Northport District 3 Candidates Weigh In On Appointment Vs. Special Election To Fill Seat

NORTHPORT, AL — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey this week received the names of three candidates for consideration as the City of Northport looks to fill its open District 3 seat on the City Council.

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However, the appointment process itself and the behind-the-scenes dysfunction leading to a lack of consensus on the Council in support of one candidate led to a gridlock and prompted calls for a special election to fill the seat from candidates and citizens, alike.

As Patch reported on Thursday, Northport City Administrator Glenda Webb submitted the names of three of the seven candidates who applied.

These candidates are Jason Barksdale, Kevin Pate and Karl Wiggins.

State law gives Ivey 30 days to make the selection from the list, with the City of Northport requesting the selection be made no later than very early in the week of March 27.

What's more, the law dictates that if the governor is unable or unwilling to make an appointment to the open seat within 90 days of the vacancy occurring, then the Tuscaloosa County probate judge will then be tasked with conducting a special election to fill the seat.

This first applicant to speak out publicly on the matter was Tuscaloosa attorney Jaime Conger, who interviewed for the open seat, but was not one of the three names submitted to the governor.

ALSO READ: Seven Candidates Apply For Open Northport Council Seat

"When this vacancy became available, I immediately answered the call and put my name forward," she said in a formal statement on Friday. "And now, please know that if this comes to a special election, I will again put my name forward to serve my neighbors. If you believe that the citizens of District 3 should be allowed to vote for their own representative, please contact the Governor's office and ask her to call for a special election."

Jason Barksdale, owner of Northriver Lawn and a 1996 graduate of Holt High School, told Patch that he wouldn't oppose the matter going to a special election. If this turns out to be the case, it would effectively start the entire process all over again, with candidates required to qualify to appear on the special election ballot.

What's more, it would also provide an opportunity for additional candidates to qualify who might not have submitted applications for the District 3 appointment.

"I went through the open application process, interviewed, and [Thursday] learned from social media that my name was on the list of candidates that the council sent to Montgomery for consideration," Barksdale said. "And if it is decided to be a special election, I wouldn’t oppose that either. I’d run, because I want to serve District 3."

The City of Northport describes District 3 as:

"Areas located east of Highway 69 and north of McFarland Boulevard. This district includes Vestavia, Archwood, Northwood Lake East, and Lakeview Estates Subdivisions, areas south of Highway 69 to McFarland Boulevard and over to Watermelon Road; Vestavia, Vestavia East, Lakeview Estates and other subdivisions east of Hunter Creek Road."

Click here for a map of District 3, with district boundaries marked in red.

Wiggins — who works as vice president of information technology at Randall-Reilly — had a similar viewpoint as Barksdale and said his primary goals are to see Northport grow responsibly, supported by its infrastructure, and improve as a place to live.

The last few weeks have arguably presented a most unfair stretch for Wiggins, as the City of Northport felt it had no choice other than seeking an informal opinion from the Alabama Ethics Commission after questions were raised about a potential conflict of interest on the council when his name entered the conversation.

As Patch previously reported, this was due solely to the fact that Wiggins and District 1 Councilwoman Christy Bobo work for the same company, with the Ethics Commission ultimately saying there was no conflict it could find.

"This whole process got started by the former mayor resigning in the middle of a meeting, so let's remember to put the responsibility for this where it's due," he told Patch, referring to the abrupt resignation of former Northport Mayor Bobby Herndon. " I do wish that the council had selected a District 3 representative as state law required rather than sending the issue to Montgomery. I’m sure that they had reasons for this. I'm comfortable with the process playing out. I would be honored to serve as the council member for district 3 if appointed or elected."

Even Herndon, whose sudden exit from the city's highest office kicked off the chaos in Northport City Hall, has issued calls for a special election, saying he would prefer to see the people decide.

"I hear all the conversations about getting someone with a servants heart," he posted on Facebook Tuesday. "That sounds awesome, but make sure that heart is for the citizens of our city and not for an allegiance elsewhere. Governor Ivey and I are friends but she does not know district 3."

Pate, a retired Tuscaloosa firefighter and Tuscaloosa County High graduate, was brief in his response when contacted by Patch and voiced his support for an appointment from the three candidates submitted to the governor, as opposed to starting the process all over again to fill the seat being filled by special election.

"We need to fill this seat as soon as possible," he told Patch. "Appointment will be the quickest way."

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