A Prichard city councilwoman announced plans for a town hall meeting to hear directly from residents about issues facing the city, an announcement that came shortly after two local business owners publicly criticized council members over the state of city services during a regular council meeting.
District 2 Councilwoman Severia Campbell-Morris told fellow council members she intended to work on plans and systems to help run the city more effectively, framing the upcoming gathering as part informational session and part working workshop. She said she planned to hold similar town hall meetings on a monthly basis going forward, giving Prichard residents a recurring forum to raise concerns directly with their representative.
The announcement followed pointed remarks from two Prichard business owners who addressed the council during the same meeting. One owner, who runs both an auto sales business and a used auto parts business in the city, told council members that providing a stable environment for the police, fire and public works departments, along with paying employees adequately, would go a long way toward turning the city around. He also criticized what he described as ongoing infighting among council members, saying it had made productivity difficult to achieve, and pointed to the absence of a five-year plan for the city.
A second business owner, who operates a local restaurant, echoed those concerns, questioning why council members weren’t working together toward shared solutions if they were, as he put it, all on the same side.
Campbell-Morris said she would be available at Whistler United Methodist Church from 6 to 8 p.m. the following Tuesday to hear directly from constituents about their concerns. The venue, located within her district, was chosen to give residents an accessible, familiar setting for the discussion.
The exchange reflects broader, longstanding challenges facing Prichard, a small city in Mobile County that has grappled with strained municipal finances and service delivery issues in recent years. Public criticism directed at elected officials during open council meetings is not unusual in the city, where residents and business owners have periodically used the public comment period to press for more transparency and better coordination among leadership.
Campbell-Morris’s commitment to monthly town halls suggested an effort to create a more regular channel for that kind of feedback, potentially easing some of the friction that has occasionally spilled into public council meetings.