Mayor Pro Tem and Place 5 Council Member Victoria Green will serve as Smiths Station’s next mayor
BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
SMITHS STATION — The Smiths Station City Council on Tuesday elected Mayor Pro Tem Victoria Green, the Place 5 council member, as the city’s next mayor, filling the vacancy created by Mayor Richard Cooley’s death.
The council unanimously voted in favor of Green.
Green will serve the remainder of Cooley’s four-year term, which runs through November 2029, and was sworn in at the meeting by Lee County Probate Judge Jere Colley.
Green said that while she didn’t expect to be in this position six years ago, she is excited to get to work and help bring Smiths Station out of a three-year period that has “not been easy for this city.”
Green had represented Place 5 on the council for six years.
“We do have a lot going on. We’ve got a lot of growth and potential, and so we’re just working hard,” Green said. “We’ve got a great staff, great citizens and a great council, so we’re just going to move forward and continue to make Smiths Station great.”
Under Alabama law, the council fills a vacancy in the mayor’s office. Members could choose one of the council’s five members or any other Smiths Station resident.
Place 4 Council Member Dwayne Peterson, who was unanimously selected to serve as mayor pro tem following Green’s appointment, said he was eager to continue working with her and the rest of the council moving forward.
“As you can see by how emotional her swearing in was, she cares about this city, the people and we all do,” Peterson said. “Her passion is so deep for the city, so that’s what made her stand out in the work that she does.”
Green had handled the mayor’s duties since Cooley’s death, according to the city’s Facebook page.
Green’s selection now leaves the Place 5 council seat vacant, which the council will fill at a subsequent meeting.
Immediately after taking the oath, Green read a letter resigning her Place 5 seat, effective immediately. “It has been an absolute honor and privilege to serve our community representing Place 5 on the council for the last six years,” she said, asking the council to take the steps required by Alabama law to fill the seat. She noted that the 60-day window to fill the vacancy began that day.
Within the first 60 days of a vacancy, the council may elect a replacement at a regular or specially called meeting to serve the rest of the term. If the council does not fill the vacancy within 60 days, council members and the mayor may submit nominees to the governor.
Should the governor not make an appointment within 90 days of the vacancy, the Lee County probate judge must call a special election.
The council used the same process in 2023 after Mayor F.L. “Bubba” Copeland died by suicide. Cooley, then in his fifth term on the council, was unanimously appointed by his colleagues to serve as interim mayor.
Cooley, 79, died peacefully at Columbus Hospice House on Oct. 24 surrounded by family members, according to the city. A Smiths Station native who helped lead the effort to incorporate, he had served on the council since 2004 before winning a full term as mayor in August 2025.
Before serving on the council and as mayor, Cooley spent 40 years in education as a teacher, principal and superintendent. He was also a U.S. Air Force veteran who served during the Vietnam War.
District 3 County Commissioner Jeff Drury attended the meeting, and Green announced that the Lee County Commission will present a resolution honoring Cooley at 5 p.m. CT on Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Lee County Justice Center.
