Juan Chastang seeks to win by election
the appointed seat he was forced to surrender
The once, the ousted and perhaps future Mobile County commissioner from District 1, Juan Chastang announced Wednesday that he would try to win by election the seat that he couldn't hold on to by appointment.
Chastang cited a wide-ranging list of accomplishments on his abbreviated commission stint in urging voters to return him to office.
Gov. Bob Riley appointed Chastang to the county commission after the seat became vacant with Sam Jones' election as mayor of Mobile. Democratic leaders decried the appointment, arguing that the opening should be filled in a special election. The state Supreme Court upheld the governor's appointing authority and the Democratic complaintants turned to the federal courts. Ultimately, they prevailed when a federal court declared that Chastang's appointment violated the Justice Department pre-clearance section of the U.S. Voting Rights Act of 1965. Ironically, Jones first gained the county commission seat in 1987 in a convoluted process that involved both a special election and an appointment of the Democrat by then-Gov. Guy Hunt, a Republican.
In early 1987, a vacancy occurred in the District 1 Commissioner position on the Mobile County Commission with the departure of Commissioner Doug Wicks, a likely contender in the special election next month.
State law required a special election if more than one year remained in the term. Because there was more than a year left in Jones' term, then Mobile County Probate Judge Red Noonan called a special election.
Jones and another candidate qualified for the Democratic nomination, and Jones was nominated by the Democratic Party in a special primary. Jones also won the special general election over opposition.
But not long after the seat came open, a Mobile County voter filed suit to have the law declared unconstitutional. The Circuit Court ruled in favor of the constitutionality of the law, but the lower court's ruling was reversed on appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court.
Under federal law it was held that the state should have submitted the decision for preclearance.
Despite their party differences, Hunt nevertheless gave Jones the appointment.
So the "appointment/special election, tastes great/less filling" argument has raged for awhile, always spiced by the federal "Simon says" preclearance clause.
District 1 is a majority black district and has traditionally elected black Democrats ever since the commission was transformed from a three-member body elected at-large to its present three single-member district format.
Chastang is a black Republican.
"The citizens of Mobile County must not be fooled by the otion that you have to be a black Democrat to represent District One," said Chastang. "I have proven as a black Republican that I can meet the needs of the citizens of every race in District One."
According to Chastang, his experience and performance warranted his return to office.
"Mobile County has experienced major growth the past few years, and we must not stop the progress," said Chastang. "As commission president, I was instrumental in bringing the ThyssenKrupp, $3.7 billion steel plant and the Dale Earnhardt racetrack to District One. These two projects will create thousands of jobs and transform the north part of the county."
Other achievements on his watch that Chastang touted were:
- Soon-to-be opened License Commission branch office in Saraland;
- Economic Development Office in Prichard;
- Road, parks and school improvements in Satsuma;
- New police cars, water tower and park improvements in Mount Vernon;
- School improvements at Mae Eanes, George Hall, Williamson and Leflore;
- $100,000 in renovations at Neighborhood Park in Saraland;
- Resurfacing of Bear Fork Road and the Prichard City Hall parking lot;
- Community Center in Citronelle;
- Resurfacing projects in Chickasaw;
- Economic development projects in Creola.
The deadline to qualify as a candidate is 5 p.m. July 17.
Party primary elections will be conducted Aug. 28. Runoff elections, if no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, would occur Oct. 9. The general election will be held Nov. 20, unless no runoff elections prove necessary, in which case the general election would be moved up to Oct. 9.
Prospective Democratic candidates can apply at the Brutkiewicz law firm at 56 S. Conception St. from 2 to 5 p.m. on July 12 and 16 and from 3 to 4:45 p.m. on July 17.
Other GOP hopefuls should call the office of Mobile County Republican Chairman Mark Erwin at 432-8120.
The qualifying fee for candidates of either part is $1,469.07 which represents two percent of the commissioner's annual salary of about $73,500.
