SPORTS: Highlights from 2017, PAGE 8 Foley resident turns 100 PAGE 4 Flu season more active than usual The Courier PAGE 15-16 INSIDE JANUARY 3, 2018 | GulfCoastNewsToday.com | 75¢ Plexus event in Point Clear Jan. 6 Fairhope mayor responds to questions on Point Clear is one of only 14 communities across the U.S. which barricade use, debris removal contracts will be part of a simul- taneous live training forum for current Writes she will try to remove city legal ads from The Courier and potential Plexus Worldwide Ambassa- By THE COURIER STAFF about The Courier’s cov- Fidler, in which Wilson Mayor Karin Wilson’s of its IT contractor. dors. To find out when erage of those issues. had previously claimed attorney Harry Sat- Upon a careful second and where, head to In a blog post on her Wilson first took aim she had no direct involve- terwhite wrote in an reading of the transcripts Page 3. official blog made Friday, at Gulf Coast Media ment. August 31 letter to The referenced in the Aug. 30 Dec. 23, Fairhope Mayor managing editor Cliff In the Aug. 30 edition of Courier that, in the ar- article, it was not clear Karin Wilson responded McCollum’s reporting The Courier, the article ticle’s quoted transcript to whom Wilson is refer- to questions made about on transcripts received ‘The detail invoice that of instant messages ref- ring when she states “the a disaster debris removal by The Courier regard- was sent I think will get erenced, Wilson was not police dept has lost trust.” contract non-renewal, ing Wilson’s direction of me in trouble’ contained speaking about the police Therefore the Courier re- made comments about an investigation by Elias a sentence on Page 2 that department losing trust tracted the words “in her.” the use of the city’s bar- Technologies into former said “On July 7, Wilson in her but instead that the “The retraction hap- ricades at a private event city employees Sherry writes that ’the police dept police department had and shared her feelings Sullivan and Jennifer has lost trust’ in her.” lost trust in the services SEE MAYOR, PAGE 2 Hero Wipes donated City of Fairhope’s statement on Roy to Spanish Fort Fire Rescue Moore event security called into question The Spanish Fort Fire Rescue Depart- By CLIFF MCCOLLUM regarding their usage. elected officials or em- a far larger crowd bring- by the City and paid for by ment wants to to [email protected] ployees. ing with it a host of public the Moore Campaign. thank Steve Powell The city’s statement “Subsequently, the safety and security con- “Public safety and and Unified Investiga- According to well- Attached to the docu- Moore campaign learned cerns. security is one of the tions & Sciences, Inc. placed confidential ments given to The Cou- that a nationally recog- “For these reasons, City paramount objectives from Spanish Fort for sources, a statement given rier via a public records nized public figure and officials and employees, of the City of Fairhope. the donation of Hero to The Courier by the City request on Dec. 8 was a former cabinet member including Chief Petties, When events such as Wipes. To learn more of Fairhope involving the statement from the may- (sic), Steve Bannon, in- worked with the Moore the September 25th One use of city resources for or’s office, which reads as tended to attend the event Campaign as well as mem- (sic) is scheduled within about the wipes, turn a Sept. 25 rally for then follows: along with television bers of U.S. Secret Service the police jurisdiction of to Page 26. U.S. Senate candidate “The campaign for a celebrity, Phil Robertson. to implement standard Fairhope it is incumbent Roy Moore at Oak Hollow candidate for the U.S. This turn of events caused safety and security pro- on the City to properly Farm contained false in- Senate seat, Roy Moore, the Moore Campaign to tocols in order to protect prepare, plan and imple- formation. scheduled a political reach out to the City for the citizens of Fairhope, ment adequate safety Waterfowl Stamp City-owned barricades event within the police reasons of public safety the attendees of the event procedures to insure the and city employees were jurisdiction of the City of and security. An event within its police jurisdic- health safety and welfare art contest open sent to Oak Hollow Farm Fairhope for September of this magnitude was tion and the candidate of its citizens.” Alabama artists are prior to the event in a 25, 217 (sic). This event expected to draw national and officials attending invited to enter the move that may have was scheduled without attention and media cov- the