Our county is fortunate to have an abundance of industries ranging from agricultural and timber to industrial manufacturing. 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 City Clerk's Office maintainsmeeting minutesfrom City Council meetings and publishes a schedule of upcoming City Council meetings. The town would go bankrupt. The Civic Center will be celebrating their 40th Anniversary on March 25th. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. We strive to hear every single question, concern, and comment to better enhance the quality of life in our City. I dont even know where to begin, she said. (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 may not use this site for the purposes of furnishing consumer reports about search subjects or for any use prohibited by the FCRA. Lord give me the strength, Virettia thought to herself. Ward One Councilwoman Linda McCraw is not seeking re-election. Across many fields of endeavor Fayette has been the starting point for people with great ideas, energy and expectations for tomorrow. LaFayette, Alabama maps, city districts, nearby cities, location Suggest Listing Our county encompasses 630 square miles of beautiful farmland, forest, and private property. Im telling you this is the best Ive seen him.. 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.' For every 100 females, there were 81.4 males. He came in and stood in front of her desk. June 2, 2022 by by Basically, what happened was that Whitesides election broke what McCrummen calls the Rule of One in Fayette. Photo editing by Bronwen Latimer. One Black person on the City Council. People say it could never happen here. 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. 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. P.O Box 1111 Montgomery AL. City Council - Fayette, Alabama This Was Gerrymandering Cloaked in Civil Rights. The multiracial tenants include fast-food workers, veterans and elderly and disabled people. Incumbent Councilman Jerry Nichols will attempt to retain his position on the council in Ward Five, as he is challenged by political newcomer Garrett N. Rainey. Check out the Gas Board website. Under the current electoralsystem, the City Council consists of ninecouncil members and a mayor. The mayor also appoints Council members to City Council committees and liaison positions. Rioters were going to target downtown Fayette, where the Garden Club had planted flower beds and people gathered on holidays in the courthouse square. 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. [5], According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.6 square miles (22.4km2), of which 8.5 square miles (22.1km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2km2), or 0.95%, is water.[2]. Sign up for Weather Alerts because seconds matter. We are conveniently located 40 miles from the City of Tuscaloosa and approximately 90 miles to the City of Birmingham. This aint the half of it, baby.. Phone 205-932-5367. 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. I believe it with all my heart.. (Jared Ragland for The Washington Post). You can also pay your bill on-line. A small rural town might not be expected to provide an environment for innovation or acceptance of changing economic trends, but our city has initiated many new products and embraced the evolving business world. I think Fayette dodged a bullet.. The matter involved a Black woman named Ericka Espy Hollis, whose house had burned down. Dont talk to her, talk to them, said the womans daughter, pointing to the board of three White men and one Black man. Im getting tired of this, Virettia said. 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. 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. I know its hard youre his mom and thats your baby, but Im here, Virettia said, waving over another tenant behind on his rent. Thornell authors economic development book. He needs to go to the hospital.. Despite aging buildings and the occasional downed sign, Fayette has been trying to revive its downtown area. Cotton fields, such as this one in Fayette, still permeate the South. The Rot Beneath Green Labels on Forestry Products, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Incumbent Jason Cowart did not qualify for re-election in Ward Three, leaving qualifiers Brad Cox and Tommy Williams to battle for the position. The City televisesregularly scheduled Council meetings liveand on playback on FayTV. Take the high road, people kept advising. Virettia asked him who was on the abatement board. Due to federal intervention decades ago, a Black ward was created to guarantee that there would be one black member of the city council. The White city councilmen: nothing. Her first chance to say something came with the first item on the agenda, covid-19. The mayor is elected at-large. For a full list of our elected officials and department heads including contact information, click here. City Council - Fayette, Alabama All Events This event has passed. Her first reaction was to consider quitting. Fayette, Alabama City Council 'Rule of One' Black Member Comes to an End 1 Read Every Article Esquire Has Ever Published 2 The 35 Best Gifts for Serious Whiskey Drinkers 3 Marvel Is Weird About. 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. She listened as the mayor opened the first regular meeting of the new council. 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. Fayette, AL 35555-2684 (205) 932-4510 . 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.. Address, Phone Number, and Hours for Fayette City Hall, a Town & City Hall, at Temple Avenue North, Fayette AL. The more members the more the Chamber can promote Fayette and Fayette can promote your business. The Fayetteville City Council has establishedboards and commissions. 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. County Information | AL | Fayette County She saw Black women changing politics across the South including next door in Georgia, and soon she was posting a statement on Facebook titled My Why: I am running because Im a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend and I am committed to our city, its residents and making local government work better for everyone.. What bothered her was not Scottie Porters lawsuit or social media postings exactly, but the silence. 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. We have a place for you, a place where your dreams can have a beginning. If you give me time, my trailer might put a value on your home. Here we go pothole, pothole, pothole, Virettia said as they headed into Aliskas ward on the west side of town, past the wood-frame houses and churches where theyd both grown up in families that went back generations in Fayette. [3] The median household income was $25,714 and the median family income was $36,589. