Bailey’s interim mayorship extended through 2018
MOUNTAIN PINE — Tambrea Bailey will continue wearing the interim tag aldermen gave her earlier this month, serving as Mountain Pine mayor through the end of the year.
The Mountain Pine City Council elected Bailey at its regular monthly meeting last week to serve the remainder of Rick Petty Sr.’s term. Citing health reasons, Petty resigned May 1.
Bailey is a graduate of Mountain Pine High School and has worked for the city since 2003.
Her new position required her to resign as city recorder/ treasurer, but Bailey said she hopes to return to that office at the conclusion of her mayoral stint. She was re-elected in 2016 to serve through 2020. City Attorney Terry Diggs said the council will fill the vacancy at its next regular meeting June 18.
The council tapped Bailey to serve in Petty’s stead earlier this year and voted 6-1 to keep her on through the end of the year at its May 21 meeting. Alderman Jonathan Arnold was the lone council member to oppose Bailey’s election, according to minutes from the meeting.
The state’s local government code allows mayoral vacancies in towns with 2,500 or fewer residents to be filled by the council or by special election. The filing period for mayor and other council positions up for election in November is July 27 to Aug. 17, according to the secretary of state’s election calendar.
The council convened a special-called meeting Tuesday night to consider an ordinance allowing Bailey to continue serving as the city’s water clerk during her interim mayorship.
According to the minutes of the May 21 meeting, Alderwoman LaTonya McElroy’s informal polling showed a consensus among residents for installing Bailey as the city’s chief executive.
Bailey is effectively serving out the second term former Mayor Robert Palmer was elected to in 2014. The council elected Petty as interim mayor after Palmer resigned in July 2016. Petty defeated Randy Kuykendall 100-36 in a November 2016 runoff to serve the remainder of Palmer’s term.
The council ratified the appointment of Morgan Wiles, CEO of Morfe Properties, the window manufacturer, retailer and installer that last year purchased the 389-acre site that was home to Weyerhaeuser’s Mountain Pine operation when Petty took a leave of absence in September for medical reasons.
Petty reassumed office in November and served until his resignation earlier this month.