Marion swears in mayor, council in first meeting Monday night

The city of Marion swore in the mayor and five city council members in their Nov. 3 meeting in council chambers. 

Dexter Hinton was officially sworn in as mayor of Marion and took the oath, pledging to uphold the laws of the United States and the state of Alabama, and to faithfully discharge the duties of his office. “So help me God,” he concluded, before receiving congratulations from attendees. 

Jeremy Arrington took the oath for District 1, which he won in August. Edd Miree was sworn in for District 2 that he won in the Sept. 23 runoff.  

Ann Lecroy is new to the District 3 seat after defeating incumbent Charles Sanders in the Aug. 26 election. In District 4, incumbent Willie Jackson won reelection, and Stanley Kennie won District 5 in August against several opponents. 

Willie Jackson was named mayor pro tem.

In a spirited first business meeting following the recent swearing-in ceremony Nov. 3, the Marion City Council tackled a full agenda, electing new leadership, debating meeting schedules and addressing key procedural updates.  

However, some votes ended in ties which meant nothing changed. 

Councilman Willie Jackson was unanimously elected Mayor Pro Tem after being the sole nominee. 

A proposal by Mayor Dexter Hinton to shift regular council meetings from the first and third Mondays to the first and third Thursdays of each month at 6 p.m. sparked debate. Hinton contended that getting agendas and other information prepared for a Monday meeting is sometimes difficult because of just coming off the weekend. Councilwoman Ann Lecroy supported Thursdays. Councilman Jackson advocated for keeping Mondays, citing consistency and time to prepare bids. The vote ended in a tie, leaving the schedule unchanged for now. 

The council adopted Ordinance 2025-1102-01, which outlines procedures for council meetings. It included returning a public comment period to the agenda at the end of the meeting, placed before any executive session. While some members suggested starting public comment at 5:30 p.m., legal concerns about quorum prompted the council to keep the official meeting start at 6 p.m. Public comment was originally removed because of repetition of subject matter, according to the Mayor.  

Mayor Hinton recommended retaining the current city clerk, police chief and city attorney, praising their service and contributions. However, Councilman Stanley Kennie moved to table the appointments for 90 days to allow new members time to review. The motion resulted in another tie vote, meaning the current officials will remain in place until further action is taken. 

The council passed a resolution that reaffirmed West Alabama Bank, Marion Community Bank and First Citizen Bank as city depositories. A proposal to add a third council member to the accounts led to debate over family ties between the mayor and city clerk Laura Hinton, the mayor’s sister-in-law. Councilman Stanley Kinney expressed concern about two family members signing checks, advocating for broader oversight. Nominations for Councilwoman Lecroy and Councilman Arrington both ended in tie votes, leaving the matter unresolved. However in an executive session it was decided that Councilwoman Lecroy will be the third signatory.