At a May 6, 2025 meeting, the Anniston City Council received a letter of resignation from Mayor Jeff Draper and heard a new mayor take the oath of office; the council then voted to amend the agenda to hold an executive session on preliminary negotiations and matters described under the Alabama Trade Secrets Act.

The council’s clerk, identified in the meeting as Miss Bassett, presented a letter dated May 1, 2025, from Mayor Jeff Draper in which he wrote that after prayer and reflection he had decided to tender his resignation “at the close of the meeting on Friday, May 2.” The letter said Draper needed to “focus on my family, health, and career” and ended, “Thank you for allowing me to serve.” The council did not take a separate, recorded vote to accept or reject the resignation at the time it was read; the letter was presented for the record.

A newly sworn-in mayor (speaker not identified by name in the public portion of the transcript) took the oath of office during the meeting. The official recited the oath, saying, “I do solemnly swear or affirm that I am eligible for the office of mayor … and will execute the duties of the same according to the best of my ability.” In remarks after the oath, the official said age, gender and race “should not be a determining factor” and thanked supporters for the “historic moment.”

Councilmember votes changed the meeting schedule. A motion to amend the agenda to remove one executive-session item related to property negotiation and add an executive session “for the purpose of discussing preliminary negotiation involving matters of trade or commerce … or information of the character defined or described in [the] Alabama Trade Secrets Act” passed on a roll-call vote. Roll-call answers recorded in the transcript were: Councilman Downey — yes; Councilman Roberts — yes; Councilman Harris — yes; Councilor Garrett — yes; Mayor Sweaton — yes. The motion was recorded as approved.

The council also moved to approve the consent agenda as amended. Later the mayor (chair) moved to convene the meeting into executive session “to discuss preliminary negotiation involving matters of trade or commerce … or to discuss matters or information of the character defined or described in Alabama Trade Secrets Act,” and the motion was seconded and passed on a roll call using the same recorded yes votes. Before entering executive session the mayor stated for the record that the council would not return to the public meeting on any matter discussed in executive session.

The meeting included an invocation given by Diane Smith, identified in the meeting as leading a May 1 national day of prayer event, and a brief public hearing for a special-events retailer application for Grace Episcopal Church (doing business as “Jambalaya in Jazz”) at 1000 Lane Avenue; no public comments were offered for that hearing and it was closed.

The council entered executive session and did not return to discuss the matters in public at the close of the recorded meeting.