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July 22, 2008

Alexander candidacy questioned

By Patrick McCreless

PATRICKM@CULLMANTIMES.COM



HANCEVILLE — Questions were raised about an employee’s right to run for city council during a special session of the Hanceville Water and Sewer Board Tuesday.

After the board spent an hour in executive session, board member Junior Brooks raised the issue that according to their employee handbook, an employee of the board may not run for public office in the city without first asking permission. In addition, if that employee is allowed to run, he or she must take a leave of absence during the campaign.

The issue was raised due to Water and Sewer Board Co-manager Sally Alexander’s recent qualification for Hanceville City Council Place 2.

Alexander, who did not ask for permission from the board before qualifying, quickly defended her right to campaign for public office, stating she is an employee under contract and is not bound by the rules of the employee handbook.

“The only thing from my contract taken from the handbook is my pay,” Alexander said.

Alexander agreed to bring a copy of her contract for the board during the next meeting.

Board member Gwen Headrick said she did not agree that Alexander should have been questioned about her campaign’s legitimacy during the meeting.

“I think it’s a little childish at this point to even bring this up at this point,” Headrick said.

Also running for Place 2 is incumbent Larry Cornett, who is a member of the water board. Cornett nominated Brooks for his current position on the board after the death of board member Paul Callahan earlier this year.

Cornett was not present at the special session.

In other business, the board unanimously agreed to advertise for a manager for both the sewer and water treatment system. The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) filed a lawsuit against the board in June, citing multiple permit violations committed by the city’s wastewater treatment plant. One of the lawsuit’s demands is that the board hire a overall manager.

The board agreed to advertise the open position in several Alabama newspapers for 30 days.

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