wbozzelli posted on May 25, 2011 08:40
FULTONDALE — With the raising of her right hand on Monday, Kay Hicks became the newest member of the Fultondale City Council.
Hicks is stepping into the position mid-term after former Place Five councilman Greg Morris was required to vacate the seat due to state legislation that requires a council or commission member to attend at least one meeting in a 90-day period.
Morris failed to meet the requirement. On April 25 the city council took a roll call vote to acknowledge the vacant seat on the council.
Morris later announced that he missed the meetings because he was charged with driving under the influence last year in Mountain Brook, which resulted in his driver license being revoked for 90 days.
Seven people applied for the open council seat; Hicks was chosen in part because she promised not to run for the position during the next municipal elections.
Mayor Jim Lowery said the people in District Five would have a chance to choose their own council member in the next election. There are 15 months left in the term.
“She’s going to be a welcome addition to the city,” said Lowery. “We appreciate her taking this seat and the work she is going to do.”
Hicks is a member of the Fultondale library board, and said she wants to continue her work with the library. Hicks has worked on new library projects in her role as director of assessment testing at 20 Virginia College campuses.
In addition, Lowery said Hicks will serve as a liaison to storm victims in Fultondale; an estimated 50 homes were condemned in Fultondale and many more were damaged on April 27 by a tornado.
Hicks’ house in the Glendale neighborhood was one of those destroyed.
“We have a lot of work to do for our citizens with storm damage,” Hicks said. “I’m excited to be a part of the rebuilding of Fultondale.”
Hicks retired from the Jefferson County Board of Education, where she worked in administration. She also taught adult education classes part-time for 17 years.
She was retired for only two weeks when she began working for Virginia College in 2003. She also moved to Fultondale in 2003.