Councilman wants appointment rescinded

By Staff
Leada DeVaney, Hartselle Enquirer
Hartselle City Councilman Tom Chappell is calling on his fellow members to rescind their appointment of Alvin Abercrombie to the city council and is apologizing to the other applicants for the way the matter was handled.
In a letter dated July 29 and sent to Mayor Clif Knight and other council members, Chappell said he was disappointed in the way the appointment was made. He also asks to be placed on the next meeting agenda in an effort to rescind Abercrombie's appointment.
The delay, Chappell said, would allow the council to discuss the appointment at a work session.
Abercrombie was appointed earlier this month to fill the unexpired term of Allen Stoner, who moved to Decatur. At the time, Chappell questioned the speed at which the appointment was made.
The deadline for receiving applications was July 18. The council did hold a work session the following Monday but did not discuss the council applicants. The appointment was made, without discussion, the following night.
"We unanimously decided to announce the vacancy and then were going to discuss the applicants at a work session and make a decision at that point about whether or not to hold interviews or make and appointment without any interviews if there was a consensus selection," Chappell said in his letter. "We did not even get to the discussion. What happened?"
Chappell and Don Hall voted against Abercrombie's appointment. Knight and Councilmen Dick Carter and Frank Jones voted in favor.
Chappell said the matter was never discussed in a work session or a meeting.
"I guess that because you (Knight) were aware that your vote combined with a motion from Frank (Jones) and a second from Dick (Carter) would make for a majority vote than Don's (Hall) vote nor mine would matter and that we did not even deserve to know of this decision prior to the actual vote," Chappell said.
Chappell also sent a letter to the other applicants who had sought the council post.
In it, he apologizes for the way the process occurred.
"I was quite surprised when the appointment was made Tuesday night," he said. "(I) was unaware that this motion was going to be made, seconded and passed, all without giving any of the other applicants the slightest name mention."
Chappell also urges the applicants to contact the mayor and council.
The council received nine applications for the post: Abercrombie, George Hearring, Harry Clarke, Dwight Tankersley, Franklin Turney, Bill Partridge, Diane Quattlebaum, Jerry Putman and Doug Moss.