Northport candidates have deadline to file in time for August election
Incumbent Mayor John Hinton has announced he won't be seeking re-election. One of the first to state his intent to run was Dale Phillips, a retired law enforcement officer. Phillips is running for mayor, an office he'd previously sought in 2020.
Of the incumbents, District 3's Karl Wiggins and District 4's Jamie Dykes have announced re-election plans. Other incumbent councilors include Christy Bobo, District 1, also the council president; Woodrow Washington, District 2; and Anwar Aiken, District 5.
More: Northport Mayor John Hinton says he won't seek re-election
Those announcing intent to run for those offices include Turnley Smith for District 1; Zach Stone for District 2; Jamie Conger for District 3; Holt Clark for District 4; and Danny Higdon for District 5.
To qualify as candidates, Northport citizens must be residents for 90 days or more preceding Aug. 26, fill out paperwork and pay fees.
Those seats have been hot ones since summer 2023, when loud opposition arose to the council's plan for selling the 70-year-old Northport Community Center Park, to developers hoping to build a mixed residential and retail site. After six months' due diligence period, the proposal was dropped that December.
That fall, the Kentuck Art Center, struggling with the council's proposed contract for 2024 and beyond, announced they were seeking a new home for its annual centerpiece festival. For the first time in its more than fived-decade existence, the Kentuck Festival of the Arts moved out of Northport's Kentuck Park, and into Tuscaloosa's recently renovated Snow Hinton Park. The 2025 54th Kentuck Festival of the Arts will return to Snow Hinton Park, Oct. 11-12.
Residents also vociferously objected to what some termed a "bait-and-switch," when the council evolved its University Beach plan from a relatively modest 11-acre water park to a 76.2-acre mutli-use site, planned at a cost of about $350 million. In May, the council voted 3-2 to approve a rezoning request and special district plan, despite again heated objections.
Texas-based developer Kent Donahue has offered images and information projecting a 10-acre lagoon, water park, hotel, dining, retail, residential facilities, and spaces for performance, rental events and a conference center.
In March 2024, Jeff Hogg, former city council president, announced he was stepping down, due to ongoing threats and harassment.
The controversies drew overflow council meetings, at Northport's City Hall, and spurred creation of the Northport Political Action Committee, whose platforms include strengthening community engagement, ensuring transparent and accountable government, fiscal stability, infrastructure investments, economic development, sustainable growth, enhanced community spaces, and competitive and fair-step raises for city employees. NPAC has endorsed in all the races: Phillips, Smith, Stone, Conger, Dykes and Higdon.
On Tuesday Aug. 26, the polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CDT at each of the district polling locations:
District 1: Northport City Hall, 3500 McFarland Blvd.
District 2: New Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1317 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
District 3: Daystar Family Church, 3975 Watermelon Road
District 4: Northport Fire and Rescue Station No. 2, Union Chapel Road
District 5: Flatwoods Baptist Church, 4520 70th Ave.
If runoffs are necessary, they will be held Sept. 23.
Reach Mark Hughes Cobb at mark.cobb@tuscaloosanews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: June 24 deadline set for Northport council, mayor candidates
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