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. Males had a median income of $34,271 versus $27,500 for females. The Fayette City Council is shown at its Sept. 1 meeting that was called to certify the election. Like spitting on the sidewalk. The Rot Beneath Green Labels on Forestry Products, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Yet.. Council members and the mayor are not full-time city employees, but they are financially compensated for their time and expenses. One world order. She was walking home on her first day of school when a classmate started pushing her, and another girl told her, Youre going to have to fight. Virettia had never fought in her life but standing there in the strange snow in a strange city, she realized no one was coming to help. Due to federal intervention decades ago, a Black ward was created to guarantee that there would be one black member of the city council. She wanted to call Aliska or Cedric, but before she could do that her phone was ringing. Look at my heart., But that was not reality, she was saying the next morning, sitting in her office. I love you, but you owe me $77, Virettia said. Relevant maps for LaFayette, Alabama LaFayette, Alabama maps, city districts, nearby cities, location These are informal meetings. Design by Tara McCarty. A sign for a business in Virettia's ward. June 2, 2022 by by All ninecouncil members are elected from singlemember districts and only citizens withineach district may vote for each district seat. 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. 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. CountyOffice.org does not provide consumer reports and is not a consumer reporting agency as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). 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. speckle park bull sales 2021 847-461-9794; fayette, alabama city council. After she won, she spoke only of being humbled and grateful, even as she worried about what else could happen. City Council - Fayette, Alabama All Events This event has passed. The Municipal Court has created an Amnesty Program for all defendants that have outstanding balances from cases prior to December 31, 2020. 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. However, that was far from the actual reason, as Porter made clear to McCrummen. I believe it with all my heart.. 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. County Information | AL | Fayette County [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. An indication that the actual power structure might change surely brings the night sweats to the good white citizens of the town. Hes the only Black.. Jordan, she said, interrupting. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.85. 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. Fayette is a town where people have always found opportunity waiting to be fulfilled. 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. All this is you now, Aliska said. Fayette is a city and the county seat of Fayette County, Alabama, United States. Each office holder is elected to a four year term. As hed told Virettia: I felt fooled by 'em. Fayette Map. Yeah you had mfs like me and my sis in your corner, Virettia wrote back. The mayor acts as the official head of city government and presides at City Council meetings. The mega-rich. Fayette City Council votes to charge for abated properties 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. You see what Im saying? This Was Gerrymandering Cloaked in Civil Rights. She was sued by a local white antique dealer named Scottie Porter, a failed council candidate himself and a Trumper to boot, who sought to invalidate Whitesides election on spurious residency grounds. Mayor and City Council Members. Copy editing by Wayne Lockwood. 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. Name Fayette City Hall Address 203 Temple Avenue North Fayette, Alabama, 35555 Phone 205-932-5367 Hours Mon-Fri 8:00 AM-4:00 PM Fayette, Alabama - Wikiwand City of Fayetteville Always one, a situation that had long described the reality of entrenched White power outside big Southern cities like Birmingham or Atlanta. You can also pay your bill on-line. Oh no, youre not going there, said the White woman. Any discussion around that? the mayor said. 35.5% of households were one person and 19.0% were one person aged 65 or older. 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. They have breakfast at 5 AM and dinner as late at 8 PM. 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. That the judge had dismissed the lawsuit. That she had won. Hed run for the wards City Council seat against her best friend Aliska, losing 244 to 51. For a full list of our elected officials and department heads including contact information, click here. 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. Get your date and time reserved early while they are available. All of the City Council's regular meetings are broadcast live onFayTV, the City of Fayetteville's Government Access Channel. Copyright 2015 City of LaFayette Website Development by Red Sage Communications, Inc. Click Here to watch the latest City Council Meetings. 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. I kept my yard up. See complete story in The Times-Record. The Fayette City Council held a public hearing concerning property abatements and later voted to charge the owners for the city's costs for cleanup at six of the abated properties. Her best friend was running in the traditionally Black ward. Hey Jordan, she said, and began telling him what the woman had told her. It was like living through Rod Serlings old Twilight Zone episode, The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street, over and over again. Take the high road, people kept advising. 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. BOTTOM RIGHT: Cotton fields, such as this one in Fayette, still permeate the South. I dont have anything tonight, she said, looking out at the faces in the audience, and then at the mayor. The age distribution was 22.9% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% 65 or older. TheFayetteville City Councilis an elected body representing the citizens of Fayetteville. Bevill State Community College has a location in Fayette. Email Address: Follow She listened as he told her that he had just gotten the decision. Listen to me. 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.. Im talking to you all, Ericka said. 