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 County Sheriff Sam Cochran is asking thousands of city residents to sign a petition aimed at reshaping how the Mobile City Council does business, arguing that a decades-old supermajority requirement has become an obstacle to growth. The city’s mayor-council form of government, in place since 1985, requires a five-vote supermajority from the seven-member council to pass most measures, with the budget and the hiring of a council attorney as exceptions.
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.
Cochran contends that rule has repeatedly blocked progress on issues important to the city’s future, particularly annexation. “The goal is to create economic growth for the city and county,” Cochran said.
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.
“Annexation is the best opportunity to do that.” Cochran pointed to a vote last November, when a proposal to let roughly 13,000 West Mobile residents decide whether to join the city failed on a 4-3 council vote split along racial lines, following weeks of public debate. “Where do you lose a vote where it’s 4-3 in favor?” Cochran said.
Downtown Mobile has been the focus of significant redevelopment in recent years, with new apartments, restaurants and event venues reshaping the Central Business District.
“Only in the city of Mobile.” Under the Zoghby Act, the state law that established Mobile’s current form of government, residents can force a citywide referendum on changing that structure by gathering signatures from at least 10 percent of the number of people who voted in the last municipal election, a threshold Cochran’s campaign puts at roughly 5,000 signatures. Cochran announced the effort, called “Grow Mobile Now,” at a press conference, saying that if enough residents sign on, the council would be required to place the change before voters.
The University of South Alabama, Spring Hill College and the University of Mobile anchor the city’s higher education landscape.
Background and Context
Because a separate section of state law, Alabama Code 11-44C-91, allows the Zoghby Act itself to be amended through the same referendum process, Cochran’s group is not seeking to scrap the mayor-council system entirely or revert to the city’s older commission form of government. Instead, the petition targets only the five-vote requirement.
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.
Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, who has backed previous annexation pushes, is not joining Cochran’s campaign. City spokesman George Talbot said the administration decided not to get involved after Stimpson met with the sheriff.
The city’s healthcare sector is anchored by USA Health, Infirmary Health and Springhill Medical Center, which together employ thousands of residents.
“The administration is not seeking to change the form of government in the city,” Talbot said. “It’s not an initiative we’re pursuing, nor does the city want to pursue it.” Council President Levon Manzie is more directly opposed, saying he expects the proposal to prove divisive and that the supermajority requirement exists specifically to protect council members who hold minority views.
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.
“I think it’s important that the supermajority and the protections inherent within the supermajority are protected at all costs,” Manzie said. “It’s not an initiative I support at all.” Manzie, who also serves on the Mobile County Board of School Commissioners, said his experience on a board without a supermajority rule showed him how majority votes can be pushed through with little debate.
Local schools include Mobile County Public Schools, the city’s largest public system, along with a network of private and parochial schools.
Local Reaction
“A supermajority ensures that the majority from either side has to have a discussion with the minority,” he said. “I’ve served on the school board prior to the City Council.
Mobile’s history as a port city means that issues affecting the waterfront often take on outsized importance.
The majority ran issues down our throats.” Cochran, a former Mobile police chief, said his experience on the other side of the equation left him with a different view, describing instances where he said the supermajority rule led to closed-door negotiations to secure a fifth vote. “It’s an ineffective form of government,” Cochran said.
The Mobile area is home to several historic neighborhoods, including Oakleigh Garden District, DeTonti Square and the Village of Spring Hill.
“I’ve seen it time and time again.” Manzie pushed back on the idea that the rule regularly stalls city business, saying the council has found consensus on most issues during his six years on the body and in the decades since the Zoghby Act took effect. “There isn’t a long list of items and issues stalled or prevented by the supermajority,” Manzie said.
Sports are a major part of life in Mobile, with the Senior Bowl each January and a thriving high school and college football scene.
“One big one that comes to mind is annexation. Since 1985, there isn’t some long list of items that have been unable to pass.” Cochran also linked his campaign to a separate proposal before the council to pull back the boundaries of the three-mile police jurisdiction his office patrols outside city limits.
Local media outlets covering Mobile include several television stations, daily and weekly newspapers, and a robust digital news ecosystem.
The Bigger Picture
He said that if the council shrinks the jurisdiction without annexing the 13,000-resident section of West Mobile, his department stands to lose about $4.8 million in personnel and equipment needed to police the roughly 70,000 residents who currently live in that jurisdiction. Cochran has said previously that the shortfall could force him to recruit Mobile police officers and hire them as deputies to fill the gap.
Mobile County’s population includes a significant African-American community whose history is tied to the founding of Africatown.
Cochran argued further that failing to annex West Mobile could set off a chain reaction that damages the city long-term, predicting that residents there would eventually incorporate their own municipality and pull local schools out of the county system. “So goes Mobile, goes the area,” Cochran 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.
“We’re at a crossroads. We either grow the city now or we lose it.” Not every council member is convinced change is needed.
The Mobile Bay region supports significant commercial and recreational fishing, with seafood harvested from local waters serving restaurants and markets across the South.
Councilman Fred Richardson said the city has seen more progress over the past 35 years than at any other point in its history under the current system and the Zoghby Act. “They want to reverse it and go back to what we used to do,” Richardson said.
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
“Let’s go back and reverse ourselves. I would have to be out of my mind completely to agree with that.” Richardson also questioned Cochran’s motives, suggesting the sheriff’s push is driven by the financial and staffing stakes his own department faces over the police jurisdiction dispute.
Local officials have stressed the importance of community engagement as the situation continues to develop.
“The people in the police jurisdiction, he doesn’t want to police them,” Richardson said. “He has a vested interest.” Whether the petition drive gathers enough signatures to force a citywide vote remains to be seen.
Residents with questions or concerns have been encouraged to reach out to their elected representatives.
If it does, the decision on whether to strip the council’s supermajority requirement would ultimately rest with Mobile voters.
The story is one of several similar situations playing out across the region in recent months.
Anyone following local news will recognize many of the names and places involved.
Local civic organizations have begun organizing meetings to discuss the implications.
Business owners and residents alike say they will be watching closely.
The situation underscores how decisions made at the local level can have far-reaching consequences.
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.