Alabama town gets first Black mayor, but the previous one won't leave

Newbern is a Black-majority town in rural Alabama that, according to residents, has never had an election. Patrick Braxton ran to become its first Black mayor in 2020. With no opponent, he ascended into the office by default, but you’d never know it. The previous mayor, Haywood “Woody” Stokes III, is still serving as mayor, despite the fact that he failed to submit the necessary paperwork to even run for the role. Before Braxton, the position of mayor in this town had always been passed down from white friend to white friend.  

Stokes initially tried to dissuade Braxton from running because he said the town of 245 people couldn’t support an election. After all, Stokes said, they “don’t have ballots or machines to do it.” So Braxton headed to the county seat of Greensboro and got all the paperwork he needed, following the rules to the letter, and shelling out the funds for the filing fee. Stokes didn’t bother to do any of that. Braxton assumed office and was advised that he should appoint the town council members, marking the first time the Black-majority council truly represented the majority-Black town. In November 2020, the council and Braxton were all sworn into office together.

But it appears a conspiracy to hold power by the former council was created soon after the swearing-in. Former members of the predominantly white town council, all of whom failed to file their own required paperwork, held an undisclosed and illegal meeting to arrange a special election to fill their own seats.

Their first order of business was to hold another meeting—with no public notice—and reappoint the former mayor, Stokes, as the new mayor.

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