Council member removed for missing meetings

Following an executive session during the Daleville City Council's regular meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 16, City Attorney Henry Steagall announced that the council now has a vacancy."They have a vacancy on the city council now," he said during the meeting. "Council member (Marvin) Wise is no longer on the council by operation of law."According to Alabama Code, any "elected municipal official who misses all regular and special called council or commission meetings for 90 consecutive days, beginning on the date of any absence, shall be removed from office by operation of law."Wise has not attended a city council meeting or work session since he was first arrested on Oct. 18, 2017.Wise also served on the Daleville Water and Sewer Board. He has also not attended a water board meeting since his first arrest.His removal from the city council also means Wise will no longer serve on the city's water board.Wise was arrested on several sex charges, including second-degree rape, second-degree sodomy, enticing a child, possession of child pornography and two degrees of sexual abuse.He has served on the council since 2015. At the time of his arrest on Oct. 18 and Nov. 6, he was still considered to be an acting city council member unless he was found guilty or resigned from the position.Wise was being paid as a member of the council despite not attending meetings since his first arrest.According to Daleville Sun-Courier file stories, the council unanimously voted down an ordinance in February 2016 that would have changed the salary for council members to $100 per meeting attended.The ordinance stated that there would be no compensation for the mayor or council for attending special-called meetings.Wise served on the council at the time of this vote.Following Steagall's announcement, Mayor Jayme Stayton called for a motion to appoint a new council member.No council member made a motion, causing the request to die by lack of a motion.According to the state code, "the council or commission may vote to reinstate the elected municipal official removed from office as provided herein for any mitigating or extenuating circumstances as determined by a majority vote of the remaining voting members of the council or commission, including the mayor if the mayor is a voting member of the council as provided by law."However, the council can appoint a new council member if the members do not reinstate the former council member."If the council or commission does not reinstate the removed elected municipal official... the council or commission shall fill the vacancy as provided by law," Alabama's code states.For any individual interested in serving on the city's council, contact City Clerk Angelia Filmore at (334) 598-2345.The next council meeting will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.