Fairfield City Council

The Fairfield City Council is the elected legislative body for the City of Fairfield. It consists of six members, each elected to represent a voting district, and a president elected at-large. Fairfield previously operated under a Mayor-Alderman system.

The powers of the Council were reduced under legislation lobbied for by then-mayor Larry Langford beginning in 1988.

In November 2012, Mayor Kenneth Coachman began presiding over City Council meetings, citing state law for cities with less than 12,000 residents, noting that the city had fallen below that threshold in the 2010 census. Council President Darrell Gardner filed a legal challenge, arguing that Coachman had called the 2012 election without accounting for a change in government. Judge Eugene Verin ruled against the Mayor and ordered that Gardner should preside over Council meetings and Coachman would not vote in the council.

Fairfield City Council committees include Finance and Revenue and Public Safety

1924

• J. W. Brown
• C. W. Shackelford
• Mrs. C. A. Fiske
• W. F. Luckie Jr
• A. C. Carter

1925

• M. Appleby
• W. E. Brown
• R. H. Bumgardner
• J. C. Fuller
• J. E. Harrell
• J. H. Holmes
• J. T. Phillips
• F. D. Reynolds
• P. Williams
• William Wren

1985

• Jerry Coleman, president
• Juanakee Adams
• Ronnie Cole
• Carstella Scott
• King Smith
• Larnetta Williams
• Charles Willis

1992

• President: Charles Willis
• District 6: Willie Hardley Jr
• Ronnie Cole
• Yvonne Coleman
• Ronald Kidd
• Jerry Kilburn
• Terrence Witherspoon

1996

• President: Charles Willis
• District 5: Jerry Kilburn
• District 6: Willie Hardley Jr
• Marion Evans
• Ronald Kidd

2000

• President: William Murray
• District 3: Roderick Scott (elected April 2003 to fill vacant seat)
• District 4: Michael Johnson
• District 6: Willie Hardley Jr
• Howard Cook
• Marion Evans
• Yvonnne Coleman

2004

• President: Eldridge Turner
• District 1: Frederick Scott
• District 2: Vincent Smith
• District 3: William Murray
• District 4: William Yow
• District 5:
• District 6: Willie Hardley Jr

2008

• President: Eldridge Turner
• District 1: Frederick Scott
• District 2: Primus Mack, appointed January 2011 to fill the vacancy left by Vincent Smith's retirement
• District 3: William Murray
• District 4: Ronald Struthers
• District 5: Jerry Yarbrough
• District 6: Ves Marable

2012

• President: Darnell "Shank" Gardner
• District 1: James "Bubba" Reasor
• District 2: Primus Mack (2012-2014), Gloria Matthews (2014-)
• District 3: Harry C. Lee Jr (chair of Finance and Revenue committee)
• District 4: Paralee Britt
• District 5: Jerry Yarbrough
• District 6: Willie Hardley, president pro tem (chair of Public Safety committee)

2016

• Council President: Eddie Penny (1st term)
• District 1: Frederick Scott and Barakas Taylor, runoff
• District 2: Susan Jo "Rembert" Parks (1st term)
• District 3: Cynthia Turner-McDowell (1st term)
• District 4: Paralee Britt (2nd term)
• District 5: Herman Carnes (1st term)
• District 6: Willie Hardley (7th term)

References

• Chambers, Jesse (January 9, 2013) "Gardner presides over Fairfield city council meeting." The Birmingham News