Fields: Knox not in district

Published 12:00 am Friday, July 30, 2004

GREENSBORO -The newest twist in the Hale County Commissioner Lois Fields’ contest of the June 1 election results, in which she lost to the challenger and former Mayor of Akron Elijah Knox is a map that shows the district lines of Hale County’s District 1 and 2 to be different to the map used in the election.

On Tuesday, the four Hale County Commissioners Fields, Walter Allen, Yolanda Watkins, and Joe Lee Hamilton, Jr. minus Probate Judge Leland Avery met with Cory Johnson, Gia Hannah, and Gene Smith of the West Alabama Regional Planning Commission in Tuscaloosa. During the meeting, they discussed the redistricting of Hale County and two proposals were in fact the same thing, #1, and #4. Johnson said one of the commissioners came to him and requested a change in the Akron area of district 1.

“He said one of the commissioners came to the commission in May and requested a change in the districts involving Akron,” Fields said, “It’s funny because none of the four commissioners say they did it and the change involved moving what was once a straight line in District 1 to a triangle shape right where Elijah Knox lives.”

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After Johnson said he made the changes, the commissioners asked him to describe the person who asked for the change and he said he couldn’t remember who it was. Fields said they asked him for an original map, before he made the changes, but he couldn’t give them one because it wasn’t the official map of election.

“When I got home, I was able to find a copy of the Hale County District Map from 1990 and it’s the official map, but thanks to someone asking for a change the party used the modified map during the election,” Fields said, “We have found a map that clearly states a difference in the map that the state used during the election.”

Fields and her attorney April Albright will have their chance on Friday at 1 p.m. in the Hale County Courthouse to search all the election information for themselves.

“My attorney requested all the election information be opened for public viewing during the last hearing on July 9,” Fields said.

The reason why my attorney requested the files be opened was because she hoped to find some of the missing pieces of evidence in the records. Who knows may be the person who stole some of the records was kind enough to bring them back, she said.

“The election information will be opened on Friday at 1 p.m. at the Hale County Courthouse,” Fields said, “And maybe the truth will come out about this election.”