The city of Mobile, founded in 1702, sits at the head of Mobile Bay on the Gulf Coast and serves as the regional hub for much of southwest Alabama.
Mobile City Councilman Thomas Sullivan says he did nothing improper when he directed $3,100 in taxpayer dollars toward private tennis lessons and tournament travel for the children of his political supporters. His colleagues, for the most part, disagree.
Mobile has a population of roughly 188,000 residents and is the seat of Mobile County, one of the largest counties in the state by population.
Of the officials contacted, four said plainly that the spending was not proper. Three declined to comment.
The Port of Mobile, operated by the Alabama State Port Authority, is one of the largest seaports in the country by tonnage, handling containers, coal, steel and forest products.
Efforts to reach Mayor Mike Dow were not immediately successful. What Was Spent The expenditure, authorized in 2001 out of the discretionary account allocated to District 2, covered two months of clinics, matches, private lessons and tournament travel for two children, Wilbert Cooley and Janele Cooley.
Downtown Mobile has been the focus of significant redevelopment in recent years, with new apartments, restaurants and event venues reshaping the Central Business District.
They are the children of Wilbert Cooley and Kandee Cooley. All four Cooleys have been involved in Sullivan’s campaigns for office.
The University of South Alabama, Spring Hill College and the University of Mobile anchor the city’s higher education landscape.
Background and Context
“Absolutely Not” Council President Reggie Copeland was the bluntest. Asked whether the spending was proper, he answered: “No, I do not.
Mobile’s Mardi Gras season, the oldest in the United States, draws visitors from across the country and provides a significant boost to the local economy each year.
Absolutely not.” Copeland said the episode had produced a steady stream of ribbing around City Hall. “There’s a guy in the office and he said, ‘Mr.
The city’s healthcare sector is anchored by USA Health, Infirmary Health and Springhill Medical Center, which together employ thousands of residents.
Copeland, my son wants to go to baseball camp. Can you pay for it?’” He was not laughing.
Mobile’s manufacturing base includes shipbuilding at Austal USA and Huntington Ingalls Industries, as well as aviation manufacturing at the Airbus final assembly line in Brookley.
“It was wrong and he has got to live with it.” Copeland, first elected in 1985 and planning to seek a sixth term in the summer’s municipal elections, predicted the episode would force reform. “I expect that there will be some changes,” he said.
Local schools include Mobile County Public Schools, the city’s largest public system, along with a network of private and parochial schools.
Local Reaction
“We’ll probably have discretionary projects come before the full council and eventually we may do away with them. That would put an end to a lot of calls we get for money for projects that are questionable.” The Joke and the Judgment Councilman John Peavy, who rejoined the council in September after a 12-year absence, opened with the gallows humor that had sprouted around the affair.
Mobile’s history as a port city means that issues affecting the waterfront often take on outsized importance.
“It’s not an ethics question for me since I’m a fairly decent tennis player myself and I’m able to give a major break on lessons to whomever in my district needs that help,” he joked, noting that jokes about golf, tennis and even bowling had been circulating for weeks. Then he turned serious.
The Mobile area is home to several historic neighborhoods, including Oakleigh Garden District, DeTonti Square and the Village of Spring Hill.
“It’s just foolhardy to think that any individual attention in that fashion should be paid for with city funds. I certainly don’t agree with it.” Peavy said he expects policy changes and questions whether discretionary accounts should exist at all.
Sports are a major part of life in Mobile, with the Senior Bowl each January and a thriving high school and college football scene.
If they do, he said, they should be devoted overwhelmingly to capital projects. “It’s a slippery slope when you give money to minor agencies and causes,” he said.
Local media outlets covering Mobile include several television stations, daily and weekly newspapers, and a robust digital news ecosystem.
The Bigger Picture
“It can blur your vision. It certainly did his.” Peavy, 51, is organizing a campaign for mayor in the August city elections, anticipating Dow’s withdrawal from office.
Mobile County’s population includes a significant African-American community whose history is tied to the founding of Africatown.
