FAIRHOPE – Former Fairhope City Councilman Jay Robinson returned to the council Monday, March 8, to fill the seat vacated by the resignation of Robert Brown.
Brown resigned in February after moving outside the city limits. In announcing his resignation, Brown recommended that Robinson be appointed to serve the rest of his term.
Robinson had not run for re-election in 2020. He said that in July 2020, he and his wife were expecting their fourth child and he decided not to run for re-election at the end of his first term.
“With so many uncertainties at that time, I didn’t feel comfortable making the commitment that it takes to serve in this position and it is a big commitment,” Robinson said. “It is a huge responsibility and not one that you should take lightly and because of that, I decided it was best to not run again.”
He said his wife and daughter are in good health. After Brown announced his resignation, Council President Jack Burrell called Robinson about the vacancy.
“I wasn’t sure at first, but the more I thought about it, it’s such an honor and a privilege to be able to do this job,” Robinson said. “Not many people get that opportunity. I haven’t missed the turmoil that sometimes comes with it, but I’ve missed the people. I’ve missed the service. I’ve missed the involvement, so it was really a pretty easy decision for me to come back in the end and I look forward to the next 3 ½ years with you guys and Mayor (Sherry) Sullivan and continuing to move the city forward in the right direction.”
Burrell said all the remaining councilmen agreed that Robinson be appointed to the vacancy.
“The name that came to mind first was Jay Robinson and I think he’s simply the most qualified person in the city. I called Jay and asked him and he didn’t give me an answer right away if he’d be willing to serve if he’d been chosen,” Burrell said. “I just think we couldn’t be more fortunate to have someone of Jay’s caliber to serve up here with us on this City Council.”
He said he also discussed the appointment with other Fairhope residents.
“I’ve been asked, did you consider other people, well, yes, I considered every person in the city,” Burrell said. “I went through my mind of who would be qualified and who I thought would do a good job and I had a fair number of people in my mind, and I was even contacted by no less, I believe, than five to seven people that offered their services and I talked to them about them about the position.”
Other council members also said Robinson was a good candidate to fill the position.
“I’m sure if Robert could have stayed on, he would have, but I think the Good Lord has put us in a good position with a good man and somebody that’s definitely qualified, maybe overqualified for this particular position and I think the city is well represented by Jay Robinson,” Councilman Corey Martin said.
Councilman Jimmy Conyers said Robinson’s experience will be a benefit to Fairhope.
“I’ll just be excited to have him back,” Conyers said. “I hated to lose Councilman Robert Brown, but I know that Jay was one of the most, if not the most popular councilperson when he was serving last term and I certainly would like to have him back.”
Councilman Kevin Boone said he was looking forward to having Robinson back on the council.
“I hated losing Robert and life moves on and we’re in a very good position to have a good man back in the spot,” Boone said.
