Malia Riggs
Elmore Autauga News
The Prattville City Council held a special called meeting Wednesday evening at the Doster Memorial Community Center in Prattville. Seven of the eight hopeful candidates vying for the vacant District 1 city council seat had their first public opportunity to speak to the current Prattville City Council members and the public.
The District 1 seat was formerly held by long-time councilman Albert Striplin, who was serving his third term on the council at the time of his passing in late August of this year. The vacancy was declared by the City Council at the September 17 council meeting.
The side room of the Doster Center was full of members of the community. Council president Lora Lee Boone made the announcement before the start, stating that any individuals that talk while candidates are speaking or have electronic devices go off will be asked to leave the meeting, or escorted out by police. This policy was strictly enforced.
The candidates’ names were randomly drawn out of a bag to determine the order in which they addressed the council and the public. Each candidate was sent the same questions, and they each had 10 minutes to address the questions however the candidates saw fit.
All candidates were not in the room during other’s presentations. They were brought in once their name was drawn by City Clerk Paula Barlow.
The candidates are Kenneth Burton, Mellissa Strickland, Russell Sanders, Donald Johnson Jr., Wesley Greene, Christopher “Wayne” Mackey, Ell White II, and George Pickett who chose not to participate, Boone confirmed.
Commonalities multiple candidates recognized were Prattville’s infrastructure, transparency, being proactive and the importance of working together not only on the council but with outside agencies as well.
The appointment will be for the remainder of Striplin’s term, which is less than a year. The municipal elections for the City of Prattville for all City Council seats are set for summer of 2025.