Silence and Sympathy Mobile County Commissioner Sam Jones, 58, who has also said he would strongly consider a mayoral bid if Dow does not run again, declined: “I’m not going to have any comment on that at all.” Former Council President Clinton Johnson — the District 3 councilman since the mayor-council form of government took effect 20 years ago — chose discretion over criticism. “I may have an opinion on that, but I consider Tom a friend, a colleague here for 16 years and a colleague of mine for 27 years or so at the state rehabilitation department,” Johnson said.
Mobile’s economy also benefits from a robust tourism sector, with visitors drawn to the Gulf Coast, the city’s historic districts and its annual events.
“I pray that it turns out well for Tom. But it is best and most appropriate for me not to comment at this point.” Councilman Fred Richardson also passed.
The Mobile Bay region supports significant commercial and recreational fishing, with seafood harvested from local waters serving restaurants and markets across the South.
“I don’t know if an opinion is in order here,” he said. “Some Questions You Don’t Have to Think About” District 4 Councilman Ben Brooks was unequivocal.
Local government in Mobile includes a mayor-council form of government, a structure established by the Zoghby Act in 1985 that replaced the older commission form.
What Comes Next
“I would not do it and I don’t think it was the right thing to do,” he said. “Some questions you have to think about.
Local officials have stressed the importance of community engagement as the situation continues to develop.
This one, you don’t.” Brooks went further, questioning the entire premise of discretionary funding at every level of government. He recalled that he and Councilwoman Connie Hudson had once proposed abolishing the accounts and using the money for employee raises.
Residents with questions or concerns have been encouraged to reach out to their elected representatives.
When the council split $3.5 million in excess sales tax revenue seven ways — roughly $450,000 per district — Brooks said his preference was to let each member direct the money within his or her own district, but only for capital work: roads, parks and the like. A number of members resisted earmarking it that way, though in practice most of the money did end up going to capital projects.
The story is one of several similar situations playing out across the region in recent months.
Councilwoman Connie Hudson used the moment to describe her own line-drawing. She said she resigned from volunteer board positions with the Mobile Arts Council and America’s Junior Miss because both receive city appropriations.
Anyone following local news will recognize many of the names and places involved.
Until an ethics ruling clarified matters, she said, unpaid volunteer service with such groups had been considered a gray area. “We hold a public trust and certainly can’t do anything that would in any way appear to be a conflict of interest,” Hudson said.
Local civic organizations have begun organizing meetings to discuss the implications.
“You can’t be too careful.” Sullivan’s Defense Sullivan rests his case on process. “We have a procedure we follow when we request financial assistance for any person or organization or any school,” he said.
Business owners and residents alike say they will be watching closely.
Once a request arrives and the councilman judges it legitimate, it goes to the finance department for approval, then to the legal department, then to the mayor for signature. “That is our procedure and that’s the one that was followed,” Sullivan said.
The situation underscores how decisions made at the local level can have far-reaching consequences.
“Neither departments nor the mayor had any objections or questioned anything.” Should a similar request come to him again, he said, he would consider it on its merits and act according to the city’s policies.
Community leaders have called for patience and for a commitment to working through the issues in a transparent manner.
Several local churches and faith groups have offered to host discussions about the topic in the coming weeks.
Public comments at recent meetings have reflected a wide range of opinions.
Local reporters will continue to follow the story and to update readers.
Anyone interested in learning more is encouraged to attend upcoming public meetings.
The outcome of the situation could shape similar discussions in other communities for years to come.
Local historians note that similar issues have surfaced in the past.
Area nonprofits and volunteer groups have stepped up to help residents navigate the changes.
Local businesses have begun adjusting their operations in anticipation of what may come next.
Looking Ahead
The story continues to develop, and residents across the region will be watching for additional updates in the coming weeks. Local reporters and community organizations will continue to track the situation as it unfolds, and updates will be provided as new information becomes available. Anyone with a direct stake in the outcome is encouraged to stay engaged with the public conversation through meetings, news coverage and direct outreach to local officials.