City leaders react to Mayor Tab Bowling possible plans to resign

DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — Decatur city leaders used the platform of the city council meeting to share their reaction to the possible plans by Mayor Tab Bowling to resign.

News outlets, including the Decatur Daily, reported that Bowling has offered to step down from his position in exchange for an end to protests outside his home.

The protests have been taking place since the police shooting death of Stephen Perkins outside of his home nearly on September 29, 2023.

City council member Kyle Pike said that whatever Bowling’s plans are, the decision is his to make.

“I don’t know other than what I’ve read in the Daily and what I’ve been told I haven’t had that conversation with him and it’s his decision to make,” said Pike.

Councilman Hunter Pepper said that the mayor’s decision to meet with anyone pertaining to his job is unnecessary.

“Personally, I think it’s insane that he held negotiations with somebody over regarding resigning over a position,” Pepper explained. “That doesn’t set very well in my opinion however, I believe that he was elected to his position to maintain his term.”

Now that the details of the closed-door meetings have become public, demonstrators told News 19 that they feel that the mayor’s intentions were not genuine, especially after resuming his stance to walk out during the public comment session of council meetings.

Terrance Atkins of the community action group, ‘Standing In Power,’ says that the public comments session is the only forum for open communication between city leaders and the community.

“He wants us to stop making public comments and protesting outside of his house, which are our First Amendment rights to do, and for us to do those things, he would have to do his job,” said Atkins. “We cannot stand beside a mayor or stop the protesting in front of his house until he does his job.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com.