Tensions rose Monday night in Russellville when it came time to vote to replace a District 4 civil service board member.

After no other council member volunteered in the work session to support District 4 Councilman Lanny Hubbard’s recommendation for the position, he said the other councilmen were being racists, but offered no explanation before or after the meeting as to the basis of his belief.

Hubbard is Russellville’s only black councilman.

“Oh, so this is a black thing now?” he asked the other council members in the work session. “This is the most racist council I have ever seen.”

In the meeting following the work session, District 1 Councilman Jeff Masterson recommended an individual to fill the civil service board vacancy. Hubbard, however, said he was “intercepting any second,” because Masterson had “no business going behind my back” to fill the District 4 vacancy.

“That’s the most low-down, back-stabbing thing I have ever seen,” he told Masterson.

Masterson responded by pointing out Hubbard did not recommended an appointee during the council meeting.

Masterson’s motion passed with a second from District 2 Councilman William Nale when, after several minutes of arguing between Masterson and Hubbard, Mayor Troy Oliver called the meeting back to order. Councilmen Gary Cummings and David Grissom voted in favor of Masterson’s appointment. Oliver abstained from the vote.

When the meeting was adjourned, Masterson said a black person was replacing a black person on the civil service board and that the new appointee was from District 4.

“(Hubbard) never said who he was going to recommend, and then he didn’t make the motion in the meeting,” Masterson said. “I made the motion to fill (the position). We didn’t know who he was going to appoint.”

Hubbard said he suspected the disagreement was politically motivated in light of the approaching election season.

“I just didn’t like that (Masterson) went in my district, picking someone for me like I don’t have the intelligence to choose someone myself,” Hubbard said. “They took (the appointment) away from me through political games. I don’t go in their districts picking for them.”

Oliver said such disagreements are not typical for the council, but board appointments between the districts can be somewhat controversial.

“The councilmen usually decide who to appoint and they usually respect each others’ potential appointees,” he said. “I try to stay out of that.”

In other business, the council voted to award a bid of $10,800 to Hovater Metal Works, of Russellville, to repair the Marion Street bridge that was heavily damaged by the April 27 tornado.

Grissom, whose district includes the bridge, said initial estimates for the repair were close to $24,000.

“That was the reason we decided to get additional estimates,” he said. “We decided to ask for two more estimates to make sure we could get the best price.”

The city received more than $11,400 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to aid in repairs, and Grissom said he wasn’t yet sure where the excess funds would be used.

Council members initially expected to have awarded the bid by Jan. 16, but Oliver said engineering plans caused a delay.

Construction should be completed within 90 days. Oliver said it will begin as soon as weather permits.

Hannah Mask can be reached at 256-740-5728 or hannah.mask@TimesDaily.com.