DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — Decatur City Council candidate Sarah French is defending whether she is qualified to run for the District 4 seat.
French finished first with 47% of the vote in the municipal election, but fell short of the 50% needed to win the election.
But as the leading candidate, French finds herself defending her conviction of marijuana possession in Morgan County in 2001. French, 21 years of age at the time, says that some citizens have been spreading the idea that the conviction makes her unqualified to be in the election.
French served no prison time but told News 19 that she has answered all questions from both the city and state officials regarding her qualifications long before declaring herself a candidate for the 2025 municipal election.
“We have covered this thoroughly with my retained attorney, and at this point if anyone has further questions, they are welcome to call him,” French said. “I am still open to meet with any person of District 4 that wants to meet with me before Tuesday of next week.”
Pam Werstler, who will face French in Tuesday’s runoff, chose to instead share her plans for the district ahead of what is expected to be a tight race.
“The roads in some areas are an issue, and people are talking about how some people are letting property go down and they are wanting an enforcement of the ordinance that we currently have,” Werstler said.
She said that any controversy is up to the voters to believe.
“It’s about whether something is relevant or not, and that’s up to the voters to decide whether that’s relevant,” Werstler explained.
French told News 19 that she is not worried about what is being spread about her past and will continue to focus on what’s needed for her district.
“I believe that at this point it’s just harassment because if you don’t know for it to be factually true then you should not be continuing to put it out there publicly,” said French. “I will focus instead on the Wilson Morgan Park project, which gives nothing back to our children. They tore down the huge park, and we need to rebuild it and give something back to the kids, as well as the dog parks.”
The polls will open for voters at 7 a.m. In Decatur next Tuesday, Sept. 23.
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