Newbern, Alabama, seats Town Council, looks to move past years-long legal fight

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October 31, 2024

By Dwayne Fatherree, SPLC

Alabama Fourth Circuit Court Judge Marvin Wiggins (at podium), along with Alabama Conference of Black Mayors Executive Director Vickie Moore, standing by the door, swears in the new council members for the town of Newbern at the Newbern town hall on Oct. 27, 2024. From left: James Robinson, Barbara Patrick, Janice Quarles, Mayor Patrick Braxton, Ann Bailey and Marla Cole. (Dwayne Fatherree)

For the first time in four years, the town of Newbern, Alabama, has a legitimately appointed and approved government, with the town’s first Black mayor in its 170-year history at its head.

On Oct. 27, Alabama Fourth Circuit Court Judge Marvin Wiggins swore in five new council members to the Newbern Town Council. The five – Marla Cole, Ann Bailey, Janice Quarles, Barbara Patrick and James Robinson – volunteered for appointment to the council in July. Mayor Patrick Braxton forwarded the list of potential council members to Gov. Kay Ivey, who approved those appointments on Oct. 18.

“It took a while,” Braxton said. “They had to do background checks on everyone before the governor could sign off on them.”

Unlike the previous administration, which was predominantly male and white, the council that serves with Braxton consists of four women and one man, three of whom are Black. According to the 2020 census, Newbern’s population is 92% Black.

Braxton, the town’s first Black mayor, regained the office for a second time after a U.S. district judge in Mobile signed off on a settlement agreement between Braxton and the town on July 23.

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