During a heated debate at the Mobile City Council, Council President C.J. Small, William Carroll, and Cory Penn threatened to halt the entire agenda unless an investigation into allegations against the administration by Paul Prine was approved. The trio argued that without an independent investigation, they would not support any other items on the agenda.
On the other hand, Councilman Ben Reynolds expressed his concerns about rushing into a decision without discussing important details first. He requested more information on the scope of the investigation before making a final decision.
Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson tried to calm down the council members by informing them that two independent investigations had already been conducted by the administration in response to Prine’s allegations. The investigations were carried out by Burr-Foreman Law firm and City of Mobile’s Office of Professional Responsibility. Stimpson stated that the reports and supporting materials had been submitted to Alabama Attorney General’s Office for review. She emphasized that as per state law, only the Attorney General has jurisdiction over such matters and urged caution in adding another opinion to the mix.
William Carroll disagreed with Stimpson and raised concerns about the investigations conducted by the administration, calling them “in house” and suggesting that council members had no insight into what was or wasn’t investigated. He strongly advocated for an independent investigation outside of the administration’s control to ensure transparency and accountability in government operations.
Carroll, Small, and Penn argued their point forcefully while Reynolds remained silent, his position clear but unspoken. In a surprising turn of events, Carroll withdrew his demand for an immediate vote on approving another investigation when he realized it could delay important projects indefinitely if it failed to meet certain criteria set forth by Stimpson and her allies on council. Ultimately, Stimpson prevailed in her argument against hiring another firm for investigation until further notice while emphasizing she will continue to work towards finding out all necessary information before making any decisions regarding this matter further in future sessions