Editor’s Note: This is the first in a two-part series on the current status of City Council candidates in the municipal election. Part two will appear in the Wednesday, July 23, edition.

FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Less than three hours from the City Council candidacy qualification deadline, Councilwoman Debbie Quinn still had no opponent.

Then, at 2:47 p.m. on July 15, the last day to register, John H. Meyer filed to run against her in Place 1, withdrawing from Place 3, where he had qualified to run on July 1, according to City Clerk records.

“I’ve heard from very reliable people that some in the current administration, and some in the past administration, had been trying to find someone to run against me,” Quinn said. “Whether they were successful I don’t know. But I don’t understand Meyer. He first qualified for (Place) 3, them jumped to (Place) 1 at the last minute to run against me, an incumbent, from an open seat. I’ve heard he’s had several people contact him to run for this place. There were at least two others who were contacted (to run against me).”

Rumors have swirled this week that several people had been contacted by former Mayor Jim Nix, his wife Anne Nix, and Mayor Tim Kant, encouraging them to run against Quinn and offering to help raise between $8,000 and $10,000 for such a campaign.

“I heard that Anne Nix started (the effort) last week to find some woman to run against me,” Quinn said. “A lot of people were saying, ‘That’s just politics.”

But Quinn said the thing that bothered her were the amounts of money discussed to support a challenger’s campaign.

One Fairhope resident who requested anonymity said that at least one woman and one man were asked by Kant and Jim and Anne Nix to run against Quinn. None, the source said, agreed to run.

The source added that the former mayor offered to help raise between $8,000 and $10,000 for a campaign. However, when contacted, the individuals denied this.

Neither the Nixes nor Kant returned calls seeking comment for this story.

“When I began the campaign, I really didn’t know my opponent very well,” said Meyer, referring to Lonnie Mixon who is running for Place 2 on the council. “As I got to know him, I found that he and I were very similar in what we wanted to bring to Fairhope. I chose to run for Place 1 because Debbie Quinn was running alone. I think all seats should have competition to give the voters a choice.”

Quinn said that someone told her Meyer had talked with Anne Nix this week.

“A friend told me he had spoken with her several times,” Quinn said. “When (the friend) talked with him again, he began backpedaling about how many times they had spoken.”

Meyer did confirm that Nix had called him about the local elections.

“She has called several times,” Meyer said. “Every time she calls, she recommends (running) against someone else.”

However, Meyer said the phone calls from Nix began some time ago.

“She may have called between the time I qualified for (Place 3) and (Place) 1,” Meyer said. “I’m not sure.”

Meyer said she had asked him in the past if he had ever thought about running against Quinn or Stankoski.

But he was adamant that he has not received an offer of assistance in his campaign.

“They’ve never offered to help me with a campaign chest or campaign strategy,” he said. “I’ve had no offer of support.”

Quinn believes the reported activities by Nix and others to encourage someone to run against her is evidence that “the ‘old Fairhope machine’ is still working behind the scenes to silence those of us who sometimes challenge or question them.”

She said Kant was hired by Jim Nix and then served in his administration as city horticulturist and director of public works before being elected mayor in 2000.

“It means they see me as someone who has not been a rubber stamp,” she said. “They’ve shown themselves to be against change.”

Quinn was appointed by Jim Nix to the Planning and Zoning Commission in 1993 and to the City Council in February 1997, when a former office holder stepped down because of a perceived conflict of interest when his son became city judge.

“It took me about a year to get my feet on the ground,” Quinn said, referring to being appointed to the council. “I started questioning more and showed a little individualism on the council. I know (Nix) started asking why I didn’t vote with him on certain things. I told him that I look at all the information and not just what he had (presented).”

But machine, or no machine, Quinn now faces another challenger. In 2004, she won narrowly against Chris Warner who is running this time for mayor, she said.

“Fairhope is a unique place to live and work, and we need to manage and guide our future growth along with keeping our downtown strong,” Quinn said. “Secure financial soundness with fiscal restraint is imperative. We need to keep our utilities strong by treating them like a business. The heart of Fairhope is Mobile Bay. Everything we do eventually flows there. We need to protect our bay, our creeks, rivers and streams, trees and green spaces with strong environmental rules. The city of Fairhope cannot be reactive any longer. A strategic long-range plan is a great tool to pull all of these ideas together.”

As for Meyer, he is now focused on becoming the next council person for Place 1.

“I think Fairhope is fortunate that so many people are running for office this year,” Meyer said. “My platform is based on that: competition and to give voters a choice. We would like to see Fairhope stay the same but change is going to happen. I have experience in strategic planning. I don’t think Fairhope has been doing that but there is indication it will be soon. I will bring that experience to the job. My whole professional life has been in public service. I would like to see the council engage the city more. I would recommend creation of a citizen advisory committee. Their job would be research and investigate changes that the city need to pursue down the road. As for growth issues, we need to follow the comprehensive plan closely. We also need to encourage green space buffers and communal areas. As for transparency, community struggles sometimes to know what’s going on (in government). More engagement of community with the government eliminates that lack of transparency.”