Smith will be back; Harris won’t

By Beverly Harvey

Published: July 15, 2008

An unopposed Eddie Smith will be the only guaranteed returning member of the Opelika City Council this fall.

The Opelika City Council voted unanimously Tuesday at its regular meeting to file a certificate of election to re-elect Smith to Ward 4. Smith will begin his second term in November.

Qualifying for the Opelika municipal election closed Tuesday with no one else qualifying for Ward 4. Mayoral and city council candidates were only able to enter the Aug. 26 election during the two-week qualifying period.

State law does not allow write-in candidates in municipal elections, Opelika attorney Guy Gunter said.

Meanwhile, incumbent City Councilman Clarence Harris withdrew from the Ward 2 city council race Tuesday. Harris signed a letter at the City Council meeting Tuesday night to make his withdrawal official.

In other business, the city council unanimously approved a feasibility study to examine whether the city should provide broadband communications of cable TV, Internet and telephone services for residents.

Dave Stockton with Uptown Services based in Duluth, Ga., pitched the proposal for the study to city council members at their work session Tuesday.

The 10-year-old firm has conducted similar studies in more than 40 cities and municipal areas, including markets that compete with major cable providers such as Charter Communications, Stockton said.

The study will cover a timeframe of 20 years, and include a competition assessment, a full capital budget and a phone survey with residents.