Mooresville swears in new mayor, council members
Published 6:00 am Tuesday, November 3, 2020
- Newly elected Mooresville Mayor Nikki Sprader, center left, stands with members of the Mooresville Town Council outside the Brick Church in Mooresville.
While much of the 2020 election year has been tumultuous at best, the small historic town of Mooresville recently celebrated yet another election cycle in which everyone simply ran unopposed, with only one new person being added to the list of Town Council members.
Mayor Nikki Sprader said that while Mooresville must follow the rules of any municipality in Alabama, it’s actually been some time since the town has needed to hold a proper election with multiple candidates for the same office. Anyone who qualifies for office can run, but “normally, we don’t get caught in the big political race,” Sprader said. “Everyone just kind of steps up when someone decides to roll off.”
This year, the person rolling off was her husband, Mike Sprader. Mike Sprader served as a councilman for 12 years, and was “instrumental in the preservation efforts of the Town … (serving) with a true selflessness, passion and purpose,” according to the Town.
Taking his spot on the Town Council is Chris Smith. The previous mayor, Margaret-Anne Crumlish, stepped down to also take a spot on the Council this year. Rounding out the council are three returning members — Travis Hensley, Rush Mitchell and Leann Barr.
Nikki Sprader said each council person is given a numbered place on the council, such as Place 1, Place 2 and so on. However, because the town is so small, there is no district or portion of town designated to each place.
As for Sprader, she was initially selected for Town Clerk in 2012, then elected to the Town Council in 2016. She has also served as the town’s Bicentennial Chairman, an experience she plans to rely on when helping craft programs and events to further educate residents and visitors over the next four years.
Mooresville was incorporated Nov. 16, 1818, making it one of the oldest towns in Alabama. Sprader said she hopes to continue the town’s work in preserving the history of it and the buildings within it, such as the Brick Church built in 1839, the Church of Christ where a former U.S. president once preached and the Mooresville Post Office, otherwise known as the oldest post office in operation in Alabama.
The council members and Sprader were each sworn in during an oath of office ceremony Sunday at the Brick Church. Morgan County District Court Judge Shelly Slate Waters officiated the ceremony.
“It’s exciting,” Sprader said of becoming the town’s new mayor. “… It’s just an opportunity to continue serving our town.”
She said the town’s officials are looking forward to settling back in, and it isn’t lost on them just how different the routine in Mooresville is compared to other areas or the country as a whole.
“We’re very blessed that we live in an area where it’s not political, it’s volunteership and just wanting to serve the community, and everybody kind of takes a turn,” she said.
The Mooresville Town Council meets 6 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month. Visit mooresvilleal.com to learn more about the town.