0705 courier

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Food and Farming Network to host ‘visioning assembly’ in Fairhope, PAGE 29

Kayaking holds therapeutic value for military veterans

The Courier INSIDE

JULY 5, 2017 | GulfCoastNewsToday.com |

Woman contracts flesh-eating virus in Fairhope A 70-year-old, retired teacher from Mississippi says she has contracted vibrio vulfinicus bacteria in Fairhope. It is unclear whether the bacteria came from local waters or shrimp she was using as bait. For more, see page 31.

Point Clear Rotary awards $10,000 scholarship The Point Clear Rotary Club awarded its $10,000 scholarship for 2017 to David Hollie. For more, see page 30.

PHOTOS BY CLIFF MCCOLLUM

On June 29, Thomas Hospital hosted and open house and tours of the hospital’s newly finished Breast Center. Officials from all three Eastern Shore cities were on hand for the event, which also included a ribbon cutting from the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce.

Fairhope council denies mayor’s resolution to hire her own attorney Proposal fails due to lack of motion cliff@gulfcoastmedia.com

USA Mitchell Cancer Institute has been named a Melanoma Center of Excellence for its expertise and treatment offerings for the most serious form of skin cancer. For more, see page 3.

DEATHS

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Daniel Scott Ashwander

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Thomas Hospital opens new breast center facility

By CLIFF McCOLLUM

USA Mitchell Cancer Institute named a Melanoma Center of Excellence

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Fairhope Mayor Karin Wilson’s resolution that would have allowed her to contract a lawyer for her office failed during last week’s Fairhope City Council meeting due to the lack of a motion from any of the council members. Wilson was at a mayors’ conference in Miami during the meeting, but she sent Mobile attorney Harry Satterwhite, whom she had hoped to be able to retain as her attorney with the resolution, to speak on her behalf. “She contacted me a couple of weeks ago about concerns that she has about the relationship she has with the council,” Satterwhite said. “It’s her perception that there’s a lot of tension with the council, a lack of cooperation, a lack of communication, a lack of information that she is getting, but of

course I understand the council has its own views and its own opinions of that.” Satterwhite advocated the council approve the resolution allowing Wilson to negotiate an agreement to hire a lawyer for her office for up to $15,000, saying the relationship would be similar to the model the city of Mobile has. Satterwhite added that mediation between the mayor and council could prove useful for the city. “We’ve also suggested we conduct a mediation where we come together with a mediator in a nonbinding situation and see if we can all come together with a solution on this,” Satterwhite said. In previous letters sent to the council and Fairhope City Attorney Marion “Tut” Wynne, Satterwhite had threatened legal action against the city if Wilson was not SEE MAYOR, PAGE

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Fairhope councilman lays out issues between council, mayor in letter By CLIFF McCOLLUM cliff@gulfcoastmedia.com

On June 27, Fairhope City Councilman Robert Brown issued his own letter to Fairhope Mayor Karin Wilson, the other members of the council and attorney Harry Satterwhite, whom Wilson had hoped to hire as her attorney through the council’s vote June 26. During the June 26 meeting, Brown told Satterwhite he would be sending a letter to explain

why he didn’t feel the need to meet with the mayor or Satterwhite regarding the issue of Wilson being allowed to hire her own attorney.

Brown’s letter reads as follows: “This letter is in response to both your initial letter to council on June 9, 2017 as well as your letter on June 23, 2017. Mr. Satterwhite, I am not sure if you are aware of what I would consider disruptive actions and events since

all of us took office on November 7, 2016. So I want to recap these events so you can have my perspective why I did not support hiring your firm. These issues might not be in chronological order, but I believe that is irrelevant. - Sherry Lea Bloodworth-Botop hired as Economic & Community Development Dir. - Heather Hudson fired - Mayor Wilson fires Sherry Sullivan and Jennifer Fidler, two of SEE COUNCILMAN, PAGE

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Differing invoices submitted for investigating former Fairhope employees Questions arise on misuse of police contract By CLIFF McCOLLUM cliff@gulfcoastmedia.com

Two invoices from Elias Technologies to the City of Fairhope were recently given to The Courier and appear to show work equipment used by former city employees Sherry Sullivan and Jennifer Fidler

were sent to be examined and searched by Elias, a IT forensics company, at the request of Fairhope Mayor Karin Wilson. The invoices from the company both have the same invoice number, billing date and case title, but the details and amounts charged for the work differ

INDE X

between the two. Official sources within the city have confirmed both invoices were sent to City Treasurer Deborah Smith, one original with a larger billing amount and a revised invoice sent at a later time. SEE INVOICES, PAGE

Gulf Coast Media

BALDWIN LIVING, 5-6

OUT & ABOUT, 18

CLASSIFIED, 7-8

PUZZLES, 9

HEALTH, 16-17

SPORTS, 22-24

VOLUME 123 • ISSUE 49

LEGALS, 25-28

TV LISTINGS, 12-15

1 SECTION • 32 PAGES

OPINION, 10-11

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