UPDATED FRIDAY @ 9:19 AM 11:51 PM COTTONWOOD – City Clerk And Senior Citizen Director Terminated
COTTONWOOD: Tonight at 6:00 PM there was a special called meeting of the Town of Cottonwood Council. The attorney for the Town of Cottonwood, Press Register, the Mayor and members of the Cottonwood Town Council went into an Executive Session. RSN Rickey Stokes objected to the Executive Session stating that anyone who is required to complete a Statement of Economic Interest form the hearings are required to be in open meetings.
Attorney Press Register went to interrup Stokes and he was informed by Stokes that he ( Register ) was not running this meeting and I was not talking to him. Register shut up until Stokes was finished asking the Mayor. Register then stated they were on legal ground and at 6:02 PM, on Press Register’s advise, they went into Executive Session for 15 minutes. Some 40 minutes later, 6:42 PM, they returned.
Alabama law reads certain words have to be spoken following an Executive Session. The Cottonwood Mayor has not had an Executive Session and the attorney had to guide him through what was to be stated.
There was then a motion made to terminate Samantha Greenwood Strength as City Clerk of the Town of Cottonwood. The motion was second. There was a 4 to 1 vote with Ms. Hackney abstaining from voting. There is a family connection on Ms. Hackney is the reason for her abstaining.
Recently Cottonwood Mayor Van Granger also terminated Casey Morris, Senior Citizens Director, This was not discussed and my assumption is Morris is an employee at will. The services provided to the Senior Citizens continues under different leadership.
This issue has caused a major divide in the Town of Cottonwood. At the last Cottonwood Town Council Meeting it was voted for the girlfriend of the Mayor to handle the absentee ballot requests. A citizen, Joshua A. Sewell, began to yell at council members and making comments in a loud and disorderly manner. He and some others have taken to Facebook even asking was RSN going to address. Well I have checked with people who handle elections. All she does is take the absentee request, hands them the ballot to secretly vote or they are mailed. She provides them with what has to be completed on the absentee ballot. They are sealed by the person voting and placed in a secure location. When the polls close on election day a voting official, not the Mayor’s girlfriend, opens each absentee ballot making sure all documentation is there. Several envelopes are sealed before you ever reach the ballot. Officials who have handled elections tell me that is not a conflict and that person can not sway the votes and in no way counts the absentee ballots or knows how the person votes. So Joshua I have checked into it and there is the answer. FACT CHECK ME!!!
This election is getting N A S T Y. A lot of rhetoric is going on and Facebook comments from people. Mrs.Sarah Welch is also running for Mayor. From the RSN investigation, she is a fine lady. Nothing bad to say about her. Mrs. Welch worked with Casey Morris at the Senior Citizens. Rhetoric does not appear to be coming from Mrs. Welch but from supporters. Two of the alleged supporters are the now former City Clerk, Samantha Greenwod Strength and now former Senior Citizens Director Casey Morris.
When Mayor Van Granger was asked about the termination of Strength and Morris he said the attorney has instructed he and the Council Members that they can not discuss the termination. When Granger was told this might possibly cost him the election his only reply was that he had to do what was best for the Town of Cottonwood and on legal advise he had to make the termination. That if this cost him the election then it just cost him the election but he could sleep at night knowing he was forced to make a decision in the best interest of Cottonwood and he made that decision. If it cost him the election, well, he did what was required for the best interest of Cottonwood.