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. Call us today to get any more information about our county. Wade?. Should an appointee fail tocomply with the attendance requirement orfail to attend three regularly scheduledmeetings, the appointee shall beautomatically removed. I worked for that spot. He only has one kidney. Official Facebook page for the City of Fayette Alabama I dont even know where to begin, she said. Its going to look fine. Their combined presence changed the longtime makeup of the council. On Election Day, someone called police to report a possible fight outside a polling place, which turned out to be Virettia and the other Black candidates who were outside greeting voters when the sirens came screaming, and through it all, Virettia tried to maintain her composure. 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. Like many other Mayfair Manor residents, Zach supported Virettia during her council run. Rod, Jerry, Eddy, Tommy, and at the far end of the dais was Councilwoman Virettia Whiteside, now writing something down to keep herself focused. For faster navigation, this Iframe is preloading the Wikiwand page for Fayette, Alabama . I had a fire. Administration - Fayette, Alabama FayTV is available on Spectrum Cable on Channel 7 and video content is also available for viewingonline. LaFayette | Encyclopedia of Alabama The residents have got protection because weve got ordinances, said the mother, going on about declining property values, until Ericka finally stood up. 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. 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. .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. 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. She walked by them, took her seat and began looking over the agenda, thinking about what she might say once she had a chance to speak. 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. From its beginning as one of the earliest towns in northwest Alabama, industrious citizens have captured the future with their visions and dreams. Council meetingsare held in the first floor Council Chamber ofCity Hall, 433 Hay St. Councilwoman Aliska Hughes-Monroe was absent from the meeting with all other council members present. 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. What do you expect people to do???? Free viewers are required for some of the attached documents.They can be downloaded by clicking on the icons below. The Fayette City Hall, located in Fayette, AL, provides municipal services for residents of Fayette. All Rights Reserved. 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 All meetingsstart at 7 p.m. and are open to the public. Over the course of its history our town has been the starting point of many endeavors that became larger than the the city itself. 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. It was a small town. 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. Hey Jerry, the mayor said to one of the other councilmen as he came in. 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. Fayette City Council certifies election results. 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. Fayette City Hall Contact Information. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. Her third chance came after the mayor went over the budget. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of my hometown. To speak before the City Council on a matter of importance fill out and submit this Agenda Request Form. If you give me time, my trailer might put a value on your home. . We are also the home of the Sipsey Arts Alliance. Learn more about our 15-man engineering crew and view their contact information here. He needs to go to the doctor. get driving directions from your location, Fayette County Death Certificates & Records, Voter poll locations and election procedures. This is the position that Mayor Pro-Tem Wilson will vacate to make a run for the mayors job. City Council - Fayette, Alabama The Civic Center will be celebrating their 40th Anniversary on March 25th. Contact Glenda for availability and services provided by the staff. [1] Federal officials The current members of the U.S. Senate from Alabama are: To view a map of U.S. House districts in Alabama and find your representative, click here . 2023 County Office. 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. All council members and Mayor Ray Nelson were present for the meeting. You may rent any of several rooms, including the auditorium, for your special event. These are just two of the companies that had had their beginning here. See complete story in The Times-Record. He owned the Spanish-style house on the edge of the traditionally Black ward that had belonged to Virettias godmother. The Fayette time zone is Central Daylight Time which is 6 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Here in the shebeen, we are longtime fans of Stephanie McCrummen, who is posted in the South and who writes for the Washington Post. The multiracial tenants include fast-food workers, veterans and elderly and disabled people. Its disguised pretty well but its right here among us. 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. 54 were here. The City televisesregularly scheduled Council meetings liveand on playback on FayTV. 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. [4], Fayette is located in west-central Fayette County at 334131N 874956W / 33.69194N 87.83222W / 33.69194; -87.83222 (33.692068, -87.832358). [10] BOTTOM LEFT: A sign for a business in Virettia's ward. The Fayetteville City Council hosts work sessions on the first Monday of every month. Thornell authors economic development book. She needed his advice deciphering Fayettes zoning laws, but she also knew that Cedric had barely left his house since losing the election, and she was worried about him. This type of government was developed in Virginia in 1909 and today is the predominant form of local government in North Carolina. (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. But now it was the summer of protests after the killing of George Floyd. A White woman Virettia had known for years had sent her a private message asking how she was holding up but nothing public. That creates the opportunity for minority representation on the council roughly equal to minority representation within thecity'spopulation. Whitesides election messed with this informal order of things. You will be surprised at what you can achieve here. Fayette is organized in a mayor-council form of city government, with a mayor elected citywide and five council members elected from districts. 