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.85. Any of you want to talk further on this? the mayor said, turning to his right and then turning to Virettia, who shook her head no. One on the abatement board in a town that was roughly 73 percent White and 24 percent Black. 35.5% of households were one person and 19.0% were one person aged 65 or older. Fayette is organized in a mayor-council form of city government, with a mayor elected citywide and five council members elected from districts. The population was 4,619 at the 2010 census, [2] down from 4,922 at the 2000 census. 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. The Fayetteville City Council hosts work sessions on the first Monday of every month. 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. Privacy Policy City of Fayette Missouri - Timeless Character, Soaring Spirit. Oh baby, guess what? Cedric said, brightening, telling Virettia about a White woman hed run into at the bank, one of the many hed suspected of spreading the false rumors about him. There were 2,239 housing units at an average density of 257.4 per square mile (99.4/km2). Im right here, she said to the woman. For additional information on events at the Civic Center or to host an event at the Civic Center, please contact Glenda Robertson at 205-932-8727. She is the newly elected City Council member for Ward 1, which includes the complexes she manages. All meetingsstart at 7 p.m. and are open to the public. City Council | Lafayette, CO - Official Website Okay his medication: Hes taking it every day? Virettia asked. That she had won. Mike! she said now, seeing him pass by her office. When I moved to my house it looked like nothing, and I fixed it up. 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. 54 were here. Hey Jerry, the mayor said to one of the other councilmen as he came in. Her third chance came after the mayor went over the budget. 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. Look at the state Constitution. Virettia talks with a resident at the Mayfair Manor apartments in Fayette. Eddie Williams is on it, Cedric said. Preachers: nothing. . The mayor acts as theofficial head of City government and presidesat City Council meetings. You may rent any of several rooms, including the auditorium, for your special event. The Aquatic Center will begin taking Party Reservations on April 3. 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. (Jared. Fayette is a city and the county seat of Fayette County, Alabama, United States. She had replaced it with a trailer approved by the fire chief, a decision some of her neighbors were asking to be overturned by referring to a 1970s ordinance. 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. She was raising two sons. Leading us in prayer will be Wade Jackson, he said. Copy editing by Wayne Lockwood. Fayette County, AL Government Directory and Elected Officials (Jared Ragland for The Washington Post), LEFT: 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. BOTTOM LEFT: A sign for a business in Virettia's ward. One world order. Hes sick. For faster navigation, this Iframe is preloading the Wikiwand page for Fayette, Alabama . Council Meetings - Fayette, Alabama 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. Her father: nothing. Each office holder is elected to a four year term. I kept my yard up. The mayor acts as the official head of city government and presides at City Council meetings. The median age was 40.2 years. THE TIMES-RECORD PO DRAWER 159 FAYETTE, AL 35555 . 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 She tried to remember that this was the whole reason she had run in the first place. The multiracial tenants include fast-food workers, veterans and elderly and disabled people. 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. Can You Prove Those Colonists Weren't Witches? The Fayette Art Museum was founded in 1969 by Fayette City Council and Jack Black, who was the Musuem's Director for 35 years. Aliska Hughes-Monroe and Scottie Carl Porter are seeking the council position in Ward Four. Virettia also manages Valley Cove. So yall ever voted to change the outdated laws? Virettia asked Cedric now. The new mayor had told Virettia he supported her but had said nothing publicly. Bevill State Community College has a location in Fayette. 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. City Council | Fayette, Alabama Sherry Settle represented the Fayette County Board of Registrars at the meeting. Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976. Find 7 external resources related to Fayette City Hall. Social media was aflame with boogedy-boogedy about busloads of Black Lives Matter and Antifa activists coming to wreak havoc in Your Town. She checked to see if the judge had ruled on the case; still nothing. Each council member is assigned oversight for a unit of city government. Subscribe now! (Jared Ragland for The Washington Post), Share your feedback by emailing the author. The per capita income for the city was $16,602. CountyOffice.org does not provide consumer reports and is not a consumer reporting agency as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). And I think developing those relationships is a good thing, the mayor said, moving on. Call us today to get any more information about our county. Mailing Address: 103 First Avenue NW, Suite 4, Fayette, Alabama, 35555-2627 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. A city resident wishing to become mayor must specifically run for that office. There are may things we can do together to continue providing the environment of opportunity Fayette has always enjoyed. Aliska Hughes-Monroe, Virettia's best friend, was elected in November to represent Ward 4. 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. Review our. Welcome to Fayette, a city of opportunities and beginnings. She listened as he told her that he had just gotten the decision. Phone-Number: 334-864-7181 Meeting-Type: regular Submission . The population density was 530.2 inhabitants per square mile (204.7/km2). Mayor and City Council Members. We are fans because she goes out and finds those small stories in small places that nevertheless teach us big lessons about what kind of country we actually are, a question that has stumped us pretty badly so far in 2021. The Fayette City Council is shown at its Sept. 1 meeting that was called to certify the election. (McCrummen won a Pulitzer in 2018 for her coverage of Judge Roy Moore, the Gadsden Mall Creeper, in Alabama.) All ninecouncil members are elected from singlemember districts and only citizens withineach district may vote for each district seat. Gas: 205-932-5269 After Hours: 205-270-0088. A city residentwishing to become mayor must specificallyrun for that office. Whitesides election messed with this informal order of things. It was a resident from somewhere in her ward, telling Virettia that her son was in the county jail and was in need of medical attention. