Alabama man denied office after winning election reaches proposed settlement to become town's first Black mayor

An Alabama town and a Black man who was prevented from becoming its mayor after winning his 2020 election have reached a proposed settlement, according to federal court documents.

The town of Newbern, Ala., and a Black man who was prevented from becoming the town’s mayor after winning his 2020 election, have reached a proposed settlement, according to federal court documents.

Patrick Braxton will officially become mayor of Newbern once the court approves the settlement –  the first Black person to hold the position in the town’s 166-year history.

Newbern is about an hour drive from Selma in the western part of Alabama and has a population of 133, according to the 2020 Census.

After being sworn in as mayor, Braxton was later denied full access to the office by the man who was mayor before him, Haywood Stokes III, who is white, and the majority-white city council, according to a lawsuit.

Braxton along with four residents he wanted to appoint to a new city council and the NAACP’s Legal Defence Fund filed an amended complaint to force the town to honour the election.

Although “a factual dispute exists regarding who has lawful authority to serve as mayor and town councilmembers,” according to the settlement, signed June 21, the parties now agree “Braxton is the lawful mayor of Newbern, and he shall hold all the powers, privileges, duties … entrusted to the mayor of Newbern under Alabama state law.”

The settlement does not require that the defendants admit to any wrongdoing and specifically notes that they “deny having engaged in any wrongful practice, or other unlawful conduct.”