Questions about whether one of Mobile’s City Council candidates even meets the legal residency requirement surfaced during a tense forum Thursday, with both of her opponents publicly casting doubt about her recent ties to Mobile.

Samantha Ingram, a former school administrator and political newcomer, is facing criticism for being a registered voter in Georgia and not having cast a ballot in a Mobile municipal election in two decades.

“If you lived here, you’d know,” said incumbent William Carroll, taking a pointed jab as he discussed drainage problems in the district. He added later, “If you haven’t been here for 20 years, (you) don’t know how it works. You have to learn the process and how city government works.”

Fellow challenger Reggie Hill didn’t mince words, suggesting her candidacy was irresponsible since she would be voting on a city budget and ordinances in a city she hasn’t lived in for 20 years.

“Look who was there,” Hill said. “Who wasn’t here in the state. Think about that.”

Residency stance

Ingram did not respond directly to the residency challenges during the 90-minute forum inside a school auditorium. She left Mobile in 2007, after serving as the school system’s deputy superintendent.

She mostly focused her criticism on Carroll, accusing the “status quo” for not working in Mobile.

“When you look at aging streets, broken sidewalks and darkened corridors, you realize that represents decades of underinvestment,” she said. “We cannot continue with a future like that.”

Ingram, in statements to the media last week, said that in June 2023, while living in Georgia, she bought a house in her hometown of Mobile. She said she moved into the Mobile house last summer after doing renovations.

She voted in November’s presidential election in Georgia, according to state records, and remains a registered voter in the state.

Ingram has said she is qualified to serve in the seat if elected on Aug. 26. Alabama law requires anyone who runs for Mobile City Council to have lived in their district for the past 90 days, and as a resident of the city for the past year.

Partnerships and plans

Ingram, Hill and Carroll participated in the forum in which they answered seven questions on issues like infrastructure, public safety, blight, transparency, and the city’s preservation of heritage oaks.

Ingram repeatedly called for a comprehensive plan and partnerships to tackle issues such as crime, drainage, and infrastructure. A former educator, Ingram said it is important for the city to partner with the Mobile County Public School System to advocate for public education.

She also urged for the addition of a liaison to serve as a “direct communicator” between city government and the 19 neighborhoods that make up the diverse district.

“If we do not allow citizens into decision making, then truly it’s an individual who makes decisions collectively for all of us,” Ingram said. “It’s time to put the citizens back into the decision-making process.”

Performance contracts

Hill, who says he would be a servant-leader if elected, argued in support of reaching out to non-profits and community colleges to provide services to improve the city’s housing stock.

He also advocated to connecting directly with the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery to help boost the redevelopment of the historic Africatown community. In addition, he said the city’s performance contracts included in the city’s annual budget need to be reexamined.

“We give aways millions of dollars to the same groups,” Hill said. “If you do the same thing expecting different results, that’s insane. Re-evaluate those. With the right leadership, we can do that.”

Demolition by neglect

Carroll, who won the District 2 seat during an unusual runoff election in 2021, said he is proud of the district’s accomplishments during his time in office. Carroll also served in the seat for two terms from 2005-2013.

Carroll argued in support of having Mobile return to a community-policing approach where police officers are walking a beat and interacting with neighbors.

“I understand my role as a city councilman and I know I cannot write or direct anything for the police department,” he said. “But we need to continue to review the budget to give public servants enough money to protect the people.”

Carroll also advocated to ensure the city’s historic preservation department has a boost in funding to ensure that historic districts are preserved.

He also emphasized a need to tighten the city’s ordinances to prevent what he called is “demolition by neglect” to properties throughout Mobile.

“We have to come up with a way to make sure we maintain the fabric and quality of a community without disturbing the quality of life of people,” Carroll said. “We have property that is derelict because of people who are just letting them fall away, a demolition by neglect. We cannot tear them down. We have to change that. It’s causing us irreparable harm in the downtown.”

Revisiting 2021

Next month’s election will be the first time voters in District 2 have had a chance to decide a council race since the Oct. 5, 2021, runoff when Carroll squared off against former Council President Levon Manzie.

The election took place 16 days after Manzie, who nearly avoided the runoff by receiving 47.5% of the vote in the first election, died at age 38 following a lengthy illness from kidney disease. Carroll was a distant second place with 23% of the vote, but just enough to prevent Manzie from receiving more than 50% that would have prevented a runoff.

Concerns were raised in the days leading up to the runoff election that Manzie’s candidacy, despite him being deceased, was influenced by outsider money. That included support from a political action committee that supported Republican candidates including U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville. Manzie had been a well-known supporter of Democratic candidates.

Carroll won the runoff election with 57% support to Manzie’s 43%.