Small Alabama city is bizarrely thrust into national spotlight as two men claim to be in charge

An ongoing feud between two men that claim to be in charge of a small town in Alabama has shoved the community into national spotlight. 

Tarrant mayor Wayman Newton and city manager John C. Brown have been battling it out for more than a year - just one of the many bizarre controversies that have plagued the tiny Jefferson County town of about 6,000 residents. 

Newton was appointed mayor in 2020 and Brown was given the city manager title on June 6, 2023. 

The day after Brown was appointed, Newton filed a lawsuit against him, claiming the city council 'illegally' put Brown in his managerial position. 

A judge later granted a temporary restraining order against Brown that stopped him from taking over Newton's spot as 'the king of Tarrant.'

Both men, who are not in contact with each other, now have to settle their issues in the Alabama Supreme Court.

'He sends out emails to employees and they've been instructed to send all those emails to me, and I don't bother responding,' Newton told AL.com. 

The legal battle between Newton and Brown started last summer when the mayor sued Brown for taking over as the city manager of Tarrant - a position that council members voted on. 

Judge Pat Ballard ruled in favor of Newton, stating that the city council could not hire someone else to do his job. 

In turn, Brown lost his job, his $100,000 annual salary, and his bank account was wiped to pay for his $78,000 in legal fees, as ordered by Ballard. 

Brown appealed the case and it was soon handed over to the state's supreme court. The judge has paused the garnishment on his account in the meantime. 

Newton said that the case being pushed to supreme court will only address Ballard's order to withdraw money from the former city manager's account, and does not mean Brown can get his job back. 

'The stay doesn't mention anything about him working,' Newton said. 

'So as far as I'm concerned the judge's order still stands that he was improperly hired by the council and he doesn't have the legal authority to work in the role of the city manager, so we don't have a city manager.' 

The mayor said that the city is 'well into the supreme court case' and it's too late for Brown to secure a bond as part of his appeal process. 

Meanwhile, Brown's lawyer, Scott Morro, said that his client has the right to return to work. 

'We’re confident that in the long run John Brown is going to be the city manager of Tarrant according to the law, not according to one man’s narcissistic insistence who wants to be the king of Tarrant,' Morro said. 

'He’s back with the blessing of the city council but being ignored by the mayor. The mayor is calling meetings and telling everyone not to do anything that he says, but their time is coming.' 

Morro added that he is working on obtaining a bond and a letter of credit for Brown.

'The garnishment is the bank saying, "We are going to hold this amount." We’ve already got the appeal brief in, and we are waiting on the bond, so once the bond is made the underlying judgment is stayed,' Moro told AL.com. 

DailyMail.com contacted Newton and Brown's lawyer, Morro, for comment.  

The struggle for power between the mayor and city council aren’t the only troubles facing the small town.

In December, a 79-year-old woman was arrested on misdemeanor charges alleging disorderly conduct and harassment after a heated exchange with a city worker at a City Council meeting.

Novilee Williams was arrested and taken to jail on December 5, just a day after she got into an argument with Shayla Myricks, a city accountant. 

Video of the encounter showed Williams push Myricks' hand away, saying 'turn around honey,' the Associated Press reported. 

According to the police report, Myricks accused the resident of 'fighting and threatening behavior in a public place.' 

'There are some rules for some and then there are rules for others,' Council Member Veronica Freeman said following the incident, suggesting it was politically motivated. 

'When a certain person gets attacked, it is a problem. They went overboard in doing that to Ms. Williams.' 

Freeman also made headlines after Councilman Tommy Bryant, a white man, referred to her, a black woman, as a 'house n*****.' 

Video of the encounter showed Bryant get angry over a social media post that his wife allegedly uploaded with Mayor Newton and Freeman. 

Upset that someone in the crowd suggested that his wife used a racial slur, Bryant repeatedly said the word at the meeting. 

AL.com previously reported that Bryant justified his actions by claiming that he was just repeating what Newton called Freeman in the video. The mayor denied Bryant's claim. 

About a year after that conflict, Bryant was arrested for allegedly punching Newtown after the mayor made a lewd sexual reference about his wife. Newtown said he was reacting to a racist comment from Bryant. 

Bryant was found not guilty of assaulting the mayor in 2023.  

Another controversy involved Tarrant Police Chief Wendell Major who was suspended three times for insubordination and allegedly deleting murder and arson charges in several cases. 

Major’s lawyers called the accusation 'absolutely, 100% false.'