City of Tallaseee files lawsuit against two mayoral candidates
The Tallassee City Council has filed a lawsuit against mayoral candidates Jeanna Kervin and Trey Taylor contesting their city residency, according to AlabamaNews.net. The residencies were first challenged July 14 at the Tallassee City Council meeting, where locals questioned whether two candidates were legally qualified to run for the position. Council members then voted 3-2 to allow the courts to decide rather than the council. Both candidates argue they are in fact legal residents and plan to continue their campaigns. The election will take place Tuesday, Aug. 23.
Trussville Mayor Gene Melton surrounded by multiple ethics questions, rebukes opportunity to address them
Trussville Mayor Gene Melton has been elected five times, beginning in 1996. While some that this is too long and that the city needs to move forward, Melton believes he deserves yet another term. This year, Melton has drawn two opponents, current City Council President Anthony Montalto and fellow City Council member Buddy Choat. In an unusual move, local residents have also started the “Take Back Trussville” movement, which endorses neither of Melton’s opponents but makes clear their goal is to move the city beyond another Melton mayorship. The founder of the movement, Butch Cole, spoke to Alabama Today after its launch and made clear the fact the group, and himself, wanted a new mayor, saying, “20 years is too long for anyone to be in office.” Last week, Alabama Today spoke to Melton about the race and his opponents, and pointed out a number of errors on his Statement of Economic Interests made from 2011 forward. Speaking about his campaign, Melton emphasized that he was born and raised in the area and that a lot of people in Trussville not only know him, but also know about his history in law enforcement. He stressed the strides in improving education, infrastructure and even the certification of local first responders that have occurred on his watch as ways he has been successful. As for his opponents, Mayor Melton said: “I take the high road, I’m not going to go out there and bash them. I’m running on my record and experience.” Today however, one can only hope he’s taking a break from campaigning and his mayoral duties to address errors on his ethics reports posed by Alabama Today last week. During our interview we had the opportunity to ask Melton about a number of inconsistencies, missing data and wrong information reported in his ethics reports throughout the last five years. Melton has several discrepancies on income and assets on multiple reports filed over a five-year period. Reports Melton noted he personally filled out and filed. The reports in question are his “Statement of Economic Interests,” legally mandated by the Alabama Ethics Commission. The commission’s website cites the appropriate state statutes that cover false and incorrect filings on these statements saying: (e) A person who intentionally violates any financial disclosure filing requirement of this chapter shall be subject to administrative fines imposed by the commission, or shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor, or both. Any person who unintentionally neglects to include any information relating to the financial disclosure filing requirements of this chapter shall have 90 days to file an amended statement of economic interests without penalty. According to his Statement of Economic Interest, Melton claimed he made less than $1,000 as mayor in 2013, a job that pays $60,000 per year and will increase to $75,600 next term. When asked about it, he said, “That had to be a typo or error on my part. I didn’t take a cut in pay and I don’t recall not cashing my checks.” He also noted that, “During all this time, I draw state retirement.” Melton also owns a property at the Country Club Estates, which features properties on Logan Martin Lake in Talladega. On the Talladega property, which appears to make appearances on and off the reports, Melton says, “It’s been there the whole time.” He went on to clarify, “If it’s off, I just failed to disclose it.” The property doesn’t appear on the 2011 or the 2015 reports. Melton admitted it “should be on both of those.” In response to the low price he reportedly paid for the property, he explained, “I got it from my brother-in-law in 1972.” After our interview early last week Melton said, “Now that I’ve been made aware, I’ll go back and make the proper corrections.” Alabama Today reached out to the Alabama Ethics Commission just before their office closed on Friday and was told that they have yet to receive any amended reports. Melton is up for re-election in the upcoming Aug. 23 municipal elections.
Selma’s 5 mayoral candidates participate in weekend political forum
It’s a crowded field of candidates vying for the position of Selma mayor. Five candidates are in the running — Ward 3 Selma City Councilman Greg Bjelke, incumbent Mayor George Evans, Baptist minister Jerria Martin, State Rep. Darrio Melton and former Selma mayor James Perkins Jr. — and Selma residents had the opportunity to hear from each of them at a political forum Sunday afternoon at Selma High School. There, all five candidates shared their platforms and took turns answering questions for 90 minutes. “We’ve got a lot of work to do,” said incumbent Mayor George Evans. “We need some infrastructure changes and street paving, and stuff like that doesn’t come overnight. And so, it’s just going to take a bonafide effort from the citizens of Selma along with city government, education-wise along with industry to build our city. And it can be done.” First elected in 2008, Evans defeated then-incumbent James Perkins Jr., who is making another go for the post. Since his time in office, Perkins became the pastor of a Selma church. “This is just an opportunity for me to share experience, knowledge about what’s going on in our community to help build Selma,” Perkins says. Another mayoral hopeful at the forum was State Rep. Darrio Melton. “Our city is crumbling at its foundation,” Melton told the crowd. “I have experience, I have relationships both in the federal and state level that I think I can use in regards to building our city and moving our city into the 21st century.” Despite her lack of political experience, Jerria Martin, 28, brought youthful energy to the forum. “Even our motto is, ‘From Civil War to Civil Rights and Beyond,’” Martin said. “But my question is, when are we going to get to the beyond? I think it’s time for this younger generation to rise up and be that beyond, and lead us to that beyond.” Selma City Councilman Greg Bjelke said he wants to do more for the city. “I felt as if I was sitting on my hands, and show up to the meetings and yay and nay and go to ribbon cuttings, and that’s all very nice and all, but I wanted to more,” Bjelke, who’s been sitting on the city council to 2011, said. Sponsored by “One Selma,” the event was moderated by WAKA news anchor Darryl Hood and was followed by a city council forum as voters in the Black Belt’s largest city prepare to cast their ballots in the state’s municipal elections Aug. 23.
