Alabama Supreme Court Rules Against Tarrant Mayor

The Alabama Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling on Friday in a case involving the Tarrant Mayor, Chief of Police and City Council. The Court affirmed without opinion the July 2024 ruling by Circuit Judge Pat Ballard (Jefferson County), which held that the City Council, not the Mayor, had the right to fire the Police Chief.

The power to fire the Police Chief is just one area of contention between Mayor Wayman Newton, Chief Wendell Major, and the City Council, led by Councilwoman and Mayor Pro-Tempore Tracie Threadford.

For months, Newton has routinely presented motions during Council meetings to fire Major, accompanied by a list of Major’s alleged failings. The Council has repeatedly rejected these motions.

Despite hiring Major, Newton has tried to fire him multiple times. Newton has likened the Council’s actions to a political power grab, and after the Supreme Court’s ruling made it known that he will be watching to see what they do with their new power, AL.com reported.

The ruling is not expected to apply to many other cities, due to its limited focus on Tarrant’s size (roughly 6,000 residents) and Class (Tarrant is a Class 7 municipality). It will not apply to larger cities such as Birmingham, where the Police Chief is appointed by the Mayor.

Tarrant’s civic clashes made international news in June, 2024, when the UK’s Daily Mail covered the conflict between Mayor Newton and then-City Manager John C. Brown. The day after Brown was appointed, Newton filed suit to have him removed. Judge Ballard ruled in January of this year that the City Council did not have the power to appoint a manager to take over many of the Mayor’s duties.

The acrimony between Mayor and Council reached such a level at a closed meeting this past Monday, April 7 that a police officer was called in to “keep the peace.”