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.7 males. About Us - Fayette Art Museum Like many other Mayfair Manor residents, Zach supported Virettia during her council run. She pretended like she didnt see me. Here lately Ive just been down in the dumps, the woman said, and after they talked awhile, another tenant came by to discuss her sons mental illness. In addition to these . (Jared Ragland for The Washington Post). Wilson died poor and obscure in Yonkers, NY, in . But no one wants to talk about race in this town, she said. Fayette has a variety of things to see and do during your visit. The Fayette Art Museum has over 5,000 pieces of art by nationally recognized artists. [4], Fayette is located in west-central Fayette County at 334131N 874956W / 33.69194N 87.83222W / 33.69194; -87.83222 (33.692068, -87.832358). 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. See complete story in The Times-Record. Fayette is a city and the county seat of Fayette County, Alabama, United States. Now he spent most days at his antique store, happy to share with anyone who asked his belief that if all the Black candidates had won, Fayette would have soon resembled another Alabama town he knew of, an hour to the south, which in his mind had been a charming place when White people had the majority on the City Council. Fayette is a city and the county seat of Fayette County, Alabama, United States. Elections are held separate from state and federal elections. That the judge had dismissed the lawsuit. The tentacles are just so far-reaching, Scottie said. BOTTOM RIGHT: Like many other Mayfair Manor residents, Zach supported Virettia during her council run. When I get through with it, its going to look nice. Mike, come in here, Virettia said, waving him in. The Fayetteville City Council is the electedgoverning body representing the citizens ofFayetteville. For all other departments, please click here. How a White woman hed known for years had asked him to get on a video call so she could see his face when she asked if he really was going to fire all the White department heads if he won, which was not true. Now she called Cedric Wilson, the former city councilman who had lost his bid for mayor. The story takes a twist at the end which I will not reveal, but suffice it to say that McCrummen has brought us a cautionary tale from a small place that brings us a lesson about a number of big things, including who we really are as a nation, which should stump us no longer. We may earn a commission from these links. wind speeds 261-318 mph) tornado 19.6 miles away from the Fayette city center killed 28 people and injured 272 people.. On 3/3/1966, a category F5 tornado 32.6 miles away from the city center killed 58 people and . TheFayetteville City Councilis an elected body representing the citizens of Fayetteville. In her new role, she works to help people beyond the complex. LaFayette | Encyclopedia of Alabama You see what Im saying? We would love to have you come and visit Fayette County and see rural living at its best! Thats why theyre so mad.. [15]. Generally, no votes are taken. 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. 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. According to the Kppen Climate Classification system, Fayette has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. 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. State officials 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 mayor is avoting member of the Council. Their combined presence changed the longtime makeup of the council. She was a full-fledged councilwoman without challenge. Hey Jordan, she said, and began telling him what the woman had told her. 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. 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. Theyd talked previously about what had happened. Climate Normals Quick Access", "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013", "Art by Lois Wilson, known for work on found objects, to be shown starting Monday at BPL (Video)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fayette,_Alabama&oldid=1124978588, Lois Wilson, Outsider artist subject of the documentary, This page was last edited on 1 December 2022, at 15:19. Fayette County was founded on December 20, 1824 by an act of the Alabama Legislature and was named in honor of Revolutionary War hero General Marquis de Lafayette. ? her cousin wrote. 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. That creates the opportunity for minority representation on the council roughly equal to minority representation within thecity'spopulation. Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. From its beginning as one of the earliest towns in northwest Alabama, industrious citizens have captured the future with their visions and dreams. In accordance with that act, four of the nine districts are drawn so that minorities are assured a voting majority within that district. Phone-Number: 334-864-7181 Meeting-Type: regular Submission-datetime: 1/23/2023 . Its a lot of language about us in the Constitution of Alabama thats been there since 1921.. They drove through downtown, then crossed over into Virettias ward on the east side of town, which she had won in a runoff against a White candidate, 184 to 104, with most of her votes coming from her tenants. All council members and Mayor Ray Nelson were present for the meeting. A White woman Virettia had known for years had sent her a private message asking how she was holding up but nothing public. 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. What do you expect people to do???? In 1928, Victor and Lucy Patterson began manufacturing Golden Eagle Syrup in Fayette. The Fayette Art Museum has over 5,000 pieces of art by nationally recognized artists. City Council | Fayetteville, NC Jordan, she said, interrupting. 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. Council Lady Whiteside? the mayor said, turning to his left. The City of LaFayette Alabama website home page