City of Anniston Council Meeting and Public Hearing On Redistricting Addresses Race

Anniston, AL – The city of Anniston held the regular scheduled work session and city council meeting on February 6, 2024

• Invocation
• Pledge Of Allegiance
• Call To Order
• Roll Call
  • Mayor Jack Draper – Present
  • Ward 1 Councilman Jay Jenkins – Present
  • Ward 2 Councilman Demetric D. Roberts – Present 
  • Ward 3 Councilwoman Ciara Smith – Present
  • Ward 4 Councilwoman Millie Harris – Absent
• Reading/Approval of Minutes of Previous Meeting – Unanimously  Approved 
  • January 16th, 2024
• Additions/Deletions to the Agenda – None
• Adoption of Agenda – Unanimously  Approved
• Recognitions
  • John Valieant – Anniston Historic Preservation Commission Chair
    • The City of Anniston extended its heartfelt gratitude to John Valieant for his unwavering dedication to the Anniston Historic Preservation Commission.
      For more than a decade, John has generously volunteered his time and expertise, guiding the historic commission through over 100 certificates of appropriateness, updates to all the historic guidelines, and other great endeavors. The city also noted via a facebook post, “It is the selfless commitment of civic servants like John that propels our city forward.
      We express our sincere appreciation to you, John, and wish you nothing but the best in your future endeavors!”

• Public Hearing – Receive public comments regarding the City Manager’s Proposed Division of the City
  • Every ten years after a census a redistricting is down to ensure that the wards are evenly distributed.
  • Several residents spoke regarding concerns regarding confusion on the issues. They also stated they were concerned that the black vote would be hurt by the changes. There were questions on the only consideration being population.
  • Mr. Ralph Bradford stated he opposes the map because it takes away from the black voice and shuffles them to dilute the black vote.
  • City Manager Folks explained that race, voting preferences cannot be considered in redistricting. The only thing that can be considered in population. Once population was distributed then race is then documented.
• Unfinished Business – None
• Consent Agenda – Unanimously  Approved
  • Resolution declaring equipment as surplus and authorizing their sale
  • Resolution declaring equipment as surplus and authorizing the donation of said property
  • Resolution appointing a member to the McClellan Development Authority
    • Reappointment of Chris Collins term to expire on March 31, 2027.
  • Resolution designating EMS Medical Director for Anniston Fire Department (AFD) medical director
    • Responsible for monitoring, tracking, audit, and continued training of controlled substances for the AFD.
  • Motion to approve the bid for work jeans, tee shirts, and hoodies for Public Works and PARD employees to Tangibles for work jeans in the amount of $36.50 each and to BSN Sports for tee shirts in the amount of $9.35 – $12.75 each and hoodies in the amount of $41.25 – $46.50 each
•  Resolutions
  • Resolution approving the City Manager’s Proposed Division of the City  – Unanimously  Approved
    • Councilwoman Ciara Smith referred to 2020 census data, highlighting the unequal population distribution across the wards. Smith emphasized that adjustments to ward lines were necessary to address these disparities.
    • Councilman Demetric “DD” Roberts reassured the public, stating that there was no intentional effort to deprive Black individuals of proper representation through the redistricting process.
    •  The new boundaries are slated to take effect for the City Council elections in 2025. They will only impact the city of Anniston elections.
•  Ordinances
  • Amending Section 33.10(c) Prohibiting the carry of concealed pistols without a license – 1st Reading Unanimously  Approved
    • This is reflecting aligning with the state law change that allows concealed carry without license.
  • Amending Section 1.12(b) Describing the Wards of the City – 1st Reading
    • This will outline the precise street-by-street delineation of voting locations exclusively for city elections.
• Additional or Other Matters That May Come Before the Council – None
• Public Comments
  • Ralph Bradford – Mr. Bradford spoke about his disappointment in being heard and stated the City Council Council never addresses the black community. He also stated his work is the reason why there are black council members. He also accused that the reason that the change never happens is to keep white people in power. He also urged black people to vote.
  • Joanna Huddleston – Woodland, Alabama
    • Representing the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, Joanna Huddleston, a member of the local nonprofit dedicated to supporting veterans’ causes, approached the council with a request. She inquired whether the rental fees for the Anniston City Meeting Center could be waived for an upcoming veterans’ event scheduled for April 26-27. She also explained that if the fees were waived, her organization would have the capacity to assist a greater number of veterans.
      • The mayor acknowledged the request and assured her that the council would take it into consideration.
• Council Comments
  • Councilman Jenkins thanked the staff and East Alabama for the hard work on putting the map together. He also noted Councilmember Harris who sis recovering from an injury and hopes she will be back soon.
  • Councilmen Roberts thanked all for coming out. He appreciated the words and the passion. He also asked for respect for the work that is done. He stressed the importance of sitting at a table and having a conversation. He says it gets old people trying to name call and bullying. He wishes there were more conversations than yelling. He stressed that just because, “You are older than me or have been around doesn’t mean you know more than me.” He stated he is a black man on the city council and he does respect the black community, but he isn’t anyones “son” or “boy”. He is done with the insults. He also stated there is a comprehension problem and nothing will happen until that is resolved.
  • Councilwoman Smith acknowledged that she is young, but she said that the black community is its own worse enemy. There were multiple black women who ran against each other in Ward 1. There were two black men who ran against her. She said that the community argues against themselves and the other [white] community doesn’t and that is why the black community cannot get ahead. She stated, “If we want to move forward we have to stop arguing and come together and I don’t think i’ll see it in my lifetime”  She also said, “Shame on Y’all”. She wants to see forward movement.
  • Mayor Draper thanked all those that worked on the map and stated he felt fairly represented the numbers.
• Adjournment – Unanimously  Approved