By Carmen Rodgers
Elmore/Autauga News
The City of Prattville will hold a special election for the District 4 Council seat. The seat was vacated when District 4 representative Jerry Starnes resigned after he was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives District 88 seat.
The election will be held on Feb. 28 at Glynwood Baptist on McQueen Smith.
Three candidates are running for the District 4 seat. In order of qualifying, they are Tommy Merrick, Andrew Allen Buffkin and Antonio Richards.
“We look forward to the election,” Prattville Mayor Bill Gillespie said.
A special election can be costly, with a price tag of around $20,000. This is one reason that Gillespie is hopeful that one of these candidates will be elected on Feb. 28. However, with three candidates in the running, if no one gets 50 percent + one vote, there will be a runoff election.
“I hope there’s no runoff,” Gillespie said. “I personally have been in a run-off, it’s not good. It’s not easy on spouses. Also, on the financial side of it if there is no runoff that’s less expense for the city.”
The Prattville City Council could have chosen to appoint a representative for District 4, but with three years remaining in this term, it was decided that a special election would be more fitting.
“In the past, when there was a vacancy in a council seat, there has been a council appointment. This council did have options. Not all municipalities have those options. We’ve had a history of when a vacancy has come open the council has gone through an appointment, at least four times that I am aware of,” Gillespie said.
Typically, municipal elections are held every four years. In 2021, Alabama Senate Bill 119 changed the election cycle to separate from the presidential election cycle. This new legislation means some elected officials will stay in office until at least 2025.
“Normally in the State of Alabama, we have a four-year quadrennium. The Legislature authorized a five-year quadrennium. I can’t speak for the Council. I did give them options of an appointment or a special election. I think the council weighed all the different options and because of that extra year added on that’s probably a good reason why they decided to go this route,” Gillespie said.
If you have driven through Prattville’s District 4, you have most likely seen the campaign signs lining the streets. Those will soon come down, but it will not be too far down the road before a fresh crop of campaign signs will begin to sprout.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Gillespie said. “I’ll be glad when the signs go away, and they will come back again in 2024 for the county and statewide elections, and the municipal elections in 2025.”
Election polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. on election day. For more information, contact 334-361-3609.
