page_title: Semmes, Alabama
section_title: Incorporation
hierarchical_section_title: Semmes, Alabama / Incorporation
caption_attribution_description: English: I was able to catch up with #Semmes Mayor David Baker this morning. I look forward to being in Semmes for a town hall meeting in a few weeks!
context_page_description: Semmes is a city in western Mobile County, Alabama, in the Mobile metropolitan statistical area. Formerly an unincorporated community, voters in Semmes approved incorporation of a part of the community as the city of Semmes on August 17, 2010. After a statutory enumeration, or census, the town was officially declared incorporated on May 2, 2011, by Mobile County Probate Judge Don Davis. The statutory census indicated that the town has a population of 2,897 people. It covers 2,100 acres. The current mayor is David Baker. He is the second mayor of the city, succeeding Judy Hale.
context_section_description: On March 3, 2010, the members of the Friends of Semmes and the associated Incorporate Semmes organizations presented Mobile County Probate Judge Don Davis with a petition seeking to incorporate an area within the Semmes community as the City of Semmes.  The proposed incorporation did not include the entire area known as Semmes due to certain population density requirements of Alabama State Law.  Judge Davis set the date for the referendum as Tuesday, August 17, 2010.  After voting closed, unofficial returns showed the plebiscite passing with 74.19% of the voters in favor of incorporation.  The vote must be certified by the Probate Judge to be official, however, this seems almost certain as the number of provisional ballots is not enough to overcome the deficit.  Some voters complained about the "zig-zag" nature of the proposed city limits which excluded some areas of the community from the vote, with some even referring to the proposed city as a gerrymander.
  Once the election was certified in August, the Mobile County Probate Judge ordered an enumeration, or census, of the citizens of the new municipality, in accordance with Alabama law.  The enumeration was completed in late April, 2011, and the city was declared incorporated by the Probate Judge on May 2, 2011.   The Probate Judge also set the date of the first municipal election which was scheduled for June 28, 2011, to elect the mayor and the 5 at-large city council seats.  Additionally, the City of Mobile, upon the issuance of the order of incorporation, removed the Semmes from its police, fire, and planning extraterritorial jurisdictions, and no longer provides any services to the areas or collects any taxes in the area.
  Only one person, Judy Hale, filed with the Probate Judge to run for the office of Mayor, and, as such, was deemed elected without an election taking place.  Likewise, only 5 citizens qualified to run for the 5 at-large City Council seats, and were subsequently deemed elected.  Those Council Members are: Jerry Shirey, Dave Baker, Mary Calhoun, Phillip Dodd, and Teresa Bonner.  They took the oath of office at the first Semmes City Council meeting on June 6, 2011. In 2015 and 2016, Semmes held its general election, and Judy Hale's reelection campaign came up short after reports of corruption, and David Baker won. He was sworn in around November.
caption: Mayor David Baker
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