Councilman’s Corner: Recognizing a Legacy of Overcoming and Putting People First
Tallassee City Council Honors Linda Benson for Years of Service
Last night, I had the distinct honor of participating in honoring one of Tallassee’s finest civil servants, reviewing the future of Tallassee residencies and announcing an opportunity for Tallassee residents to make their voice heard. First, I will address the opportunity we had to honor former Municipal Judge, Linda Benson, with general information about our council meeting to follow.
Honoring 37 Years of Service
Linda Benson was presented a plaque honoring her more than 30 years of service as a municipal Judge for Tallassee. Upon accepting this honor, she narrated her journey with its ups and downs to the present day.
In 1980, she became a lawyer and soon after considered being appointed with the municipality of Carrville. However, an individual commented that Mrs. Benson was actively suing Carrville, effectively dissuading the municipal council from selecting her. “That wasn’t true,” she continued, “but, I wasn’t there to spread the truth.”
Judge Benson’s father was not going to stand for it. She states that her father “wore out 3 pairs of shoes going door to door,” starting a petition to merge Carrville into Tallassee. Beyond the time and energy committed to this endeavor, other obstacles emerged. Judge Benson’s mother received an anonymous phone call threatening her safety if she did not intervene in the petition process. Later an anonymous individual sent a strongly worded letter saying that Linda Benson would never be municipal judge in Tallassee. Despite the opposition, Tallassee and Carrville merged.
In 1984 Linda Benson was hired as Tallassee’s Public Defender and on October 3rd, 1988, Linda Benson was appointed as Municipal Judge for the city of Tallassee. Even after being appointed as judge, she was met with scrutiny when a council member criticized her for not moving through cases more efficiently. Judge Benson notes that just prior to this experience, she was stopped in a public book store by the parent of one involved in a DUI case. The parent praised Judge Benson for taking the time during his case to help them understand the implications. The individual started making better decisions because of it.
Judge Benson emphasized the importance of focusing on the people in her cases saying
“You can’t just brush people aside like cattle through the chute.” She went on to say that when an individual arrived late for court because he walked, they stayed. They heard his case. And Lane Knight, a lawyer with the city, drove him back to his home in Tuskegee afterwards.
Judge Benson concludes by praising court staff for their resolution in the face of unruly cases, naming Corrin and Glenda among others. She additionally commended lawyers John Smith and Lane Knight for their excellent work and respect for the local Police Department as they risk their lives to uphold the law.
The Council Business
The first item on the agenda was introducing a floodplain ordinance. As I understand it, the ordinance makes us compliant with FEMA standards such that citizens in floodplains can still participate in the National Flood Insurance Program(NFIP). This allows citizens to get flood insurance. Now, the document is very lengthy, totalling over 40 pages and we will be voting on it in the next session on February 23rd. This will give me more time to better grasp the ordinance’s content.
Next, we amended ordinance 2020-565 relating to how a mobile home may be installed in the city limits. This change prohibits the installation of new manufactured/mobile homes in the city limits. Current homeowners living in mobile homes are not impacted since they are grandfathered in. The council voted unanimously to accept the proposal. I personally voted to accept this because it protects Tallassee’s current and future citizens by deciding now to keep neighborhoods vibrant via high-quality housing standards.
Chamber of Commerce Director, Carmen Rodgers, presented a proposal proclaiming the 100th anniversary of Martin Dam. It was noted that a summer celebration would likely be in the city’s plans. The council unanimously accepted this proclamation.
Additionally, a resolution to pursue the Rebuild Alabama Act grant. The resolution authorizes the Central Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission (CARPDC) to prepare the application and the mayor to sign and prepare documents as necessary. This grant would seek to help in the restoration of the old railroad bridge below the Benjamin Fitzpatrick bridge. Bringing function back to such an iconic part of Tallassee’s history would be a great victory for connecting East and West Tallassee.
Looking Forward to the next meeting
At the conclusion of the meeting, Mayor Wiginton suggested changing regular council meetings to Tuesdays. This would allow council members to attend other critical Monday night meetings such as the Industrial Development Board and Chamber of Commerce. He also announced the City of Tallassee will be hosting a Public Town Hall, inviting all interested parties to come with concerns and ideas as it relates to Tallassee’s future.
The views and opinions expressed in this series are those of the author personally and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the City of Tallassee, the Mayor, or the City Council.
