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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

The City of Clanton announced the resignation of District No. 2 Clanton City Council member Wade Watley on March 11, effective March 7. Watley voluntarily stepped down from his position, and the council officially declared the seat vacant at its meeting on March 11, as the motion 2024-03-11-01 was approved unanimously.

“I am very thankful for the opportunity to serve my hometown, but sometimes life has a way of challenging a person to step back, reevaluate and make decisions that are in the best interest of themselves and their family,” Watley said in a statement. “Thank you for the support I was given and all the good folks I was able to meet, especially our city employees. They are the best. I will miss being a part of the great group that has Clanton moving forward.”

The press release included that the city invites residents of District No. 2 who are interested in filling the role to submit a letter of interest and resume to the County Treasurer by 4:30 p.m. on March 19. Only submissions received by the deadline will be considered for the position, and the council expects to fill the vacancy quickly. For more information, or to submit applications, contact Jonathan Seale at jseale@clanton.gov.

“We appreciate Councilmember Wade Watley’s service to our community and wish him well in his future endeavors,” Clanton Mayor Jeff Mims said in a press release from the City of Clanton on March 11. “As we move forward, we encourage qualified individuals from District No. 2 to step forward and contribute to the continued progress and prosperity of the City of Clanton.”

Watley’s resignation also left a vacancy on the Clanton Water Works & Sewer Board being the former Chairman, and a motion to declare a vacancy on it at the meeting was approved unanimously as well. Mims said that Clanton City Council member Awlahjaday Agee will move into the Chairman position of the Clanton Water Works & Sewer Board, and the other spot will be filled soon. Councilman Billy Singleton steps into Watley’s position on the Clanton Zoning Board as well.

Also, during the meeting, the council:

• Declared March 10-16, 2024 as Girl Scout Week in Clanton, and Girl Scout Troop 337 in Clanton joined the meeting for a proclamation reading to make it official.
• Approved a new full-time geographic information systems (GIS) analyst job with the city. For more information on the position, contact Stanley Higgins at shiggins@clantonal.gov.
• Approved to authorize a professional service agreement for bridge inspection services.
• Declared items surplus.