Phenix City Council seeks approval for voters to elect school board members

Two weeks after replacing the president and vice president of the Phenix City Board of Education, Phenix City Council unanimously approved a resolution on Tuesday seeking approval from the local legislative delegation for a referendum on an elected school board.

Council members voted 5-0 on the proposal that wasn’t on the agenda before the meeting. The vote came two weeks after council opposed the reappointment of board president Brad Baker and vice president Kelvin Redd to second five-year terms and replaced them with zoning board member John Donahue and planning commission member Will Lawrence.

It’s been almost 13 years since voters decided the same issue in December 2013. It failed with almost 57 percent of the voters rejecting the move.

State Rep. Chris Blackshear of District 80 and a former member of the Phenix City Council doesn’t support the action.

“I can tell you personally I’m not in favor of an elected school board even after everything happened recently or the last several years,” he said. “I’m only one vote and I’m not opposed to Phenix City telling people what they would like to see.”

On Wednesday, there were only six days left in 2016 session for action in the Legislature in Montgomery, Ala.

“There is no time to introduce this and have anything adopted this session,” Blackshear said. “This will be something we will introduce in the 2017 session in February. We will work through the process then. I don’t see a vote or hear a voice back from the city before this time next year at the absolute earliest.”

In other council action on Tuesday, the board considered on first reading an amendment to discharging firearms within city limits. Under the proposed change, it shall be unlawful to discharge a gun or other firearm within city limits of Phenix City.

If approved, the new law wouldn’t apply to members of the Armed Forces of the United States, National Guard or peace officers while engaged in official duties or persons exercising the right of self defense or defense of others.

Council will vote on the proposal at its May 3 meeting.

This story was originally published April 20, 2016 at 8:16 PM with the headline "Phenix City Council seeks approval for voters to elect school board members."