Judge rules Tuscaloosa city council candidate ineligible
City council to call for special election in District 7 (Source: WBRC) By Ugochi Iloka | April 29, 2021 at 12:27 PM CDT - Updated April 29 at 12:27 PM
TUSCALOOSA , Ala. (WBRC) - Circuit Judge Robert Vance ruled Thursday the Tuscaloosa City Council candidate and winner in the District 7 election is ineligible to hold the office to which he was elected.
Court records show Cassius Lanier has been convicted of five criminal offenses, including a federal felony and four felonies under Alabama law. As of March 2, 2021, the date of the election, he had not been pardoned for any of these offenses. Lanier received a pardon from the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Parole only after the election, on April 13, 2021.
UpdatedFri, Apr 30, 2021 at 4:16 pm CT
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Tuscaloosa City Hall (Ryan Phillips, Tuscaloosa Patch)
TUSCALOOSA, AL A circuit judge voided the results of the 2021 District 7 city council race in Tuscaloosa on Thursday after the winning candidate
Cassius Lanier was deemed ineligible to run for elected office due to his past felony record that had not been pardoned prior to him qualifying.
The City of Tuscaloosa will now set a special election date to fill the seat, which was occupied was
Sonya McKinstry, following the ruling by Circuit Judge Robert Vance.
McKinstry lost to Lanier on March 2 by 28 votes and immediately challenged the results.
Tuscaloosa runoff election results for districts 1 and 6 certified tuscaloosanews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from tuscaloosanews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Tuscaloosa homeowner grapples with expensive flood repairs, city says they arenât on the hook
Tuscaloosa drain issues By Jennifer Horton | April 19, 2021 at 8:55 PM CDT - Updated April 19 at 8:55 PM
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Tonya Kuhl has lived in her home on 31st Avenue East in Tuscaloosa since 2015. The year 2020 brought significant flooding, unlike anything sheâd ever seen.
âThe first time it flooded was January of 2020, January was just the tip of the iceberg,â Kuhl explained. âJuly 2020 was when it got really bad.â
Kuhl shared video of storm water surrounding her property following a flash flood in July 2020. The ponding was at least three inches deep in some locations. Kuhlâs rainboots could be heard sloshing through the water as she walked the property. Itâs important to note, Kuhl is not in a flood zone.
Tuscaloosa’s District 7 City Council winner has been pardoned of all past felony convictions – state and federal – and his attorney said he is now ready to take office.
But whether he can now depends on the ruling by a Circuit Court judge, who later this month is set to consider a court challenge to Cassius Lanier’s legal ability to seek and hold office.
Lanier defeated District 7 Councilor Sonya McKinstry by 28 votes – 752-724 – in the city’s March 2 municipal general election that saw 17% of the district s voters cast ballots.
Less than a week later, the two-term incumbent filed a legal challenge to the election and asked a judge to set aside the outcome and declare her the winner because of Lanier’s prior felony convictions.