The town of Newbern has appointed council member Barbara Patrick as its new mayor, making her both the second Black mayor in the town’s history and the first woman to hold the office.
Patrick was appointed by the Newbern Town Council on Feb. 1, the first day of Black History Month, after former mayor Patrick Braxton resigned his post at the end of last year as part of a court-approved settlement in an election contest.
Braxton, a volunteer firefighter who became the town’s first Black mayor, won reelection in August. His opponent, real estate agent Laird Cole, later filed a civil complaint challenging the result. Cole alleged that Braxton “provided a false address inside the town’s corporate limits,” according to statements from Cole’s attorney, Bryan Taylor.
In an order issued Jan. 16, Hale County Circuit Judge Marvin W. Wiggins approved a private settlement agreement between Braxton and Cole and dismissed the case with prejudice. Under Alabama law, Taylor explained, a court hearing an election contest over a candidate’s residency does not have the authority to install the other candidate as winner. If the court finds the winning candidate was not qualified, it instead certifies a vacancy and directs the town council to select a new mayor.
Braxton has denied Cole’s allegations but agreed to step down as part of the settlement. He told Capital B News that he supports Patrick “100 percent” and described her as someone who has stood by him.
Patrick serves on the Newbern Town Council. She was elected to the council after being encouraged to run by Braxton and was one of his earliest supporters.
In a news release, town officials said the council “welcomes and supports their newly appointed mayor,” noting that she brings years of experience in community engagement, volunteer work, and leadership.
The August municipal election in which Braxton was reelected was the first held in Newbern since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Patrick’s appointment marks the latest development in a town whose politics have drawn national attention in recent years, and it places her at the center of efforts to move Newbern forward after a long, contentious fight over who leads it.
