Montgomery City Council Members Speak After Unprecedented Vote to Remove Colleague Amid Residency Scandal

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WAKA) — The Montgomery City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to declare Councilwoman Marche Johnson ineligible to continue representing District 3 after determining she no longer resides within the district’s boundaries.

The decision follows a monthlong review of records and information related to Johnson’s residency. Property records show Johnson purchased a home in District 7 in 2024. She has represented District 3 since 2021.

Under section 3.04 of Montgomery’s code of ordinances, council members must live in the district they represent for at least six months before their election and must continue to reside in that district throughout their term. The council is responsible for determining whether those qualifications have been met.

“We did not take this lightly at all,” District 1 Councilman Ed Grimes said. “We got all the instruments from the county courthouse and all those sort of things and even water bills and such as that, and we felt like it was just overwhelming that she moved out of the district.”

Council President C.C. Calhoun said council members spent the past month reviewing evidence and information provided by Johnson.

“Over the last month, we’ve been doing some due diligence and some burden of proof that we put on the council member from District 3, Ms. Johnson, to prove where she resides,” Calhoun said. “Based on what we received…the council made a decision that, hey, you don’t reside in the district, so it’s only fair that we set an election date going forward to get representation for the citizens of District 3.”

Council members described the situation as unprecedented.

“No, this is not normal,” Grimes said. “I don’t think anybody — Charlie Jinright has been on the council for over 30 years — and they’ve never experienced this. I don’t know that they’ve ever experienced this, and this was a very unfortunate thing.”

District 7 Councilman Andrew Szymanski said the decision was necessary to ensure residents can trust the council to follow its own rules.

“There’s been a lot of chatter about this, and we’re just looking forward to making sure that the residents of District 3 have a representative and we’re fulfilling our duties as councilors,” Szymanski said.

Szymanski also acknowledged Johnson’s contributions to the city, particularly in the downtown area.

“The downtown area especially is the heartbeat of our city,” he said. “It’s a critically important part of some of the investment strategies and growth strategies the city has going forward, and so we know that Councilor Johnson has been a very positive voice in that area, so it is obviously a challenging decision.”

Calhoun said Johnson will have an opportunity to challenge the council’s decision through the courts if she chooses.

“Her lawyers and our lawyers, the city lawyer, will make the contact from what will happen from this day and give her an appeal process with the courts if she chooses to go that route,” Calhoun said.

“I just wish her well and I wish the District 3 citizens well as we move forward from this process,” he added.
Councilwoman Johnson was not present at the meeting. Action 8 News reached out to her for a response, and she referred us to her attorney, from whom we are still awaiting a response.

The council also voted Tuesday to schedule a special election to fill the District 3 seat on Sept. 1. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, a runoff election will be held Oct. 13.

Candidates may qualify to run for the seat between June 30 and July 14.