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. Every day, the woman said. The mayor acts as theofficial head of City government and presidesat City Council meetings. Its hard even now to believe how crazy with fear the protests last summer made white people in this country. Im telling you this is the best Ive seen him.. 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. At the 2010 census there were 4,619 people, 1,924 households, and 1,206 families living in the city. Rent out our incredible multipurpose complex for your next event. You not ready for the next level if you allowing this pettiness to get to you, her cousin had texted back. She sat down and tried not to cry. BOTTOM RIGHT: Like many other Mayfair Manor residents, Zach supported Virettia during her council run. Look at the state Constitution. RIGHT: Aliska Hughes-Monroe, Virettia's best friend, was elected in November to represent Ward 4. The population density was 575.1 inhabitants per square mile (222.0/km2). City of Fayette | Fayette AL - Facebook (Jared Ragland for The Washington Post), TOP: Virettia talks with a resident at the Mayfair Manor apartments in Fayette. Welcome to Fayette, a city of opportunities and beginnings. Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976. Thats why theyre so mad.. In 2005, City Council began holding informalwork sessions on the first Monday of eachmonth. There were 2,336 housing units at an average density of 273.0 per square mile (105.4/km2). Its mine. He came in and stood in front of her desk. Her father: nothing. One on the gas board. Check back often to see our calendar of upcoming events and our latest county job openings. Why now?. It was also because he believed she had run for nefarious reasons including his belief that she was part of a vast plot by national Democrats and billionaires like George Soros and Bill Gates to retain power at any cost. A newly elected Black councilwoman in Fayette Alabama faces defiance The tentacles are just so far-reaching, Scottie said. Her second chance came a few minutes later, after the police chief gave his report. 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. [3] You got some old ordinances with some old language. City Council | Fayette, Alabama There were 2,239 housing units at an average density of 257.4 per square mile (99.4/km2). We are also the home of the Sipsey Arts Alliance. It was Tuesday, the day of the council meeting, and in the afternoon, Virettia got a call from a White woman in town, a friend of her mothers, who had been the only person to defend her on Facebook. including West Point Lake in Georgia, 15 minutes to the east and Alabama's Lake Martin, 30 minutes to the west. Of the four Black candidates who ran, they were the two who had won. It might look better than yours. Her first reaction was to consider quitting. 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. . 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. But no one wants to talk about race in this town, she said. Virettia closed her eyes and thought about all the things she had wanted to say but had not said during the past months as she felt her legitimacy questioned. 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 . (Jared Ragland for The Washington Post). View map of Fayette City Hall, and get driving directions from your location. This aint the half of it, baby.. See vital information about voting in our county. Check out the Gas Board website. Black citizens are allowed to participate in local government, but not to approach anything remotely like controlling it. People think we dont have a problem, but we do. 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. Rioters were going to target downtown Fayette, where the Garden Club had planted flower beds and people gathered on holidays in the courthouse square. The Council holds special meetings whennecessary; notice of the meeting must begiven to the public and media 48 hoursbefore that meeting. Eddie Williams is on it, Cedric said. 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. Fayette, Alabama - History, Heritage, Natural Recreation and Small Town Fayetteville, NC 28301-5537, Designed by Granicus - Connecting People and Government. Learn about the services they provide and their interest in your safety. About Us. The population was 4,619 at the 2010 census, [2] down from 4,922 at the 2000 census. Fayette Mayor Jeremy Dawson can be reached by phone at (660) 248-5246 or by email at jdawson@cityoffayettemo.com. 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. 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. Virettia asked him who was on the abatement board. Location of Fayette in Fayette County, Alabama. [16], Coordinates: 334131N 874956W / 33.692068N 87.832358W / 33.692068; -87.832358. Just have a conversation with me. 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. City Council | Lafayette, CO - Official Website The city is situated on the southern edge of the Piedmont Plateau. The City of LaFayette, Alabama, the county seat of Chambers County, in East Central Alabama provides the perfect balance between rural and urban life. 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. (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 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. Mailing Address: 103 First Avenue NW, Suite 4, Fayette, Alabama, 35555-2627 But.. 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. Lord give me the strength, Virettia thought to herself. Virettia talks with a resident at the Mayfair Manor apartments in Fayette. City Council - Fayette, Alabama LaFayette's new city park is for every age, every ability, and every neighborhood. 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.' 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. 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. .css-gk9meg{display:block;font-family:Lausanne,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding-top:0.25rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-gk9meg:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.15;margin-bottom:0.25rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 73.75rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}The Rot Beneath Green Labels on Forestry Products, Donald Trump Wants to Make 'The Jetsons' a Reality, They Promised Whistleblowers but Delivered Hot Air, Thomas More Society Joined Election Denial Chorus. We have a place for you, a place where your dreams can have a beginning. Stand behind me show up! Virettia had texted then. She was raising two sons. Can You Prove Those Colonists Weren't Witches? Generally, no votes are taken. 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.