HANCEVILLE — The city of Hanceville introduced two of its incoming council members on Thursday, July 10, while certifying the pair’s unopposed candidacies in the upcoming municipal election.

The two candidates, Nolan Bradford and Robert Powell, were the only candidates facing no opposition in the upcoming election on Aug. 26 and will assume their place on the council in November. Bradford will be filling current councilmember Kenneth Cornelius’s Place 5 position while Powell will be fill Jimmie Nuss’s Place 2 seat.

Cornelius and Nuss did not seek reelection.

Bradford has been an active participant in Hanceville’s local government for the past decade and currently chairs the city’s Planning Commission and Industrial Development boards. He is also the vice-chairman of the Hanceville Water Department. He said he was excited about becoming more involved in new aspects of the city’s responsibilities associated with his new position.

“I’m looking forward to it. I’ve been involved in a lot of things for a lot of years and this will give me a chance to be better and more deeply involved,” Bradford said.

Powell began actively attending city council meeting last year while advocating for amendments to the city’s zoning ordinances which would allow local resident Kortni Quick to open a tattoo shop within the city limits.

Powell currently serves on the Hanceville City Planning Commission and teaches Government and Economics at Hanceville School. He said the decision to run for a seat on the council was in part due to a desire to highlight the importance and accessibility of local government for his students.

“This has been a year in the making for me and I just can’t wait to get started,” Powell said.

The council also retroactively approved of the disposal of several police uniforms which Mayor Jimmy Sawyer described as “unserviceable.”

Sawyer said the uniforms had previously been in storage at Hanceville City Hall and, after inspection, were taken to U.S. Steel to be disposed of. However, Sawyer said he had “put the cart before the horse,” and learned that at least some of the uniforms had been purchased using public funds — which would require the council’s approval for surplus — after they had already been incinerated.

There were no objections from the council to ratify the items to be surplussed.

In other business the council:

— Appointed election officers for the upcoming municipal election and House District 11 Special Election on Tuesday, Aug. 26.

— Ratified the city’s legal representation agreement to include City Clerk Tania Wilcox in her official capacity after entering into an executive session to discuss the potential for pending litigation.

Patrick Camp may be reached by email at patrick.camp@cullmantimes.com or by phone at 256-734-2131.