The 5-4 rift separating the Selma City Council was increasingly apparent during Monday’s meeting as the council members debated the hiring process to fill a municipal judge position.

The debate centered on the first round of interviews in which four of the council members met with eight judge candidates last Thursday. Council members Johnnie Leashore, Geraldine Allen and Bennie Ruth Crenshaw raised concerns about the manner in which the interviews were conducted.

“Due to the fact that the process that took place did not conform (to standards set forth by the council) the whole process should start over,” Leashore said.

Council President George Evans heard some concerns before the original meeting and tried to get all the council members to attend the interviews.

“In my opinion that was a good process, we had some good candidates,” Evans said. “It was one of those things that had some lack of communication.”

The debate began after the council appointed the Public Safety Committee to handle the interview process. The council stipulated the interviews should follow the same format Allen’s Administrative Committee used for new school board members.

Reid Cain, chair of Public Safety, met with committee member Janie Venter and President Pro Tem Jean Martin and set a date for Tuesday, Jan. 4.

Cain sent out a memo outlining his plan and inviting the other members to come to the meeting.

In an earlier interview, Cain said he requested that Council members submit written questions to his committee. Cain said he wanted to avoid any scheduling conflicts.

When the plan didn’t conform to Allen’s process, several of the members objected and threatened to boycott.

Evans was called and he made an effort to make the process conform to the standards set forth by the council.

The meeting was delayed two days and the changes made, but still only four council members showed up for the interviews.

“I would like to say we were very disappointed, we even waited a few minutes thinking some other member of the council would come,” Martin said. “We did it by the book. Dr. Allen, we actually tried to follow the procedure.”

Leashore, who acknowledged he was not at the meeting, said he heard the process was unfair because some interviewees were asked questions that others were not.

“I happened to be there,” Evans said. “Many of the candidates, in their opening remarks covered some of the questions so there was no need to ask.”

Selma Mayor James Perkins Jr. tried to offer a solution.

“It seems that the point of confusion is the committee that’s handling the transaction,” Perkins said. “It seems like if the Administrative Committee is handling this, you wouldn’t be in this position.”

Evans responded by saying though there was some initial confusion, but much of that had been cleared up and the council’s problems were more with Cain, then the process.

“I tried every way I knew to fix this matter,” he said to the council members who objected. “You can say what you like (but) you’ve objected to (Cain) since the jumpstart.

You fight him.

The point is nobody’s perfect. His procedure… I thought we had it corrected to the point that everybody would show up.”

“I really think you tried to do the best you could with it,” Crenshaw said to Evans. “I will say you put forth some effort.”

Leashore, however, said that Evans was covering for Cain.

“You can continue to make excuses for your partners in crime,” Leashore said.

“You called me to try and fix it, now you’re griping about something that was fixed on your recommendation,” Evans said.

Cain said the complaints were an attempt to undermine the Public Safety Committee, but Allen countered by telling Cain he hadn’t contacted her once to go over the process she’d used in selecting the school board applicants.

Finally, Martin had heard enough.

“I would like to speak out and not carry on this childish, ridiculous argument,” she said.

Councilman Sam Randolph also tried to end the fighting.

“Maybe we can compromise a little bit here,” he said.

Despite all the discussion about process, the city still hasn’t decided what they want in the position.

The city passed a budget Monday that calls for two part-time judges. Despite the action, Council members are still considering hiring one full-time municipal judge.

“We have done this now, the people have been interviewed, the question at hand now is whether it will be full-time our part-time,” Evans said.

After Leashore made a motion that the process be “null and void,” Crenshaw said they should determine to hire a full-time judge or part-time judges before moving ahead.

“My recommendation has nothing to do with the screening process for the judge.

My recommendation has to do with the budget issues and the job description issues. The selection process will stay with the Public Safety Committee,” Perkins said. “Quite frankly if I had to make a decision tonight I’d recommend a one judge status, we need somebody focusing on it to get it done. (But) I don’t think any of us are ready to discuss a budget amendment tonight.”

The Council voted to allow the Administrative Committee to make a decision on the number of judges hired, as recommended by the mayor. The motion passed 5-4, with Martin, Evans, Cain and Cecil Williamson voting against.

The Public Safety Committee will still make a recommendation on who gets hired.