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By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

PELHAM – The Pelham City Council appointed Bob Lavett to the Pelham Board of Education and officially swore in Ed Delmore as the city’s new police chief at a regularly scheduled City Council meeting on Monday, April 7.

The meeting also saw the council celebrate and honor Brent Sugg, who is leaving Pelham and his job as police chief, opening the door for Delmore to take over.

The focal point of the night, however, was Lavett’s appointment to the Pelham BOE, which had council members and residents landing on different sides of the fence.

Council members had previously shared discontent with the process in previous meetings, which came to a head with a decision looming.

Council member David Coram emphasized sticking to the process rather than changing it due to an undesirable outcome.

“I’m of the mind that we need to stick to the process, because it has worked like it has every time,” Coram said.

The race for the BOE seat came down to two candidates, Bob Lavett and Kayla Self. With the City Council split on who to nominate, Council member Michael Harris explained why he supported Lavett during the work session.

“The candidate that I’m supporting, Mr. Bob Lavett, has the experience and the qualifications that matter the most in this position,” Harris said. “Sometimes things just aren’t reflected on a score… I’m making this decision based on what’s best for our community, our schools and our kids… This is about choosing the right person for the job, even if they don’t have the highest score next to their name.”

Council member Rick Wash stated that the process for selecting the new BOE member became skewed due to personal biases and preconceived notions.

“If we have a preconceived notion, and rate one candidate higher or lower because of whatever reason… it throws (the scoring system) off,” Wash said. “The system only works when we grade (unbiasedly).”

Council President Maurice Mercer cited that previous qualms about the selection process for board appointments were shut down, with the council vowing to stick to the processes in place. Mercer expressed his disappointment with the sudden change in thought from his fellow council members, explaining the situation to those in attendance.

“We’ve got two candidates that are both qualified in their own right,” Mercer said. “But only one has a lower score. Only one is in everybody’s top three. Only one is active in the PTO. Only one represents the special needs community. Only one has a child in the system. Anything that we do different from the process hurts that one.”

Mercer was indirectly referring to Self in his remarks, who scored higher than Lavett in the BOE evaluations. Leverett cited that his frustrations with the process arose from a candidate not turning in the required materials for the interview process on time.

“They shouldn’t be considered,” Leverett said. “And we went ahead and interviewed them anyway. So I didn’t rate them because they didn’t turn their stuff in on time.”

Ultimately, the council voted to approve Lavett to the city council agenda by a vote of 4-1 and then voted to approve him to the BOE position by a vote of 3-2. Mercer and Coram both voted against approval, while Wash, Leverrett and Harris voted in favor.

“I’m not voting in the affirmative because we didn’t follow precedent in the appointment process,” Mercer said. “Following precedent ensures a fair and consistent approach free from political influence, and helps maintain public trust by showing that decisions are based on qualifications and established procedures, not shifting political agendas.”

Mercer also cited the city’s Civility and Cooperative Leadership Pledge, passed in 2021, which ensures an unbiased council and a respect of differing opinions. With the contentious board appointment, Mercer believes the council veered from the pledge.

“I disagree with this decision because the person that received the lowest amount of points is not the person that we’re appointing,” Coram said. “Today is a sad day for the city of Pelham. It is a sad day because not only is the majority not following the process that we had in place that has always been successful, and was successful this time, but instead they are letting politics stand in the way of representing a vulnerable group of students in our city, our special needs students… It is sad that politics has silenced (special need students). Therefore, I cannot support the majority decision to select Bob Lavett for the school board.”

Bree Amidon also expressed concern with Lavett’s appointment in public comments.

“I was just informed that the person who got the best scores is the person you all are not voting for,” said Amidon, a Pelham resident. “I’m sure (Lavett) is a lovely person, but he is not what is best for our schools.”

In addition to the school board approval, the city council also swore in Delmore to his position as police chief.

The room was full of emotion, as dozens traveled from across the country to support Delmore’s new chapter. After being sworn in, Delmore cited the efficiency of Pelham and the leadership of Chief Brent Sugg as reasons why he’s excited for the new job.

“They (Pelham) hire really well, they hire really good people, well-educated people of good character,” Delmore said. “In the last two years, Chief Sugg has built this operation into a well-oiled machine, one that a new leader doesn’t have to come in and tear down.”

Delmore laid out his priorities for his first few months in office as well.

“I’ll literally be meeting with every employee of the department, not just in my office, but going out where they work and getting to know them and what they think the direction of the Pelham Police Department should be,” Delmore said.

The resolution for consideration to authorize the funding and phasing of Pelham City Park baseball complex improvements passed in a 4-1 majority. Coram dissented, citing the project’s price and focus as a main concern.

“I think there’s certain things that are probably more important that touch more people in our city, and for that reason, I’ll be voting no on this,” Coram said.

Phase 1 of the project would cost approximately $3.2 million, while Phase 2 would cost approximately $1.8 million.

“There is no sport in Pelham that brings more kids into the park system than baseball,” said council member Chad Leverett, noting the importance of the project.

