Will they or won’t they? Fairhope unsure if they’ll have an Oct. 2 election

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City of Fairhope
[Photo Credit: City of Fairhope facebook page]

Residents of the City of Fairhope, Ala. will head to the polls October 2 to vote in a special election to decide whether or not they will change the city’s form of government. Or will they?

With less than two weeks to go until election day, AL.com is reporting the city is unsure if they election will even happen.

There’s a looming lawsuit that may be filed in the coming days that could ask for an injunction to stop the election altogether.

“There is so much confusion,” said City Councilman Jay Robinson told AL.com.

The ballot box question

Should a potential lawsuit not stop the election and the city proceeds with their existing plans, the question appearing on the ballot will be: Should the city switch from its long-running mayor-council form to council-manager.

The change in government would allow the city to change from a Council-Mayor system to a Council-Manager system. Under the Council-Manager system, a new governing body known as the “Council of the City of Fairhope,” would have the same executive powers and duties of the council, and the mayor would become a member of the council. Meaning the mayor would no longer preside over all city employees, or the council. Instead the mayor would be in charge of ceremonial events, and serve as a representative of the city.