Sylacauga's city council voted 3-2 on October 13 to reappoint Alexandra Lambert as the city's clerk-treasurer, capping a legal saga that began when then-Mayor Jim Heigl fired her in 2025 without council approval. The special called meeting lasted just four minutes, but it reignited a dispute over whether the city properly followed its own civil service hiring rules in bringing her back. Lambert's new appointment takes effect this Saturday, October 17.
The reappointment follows a May 29 ruling from Talladega County Circuit Judge Chad Woodruff, who found that Lambert was wrongfully terminated because Heigl lacked the legal authority to fire her on his own. According to ABC 33/40, the judge cited Alabama law giving the city council — not the mayor — authority to appoint the clerk-treasurer. As SylacaugaNews.com reported, Woodruff found that while Heigl could temporarily suspend or remove Lambert from duty, he was required to report his reasons to the council, which holds exclusive statutory authority over the position.
Crucially, the court never weighed in on the underlying allegations against Lambert. Court documents show the Sylacauga Civil Service Board had unanimously voted that she violated multiple city personnel policies, and the judge did not review the merits of those findings — he ruled strictly on the question of mayoral authority, leaving the truth of the allegations unresolved. The board's April 2025 findings, detailed by 1819 News, stemmed from a police report alleging misconduct, defective workmanship, and the alteration of financial records — allegations Lambert has strongly denied.
A Board Divided, Then a Court Settles the Authority Question
The civil service board itself had split 2-1 in an amended 2025 ruling over whether the mayor even held termination power in the first place, with two members siding with Heigl because he had initiated Lambert's original hiring, and one dissenting member arguing the mayor never had that authority at all. Woodruff's ruling ultimately sided with the dissenting board member's position. Lambert originally entered the clerk-treasurer role in April 2023 on a 4-1 council vote, a promotion from her earlier position within the Sylacauga Police Department, 1819 News notes.
Reinstating Lambert immediately wasn't possible, however. Woodruff determined that court-ordered reinstatement was legally unavailable as a remedy because her original term of office had naturally expired while the litigation dragged on, a consequence of the city's municipal election cycle. Instead, the court ordered the parties into mediation in May to resolve the dispute, with the City of Sylacauga covering the mediator's costs.
Mediation, a Settlement, and a Contested Pay Grade
Former St. Clair County Circuit Judge Phil Seay was selected to mediate the dispute, according to The Anniston Star. Council President Tiffany Nix told ABC 33/40 that the litigation cost the city close to $300,000 in attorney fees and damages, though that figure has not been independently verified by the station. A written statement from council member Greer Bisignani referenced a possible settlement of approximately $180,000, a figure that also has not been independently verified by ABC 33/40, and the settlement's finalization status remains unconfirmed. The council separately voted 3-2 to set Lambert's pay at step AGF-15.
One Council Member Silenced, Then Speaks Out After the Vote
Not everyone on the council was satisfied with how the vote unfolded. Bisignani opposed Lambert's reappointment and questioned whether she should be required to complete the city's standard hiring process, arguing that the appointment raised legal procedure and governance concerns. At the meeting, Nix did not allow Bisignani to read a prepared statement — so Bisignani instead provided it to ABC 33/40's I-Team afterward, calling for the city to delay Lambert's appointment until civil service hiring requirements could be properly reviewed.
Bisignani's position centers on the fact that Lambert's previous term had expired, meaning she argues Lambert should face the same hiring requirements as any other applicant rather than being slotted back into the role by council vote. Nix, for her part, has maintained that Lambert's original termination should never have happened in the first place and defended the council's action as correcting that mistake. During the October 13 meeting, at least one council member questioned whether civil service hiring requirements applied to Lambert's reappointment and whether they had actually been followed.
What Comes Next
The city clerk-treasurer role in Sylacauga carries significant weight: it has seven full-time accounting and clerical employees and handles city taxes and business licenses. Heigl, who issued Lambert's original termination, gave his farewell address in October 2025 after failing to make the runoff in the August 26 election. ABC 33/40's I-Team says it plans to continue investigating the matter and seeking further answers as Lambert's reappointment takes effect this week.
