DECATUR, Ala. (AP) — Contamination from a chemical plant in north Alabama is tainting elections in the city of Decatur.
Three City Council members seeking reelection tell The Decatur Daily that Mayor Tab Bowling and a lawyer seek to influence August elections by recruiting and funding challengers to the incumbents.
Lawyer Barney Lovelace represents the city in lawsuits over chemical contamination from 3M Co.’s Decatur plant. The city is being sued alongside 3M because plaintiffs allege that chemical compounds are discharged from the city’s wastewater treatment plant and are leaching from its landfill.
City Council President Paige Bibbee recorded a phone call where Lovelace threatens to “burn her down," and points to an email Lovelace sent seeking to recruit candidates.
