COWARTS: On Wednesday evening Houston County Sheriff 911 dispatched Ashford Police and Houston County Sheriff Deputies to Cowarts City Hall. The public servants elected which had not taken office had a locksmith at the Cowarts City Hall changing the locks on the building.
The current administration received phone calls and responded to the Cowarts City Hall. Reports are some of the people present who have been elected but not taken office ran when they saw the current Mayor drive up.
CURRENT MAYOR: RANDY ROWLAND
MAYOR ELECT: GREG ODOM
Here is the bottom line facts: (1) Greg Odom is a “current” council member and Mayor Elect. (2) Randy Rowland is the Mayor and unitl November 3, 2025 he is the Mayor of Cowarts Alabama. (3) According the the Alabama League of Municipalities a “council member” has no day to day authority. Their only authority comes from a scheduled meeting, after the meeting is called to order. When a motion is made, seconded, discussed and voted on, and it passes, does that council member have any authority. If the motion fails to pass then whatever that council member was requesting they have no legal right to. (4) Once the meeting is adjourned the members of the council have no more authority than any regular citizen.
The Mayor of the small municipalities is the Chief Executive Officer of the town. The Mayor has day to day management authority. Some of those decisions can be reversed in a legally called meeting and if the motion passes.
What Greg Odom and others alleged to have done Wednesday evening when they entered the locked Cowarts City Hall building and had the locksmith change the locks was, according to legal minds, an intentional criminal act of which they could be warrants sworn out, arrested and stand trial for.
Only two of the current Cowarts Council Members are returning for another four year term. And what possessed their minds for them to think they had the authority to do what they did Wednesday night is beyond me. FACT CHECK ME WITH ALABAMA LEAGUEOF MUNICIPALITIES.
The elections in Cowarts were dirty. There was much backstabbing and discourse that was awful. It was children trapped in adult bodies, on all sides. But what happened Wednesday evening there is no legitimate excuse for and the current administration could have them prosecuted.
TO ALL INVOLVED: Just because you are elected as a public servant does not mean that you own the place. You are there to serve the citizens and guests. And Wednesday you were an embarassment and owe the citizens of Cowarts Alabama a public apology.
