification system, Fayette has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. Over the course of its history our town has been the starting point of many endeavors that became larger than the the city itself. It was officially shortened to "Fayette" in 1898. 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.' The matter involved a Black woman named Ericka Espy Hollis, whose house had burned down. 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. Fayette County has four incorporated towns and cities including Fayette, Glen Allen, Berry, and Belk. 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. Mayor of Fayette / 660-248-5246 . About 12.5% of families and 18.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 22.9% of those age 65 or over. The Fayetteville City Council hosts work sessions on the first Monday of every month. Our county encompasses 630 square miles of beautiful farmland, forest, and private property. The City televisesregularly scheduled Council meetings liveand on playback on FayTV. This Was Gerrymandering Cloaked in Civil Rights. Fayette municipal election is Tuesday, Aug. 25. 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. [3] Four Black candidates were running for major positions, something that had never happened before in Fayette. City of Fayette Mayor - jdawson@cityoffayettemo.com . The Fayetteville City Council has establishedboards and commissions. Cumberland County falls under the requirements of the Federal Voting Rights Act. With a beginning as one of the earliest settlements in West Alabama, Fayette grew with the region to become a provider of initiatives that have enriched our people with an environment of willingness to dream. The population was 4,619 at the 2010 census, [2] down from 4,922 at the 2000 census. These are just two of the companies that had had their beginning here. (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. 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. A city residentwishing to become mayor must specificallyrun for that office. 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. 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. You not ready for the next level if you allowing this pettiness to get to you, her cousin had texted back. 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. Her best friend was running in the traditionally Black ward. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. Aliceville was like Fayette 25 years ago, he said one afternoon, launching into an interpretation of history that had long fueled the fiercest White resistance to change, one in which Black progress meant White loss White flight, White fear, a kind of White death. Privacy Policy From its beginning as one of the earliest towns in northwest Alabama, industrious citizens have captured the future with their visions and dreams. Look at my heart., But that was not reality, she was saying the next morning, sitting in her office. Design by Tara McCarty. . Council meetingsare held in the first floor Council Chamber ofCity Hall, 433 Hay St. 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. 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. Our county is fortunate to have an abundance of industries ranging from agricultural and timber to industrial manufacturing. She was raising two sons. The median age was 40.2 years. Council members and the mayor are notfull-time City employees, but they arefinancially compensated for their time andcertain expenses. I had a fire. [3] When Fayette County was created in 1824, the town's name was officially changed to "Fayette Court House", though it was also known as "Fayetteville", which was the name shown on maps and on the U.S. Census in 1880 and 1890. CountyOffice.org does not provide consumer reports and is not a consumer reporting agency as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Basically, what happened was that Whitesides election broke what McCrummen calls the Rule of One in Fayette. Drop by between 6:30 and 8:30 PM for free refreshments and a visit. So yall ever voted to change the outdated laws? Virettia asked Cedric now. The Fayette City Hall, located in Fayette, AL, provides municipal services for residents of Fayette. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.88. About Us Contact Us All nine Council members are elected from individual districts, and only citizens within the city limits can vote for those seats on the Council. She told her thank you, but no, and as she changed into a skirt and heels and drove over to City Hall in the early evening, she weighed whether this was the moment to bring her feelings out into the open. You will be surprised at what you can achieve here. She punched the girl in the face, which solved the immediate problem but also began a period of acting out that she later decided had to do with feeling abandoned and wanting someone to rescue her. Besides Virettia, her cousin was running for a seat on the five-member City Council in another mostly White ward. Hes the only Black.. Suggest Listing Hed never told her about the notes he got in his mailbox with messages like Shut your mouth, n-----. Or the restraint he had to summon to ask White colleagues who still used the term boy to refer to Black men: If you know the gentlemans name, would you please call him by his name? He had not told her about feeling like you werent there..