NOT FROM THE MAYOR OR ANY CITY OFFICIAL, but RSN has a license to investigate. And some of the results of the investigation have revealed some of the following accusations. The following are alleged and RSN is not saying these are 100% accurate, but the Houston County Sheriff Department Criminal Investigation Division, as RSN understands are conducting an investigation: ALLEGATIONS – the Town of Cottonwood is not broke but some checks written on the General Fund have bounced; the City Clerk has not provided a financial statement to the Mayor and Council since sometime around March or April 2025; the $ 750,000.00 grant that Alabama State Representative Paul Lee got for the Town of Cottonwood following the tornado had never been completed after repeated phone calls, emails and in person questions to the CIty Clerk; ALLEGED the City Clerk refused to give the Mayor a key to her office; ALLEGED the Mayor had been told some of the financial business was none of his business; ALLEGED the City Clerk and Senior Citizens Director had cussed the Mayor out; ALLEGED for months the council had asked for receipts from credit cards purchases and alleged to have been told by the City Clerk she did not have to provide the receipts; ALLEGED the senior director is alleged to have been paid for 50 plus hours of working; ALLEGED the storage area at Union Hill Baptist Church had a lock installed that only the Senior Citizens Director had and no inventory kept; ALLEGED a large amont of funds accumulated or spent, not sure which, for crafts for senior citizens in the amounts of around $ 50,000.00 plus; ALLEGED the City Clerk had camera access on her personal phone, audio and video, of everywhere in the City Hall to include the Police Chief and Police Officers office.
There was a $ 37,000.00 ( estimated ) computer hack into the City of Cottonwood computer system. The RSN investigation reveals that the bank and insurance company has refused to pay because the security safeguards were breached. Not saying the City Clerk did anything illegal but the security safeguards fell under the City Clerk.
There has been comments about the two in the Water Department for the Town of Cottonwood. Both resigned. The RSN investigation found that is alleged both quit. That when Van Granger was appointed Mayor he put them to work and it is alleged they got mad and quit. Mysteriously after their resignation computer data that mapped out the water system was deleted. This has hurt those working on the water system and in turn has hurt the citizens of Cottonwood. The RSN investigation has revealed the computer has been turned over to Houston County Sheriff Department for furhter investigation.
Van Granger was a sitting council member. The Mayor of Cottonwood was James Coachman. On or about January 8, 2025 then Cottonwood Mayor James Coachman resigned. The sitting council members voted for Van Granger to be the Mayor. As time progressed and Van Granger started digging into things he found problems. And that is why Cottonwood is where it is today.
A lot of people have taken to Facebook and has made many comments. The Town of Cottonwood is deeply divided. This is sad because Cottonwood is still rebounding from the devestating tornado. But progress is being made.
From money from the State of Alabama and because of the works of Alabama State Representative Paul Lee. Rick Rheem, Steve Clouse, Jeff Sorrells, Alabama Senator Donnie Chesteen, ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell, Alabama Govenor Kay Ivey, a new fire station is under contruction with a senior citizens center to follow.Several millions in new construction with no debt to the Town of Cottonwood. That is why the $ 750,000.00 grant was of great importance and then City Clerk Samantha Greenwood Strength was procrastinating. Can not be done if don’t get the money so no debt on the Town of Cottonwood.
WHY FIRE STATION BEFORE SENIOR CITIZENS CENTER? ADECA Director Kenneth Bowell said, onhis visit to Cottonwood, the senior citizens center is equally important, BUT if the fire station does not get built and situation it would begin to drastically affects everyone’s insurance ratings and begin to cost the residents and businesses more money on insurance. The senior citizens center is coming.
RSN calls it like it is. Those beating up on Van Granger are not accurate and mad because the man is trying to get the ship upright and not sink the Town of Cottonwood. And to Mrs. Welch, a great lady. Do not allow yourself to be played by those serving self without the entire Town of Cottonwood in mind. Some are mad, personally, at Van Granger because he is making tough decisions.
PLEASE – get back to making the Town of Cottonwood and the area served the best you can be. You have a terrific school and have become one of the top schools in Houston County. A lot to offer and because tough decisions are being made you divide the community. A lot of fine people who have made the Cottonwood area a place to live and raise your family.
In closing, some complain because Van Granger’s sign’s read… RE-ELECT. Well, he is the incumbent!
NOTE: At the beginning of first FACEBOOK live I stated a hearing on City Clerk and Senior Citizens Director. It was actually a meeting on termination of City Clerk Only.
UPDATED FRIDAY @ 9:19 AM
Not Casey Morris but a person close to her, spoke with me this morning. Mrs. Morris denies any and all allegations against her. She has an attorney and can not speak at this time. At the appropriate time when the attorney allows she will tell her side of the story.
COTTONWOOD
HOME OF A GREAT SCHOOL – COTTONWOOD BEARS
