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Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892 February 17, 2016 Vol. 124, No. 34 www.alexcityoutlook.com
CAPITOL BOUND
Cougars advance to regionals. Sports, page 8.
Mom busted taking drugs to son in prison By MITCH SNEED Editor
The mother of a man serving time for murder after an April 8, 2013 accident that killed two local residents has been arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle drugs into the prison where her son is being held. According the Alabama Department of Corrections Public Information Officer Bob Horton, Lisa Dunaway Wright, the mother of Richard Wesley Walls, was taken into custody on Jan 10 after she was observed trying to transfer contraband to her son. “Our records indicate that Lisa Dunaway
Wright was taken into custody at the Bibb County Correctional Facility on Jan. 10 during a visit with inmate Richard Walls,” Horton said. “She was charged with promoting prison contraband and unlawful possession of a controlled substance.” Court records show that Wright was detained at the Bibb County Jail by the Bibb County Sheriff’s Department and was released the following day after posting a $15,000 bond. Walls, now 21, is serving time after he plead guilty to two counts of murder stemming from an April 8, 2013 auto accident at
the intersection of Dobbs Road and Alabama Highway 63 North, which claimed the lives of Austin and Debra Gandy. Records indicate that the accident was caused by a 2002 black BMW driven by Richard Walls, then 19, of Alexander City. Walls allegedly ran a stop sign and struck a 2000 Dodge Caravan that was traveling along Highway 63. Walls was indicted for two counts of murder after records show that the grand jury found evidence that “in extreme indifference to human life” Walls was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana and “(drove)
his vehicle at a high rate of speed through a residential neighborhood and (failed) to stop at a stop sign.” In court, Walls admitted his guilt and confirmed that he had driven under the influence of alcohol and marijuana, was driving at excessive speeds and had failed to stop. Both charges that Wright is facing are classified as Class C felonies and, according to state code, the crimes carry a potential penalty of a minimum of a year and a day in prison, up to to 10 years in prison if convicted. A court date for Wright had not been set as of Tuesday, according to court records.
Chamber hires a new leader with local ties
McDaniel preliminary hearing set for April 20
Ed Collari comes to job from The Summit in Birmingham By MITCH SNEED Editor
The Alexander City Chamber of Commerce has hired Ed Colarri to serve as its new president and chief executive officer. Collari, 38, is currently the assistant general manager and marketing manager at The Summit in Birmingham. His first day on the job will Collari be March 7 and he will take the position created with Ann Rye’s departure as she moves with her family to Ohio. “I realize that I have some huge, huge shoes to fill, especially with all that Ann and the staff there at the Chamber have going on,” Collari said Tuesday. “But I am super excited about the opportunity, the city of Alexander City and all the potential that the community has to offer.” When Collari talks about what is happening here, he knows about it because he already has ties to the Lake Martin area. Collari’s wife Meredith grew up in Dadeville and the couple and their two See CHAMBER • Page 11
By MITCH SNEED and CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writers
Cliff Williams / The Outlook
Benjamin Russell High School Family and Consumer Science teacher Daphne Davis asks for her students help while inventorying items in the kitchen.
NEW LEARNING BRHS teacher gives students real world experiences By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
Daphne Davis makes sure that every student in her Family and Consumer Science I class has a baby. But only for one night. “We have the actual infant simulators that they have to take home overnight,” said Davis. “A lot of them are soooo excited to have them. And then the next morning, when
they bring them back, they’re like, ‘Oh, my gosh! Take this baby!’” Davis, a Benjamin Russell grad who received her degree from Auburn, returned to her alma mater after stops at Russell Corp., helping her husband start his ultrasound business and opening and operating Rip-It Sports. After beginning teaching as a substitute, Tommy Bice urged her to renew her teaching See LEARNING • Page 5
Accused killer Matthew Clate McDaniel now has a date for a preliminary hearing and his attorney will be given access to McDaniel the evidence against him. McDaniel, 33, of Dadeville is charged with murder in the Jan. 17 shooting death of Norman Dean Crayton. At a first call hearing Tuesday, Judge Kim Taylor set a preliminary hearing for April 20 at 1:30 p.m. In addition, Taylor granted a motion for discovery of evidence filed by McDaniel’s OpelikaSee MCDANIEL • Page 5
Today’s
Despite adding expense, city manager could bring savings By MITCH SNEED Editor
Editor’s note: This is the second in a five-part series on the city-manager form of government. A petition is now active asking for the people to be allowed to vote on a possible change in Alexander City. The petition can be signed each day at the offices of The Outlook. Funding a new administrative position in a city where pay increases for employees have not come on a regular basis and the capital budget has been slashed repeatedly is a move that some residents have questioned. There are few cities the same size as Alexander City who currently have a city manager. But smaller cities with a city manager pay an average of $104,081. A move to a city manager-council form of government is more than just adding a position. There would be other
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factors that would lessen the added expense. The size of the council would go from six to four, saving two council member salaries. At $10,500 each, that is a savings of $21,000. Also, most governments using the city manager-council model, include a salary for the mayor at an average rate that is two and a half times the pay of the council members. Using the current numbers here in Alexander City, that would give the mayor a salary of $26,250 based on the council members’ pay of $10,500. If the mayoral pay was reduced to that level, it would represent a savings of $33,750. Add the reduction of two council salaries and the savings is up to $54,750. While the pay cut may seem drastic, the job evolves from a fulltime position that manages a multi-million dollar entity to a part-time job where the See MANAGER • Page 11
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