The consent agenda for the meeting then passed unanimously, with the following items on the agenda:

• Resolution 2025-04-07-02 for consideration to participate in the WBRC Fox 6 2025 Summer Staycation Campaign. This project was budgeted for fiscal year 2025.
• Resolution 2025-04-07-03 for consideration to appoint citizens to fill the vacancies in Place No.’s , 3, 4 and 5 on the city of Pelham Commercial Development Authority. The council appointed Matt Jaeh, Eden Roy, Chris Arvin and Keltin Garrett to the places within the CDA.
• Resolution 2025-04-07-04 for consideration to accept the lowest and most responsive bid from Mark Johnson Construction, LLC for upgrades and improvements at Sewer Lift Stations “KOA” and “P” and to authorize the mayor to execute the Notice of Award. This project was budgeted in fiscal year 2025.
• Resolution 2025-04-07-05 for consideration to accept the lowest and most responsive bid from Central Alabama Asphalt Construction, LLC for the city’s FY2025 street resurfacing projects. This project was budgeted in fiscal year 2025.
• Resolution 2025-04-07-06 for consideration to accept the lowest and most responsive bid from TriGreen Equipment for a remote-controlled commercial mower for the Public Works Department. This purchase was budgeted in fiscal year 2025.
• Resolution 2025-04-07-07 for consideration to approve a Water Resources, Conservation, and Emergency Plan for the city of Pelham.
• Resolution 2025-04-07-08 for consideration to accept the sole bid, plus alternate, from Sport Resource group for street hockey dasher boards and netting for the Parks & Recreation Department. This purchase was budgeted in fiscal year 2025.
• Resolution 2025-04-07-09 for consideration to accept the CAWACO R&D grant in the amount of $7,500.00 for benefit of the Pelham Garden Club.
• Resolution 2025-04-07-10 for consideration to accept the lowest and most responsible bid from Stone & Sons Electrical Contractors, Inc. for the U.S. 31 Roadway Lighting Project. This project was budgeted in fiscal year 2025.

Four public hearings were then held during the council meeting.

• A public hearing to consider revisions to the city of Pelham’s Zoning Ordinance
• A public hearing to consider revisions to the city of Pelham’s Code of Ordinances for Business Licenses.
• A public hearing to consider altering, rearranging, and increasing the corporate limits of the city of Pelham by annexing certain real property owned by Stephen Allen Thompson and Mary Jeanette Thompson, Parcel Nos. 14 4 18 4 001 099.001 and 14 4 18 4 001 005.003, containing approximately 1.12 acres, located at 1063 Shelby County Highway 72, Pelham, Alabama 35124.
• To consider altering, rearranging, and increasing the corporate limits of the city of Pelham by annexing certain real property owned by Benjamin Thompson and Katie Thompson, Parcel No. 14 4 18 4 001 005.009, containing approximately 1.510 acres, located at 1060 Shelby County Highway 72, Pelham, Alabama 35124.

Following the public hearings, the city recognized two retiring employees, both from the Pelham Police Department. Jeanie Davis was honored for her service as the Communications & Records Manager within the Pelham Police Department, while Sugg was honored for his two years of service to the city of Pelham. Sugg spoke on the impact Davis had during her tenure.

“You have had a huge impact on people’s lives,” Sugg said. “Not just the people in the department, but the people in our community… We are very grateful for your years of service to the city of Pelham and we wish you the very best in your retirement.”

In an emotional moment, DiFante expressed her appreciation for Sugg and bid him farewell.

“What I appreciate about you most is your heart, and how much you really do care about people and how much you pour yourself into those around you,” DiFante said. “We love you, and we appreciate you so much.”

Sugg remarked on how unique the community of Pelham is in his final remarks as police chief.

“This community, this city, everybody has been truly amazing,” Sugg said. “I am very much going to miss everybody here… Pelham has had a huge impact on me.”

The council then moved to new business, with the following items approved unanimously:

• Resolution 2025-04-07-11 for consideration of ABC license 140- Special Events Retail for applicant Margarita Grill, LLC operating under the trade name Margarita Grill Cinco de Mayo 2025 located at 234 Cahaba Valley Road, Pelham, Alabama 35124.
• Resolution 2025-04-07-12 for consideration to authorize a cost-of-living adjustment for the Pelham city manager per the Employment Agreement dated March 18, 2024, retroactive to January 1, 2025. This expense was budgeted in fiscal year 2025.

The council then approved the following ordinances:

• Ordinance No. 520 to alter, rearrange and reduce the corporate limits of the city of Pelham by deannexing certain real property owned by the North Shelby Library District, Parcel No. 10 6 23 0 001 018.002, containing approximately 4.490 acres, located at 5521 Cahaba Valley Road (Alabama Highway 119), Birmingham, Alabama 35244.
• Ordinance No. 521 for consideration to authorize and establish use of certain electronic vote counting devices and a system accessible for individuals with disabilities for the city of Pelham Municipal Elections.

The next regularly scheduled Pelham City Council meeting will take place on Monday, April 21.