event. Extraordinary No Secret Service 2018 Alabama Wa- violated state law and notice or advance con- erage. More importantly, expenditures necessitated terfowl Stamp art established city protocol sultation with Fairhope’s such an event also draws by the event were invoiced SEE CITY, PAGE 27 contest, which opened Dec. 11. The winning artwork will be fea- tured as the design of the 2019-20 Alabama Fairhope council passes resolutions involving signing authority Waterfowl Stamp. Mayor Wilson claims move an effort to tion authorized Burrell resolution. a budget — they’ve ex- Find out more about and Robinson to execute “This is something tended this decision to how to enter on “undermine” her any resolution not of a they recommended we Jan 22nd — for the third page 26. permanent nature that do,” Robinson said. time! Rather, it’s an at- By CLIFF MCCOLLUM granted Council Presi- the mayor refused or was tempt to reduce my role [email protected] dent Jack Burrell or unable to execute within Mayor Wilson’s as Mayor, once again, Council President pro seven calendar days after comments since I refused to sign In a special called team Jay Robinson the passage. The resolution Prior to the meeting, the resolution to appoint meeting held Dec. 29, the ability to sign a resolu- would not limit Wilson’s in a post on her official Marcus McDowell to DEATHS PAGE 14 Fairhope City Council tion passed at the Dec. ability to veto resolutions Facebook page on the replace Tut Wynn as our unanimously voted on 18, 2017 council meeting or ordinances that were night of Dec. 28, Wilson new part-time City At- Lisa Newman Baker two resolutions involving that appointed Marcus permanent in nature. wrote the following: torney. Michael Wood Byrd Sr. the ability to sign resolu- McDowell as the new Robinson said the city “Council is calling a “I explained during George William Pulliam tions for the city, despite Fairhope city attorney. had consulted the Ala- special meeting tomor- the work session on Nov Joseph Francis Wiest III protests from Mayor Wilson had refused to bama League of Munici- row morning at 8am. 27th why the City needed Karin Wilson. sign the resolution. palities before pursuing This is not for something The first resolution The second resolu- the passage of the second pressing like passing SEE COUNCIL, PAGE 25 INDEX Gulf BALDWIN LIVING, 4 OPINION, 7 Coast CLASSIFIED, 19 PUZZLES, 6 Media HEALTH, 15 SPORTS, 8 VOLUME 124 • ISSUE 23 LEGALS, 21 TV LISTINGS, 10 1 SECTION • 28 PAGES 2• The Courier • January 3, 2018 • Gulf Coast Media MAYOR campaign prior to the ultimately further divides without going through a Senator Trip Pittman, who email if he had received a CONTINUED FROM 1 event and had been asked the office of the mayor second party. told her he had received letter from Pittman stating for the city’s assistance, and council. His questions Wilson said she chose the RFP but chose not to his company would extend but Conyers said he are typical of his report- to wait to see the article bid due to his campaign the same contract or if it pened, but the damage gave them (Community ing – he implies I’m guilty come out rather than re- for the U.S. Senate seat at was just a phone conversa- to the City was done,” Development Director and asks how I wish to re- sponding to The Courier’s that time. tion. Wilson wrote on her blog. Sherry-Lea Bloodworth) spond and invites council questions directly. Wilson said she was con- Ames replied July 20 “He knew the statement Botop’s contact informa- to point fingers – which “I decided not to answer cerned about the timing of that he had received a was malicious and Gulf tion and did not have any they do. When he finishes the questions and instead the RFP for this contract. phone call from Pope July Coast Media knew, or further involvement with his articles, you will also waited until he posted the “The biggest concern I 10 and quoted the same should have known, that the event or usage of city notice there are never any article to see what was explained to council was message in sent in a July this statement was totally property,” the article said. ‘unavailable for comment’ written, again without the fact that this RFP did 10 email. false, yet they published it Wilson continued by responses from detractors facts, and see how the not go out until six months “I have received a call anyway.” saying she was unaware as his articles are intended detractors responded,” after I requested it,” Wil- from John L. Pope, of Wilson also posted a of the details about the to be a platform for, and Wilson wrote. “I had this son wrote.