Members of the Prattville Parks and Recreation committee expressed concerns Tuesday about the possibility of handing off the 2025 Christmas parade to a third party.
Mayor Bill Gillespie last week pitched the idea of pursuing third-party management of what have traditionally been city parades in an attempt to “keep politics out.”
Several Prattville residents showed up to Tuesday’s committee meeting with small green signs reading “Keep the Christmas parade family friendly,” an apparent call to allow third-party management of the parade and exclude Prattville Pride. Several of the people displaying the signs publicly called for the exclusion of the float last year.
Gillespie listed three reasons Tuesday he believes turning over parade management to a third party would benefit the city.
“One, I think it would reduce liability and risk to the city by shifting oversight to a third party organization,” Gillespie said. “The city could possibly lessen its direct liability for some issues such as parade participant’s use, compliant with regulations …
“Two. keeps events community-focused and non-political. When the city is the official organizer, parades can unintentionally become political. A third party group could provide an independent buffer, possibly allowing broader inclusion and ensure that the focus stays on family, tradition and community pride rather than politics.”
Handing over parade management could also save the city on overtime hours to city employees, Gillespie said, and free up parks and recreation employees to focus on other priorities.
But members of the committee expressed concerns about what handing off the parade would entail, especially just three months out.
“I think there needs to be a one-year lead time,” said outgoing City Council President Lora Lee Boone.
Council President Pro Tempore Robert Strichik addressed the “elephant in the room.”
“I’m not in favor of a group of people dictating who can and cannot be in our parade,” Strichik said. “Personally, I’m a First Amendment guy.”
Gillespie pulled the Prattville Pride float out of the parade last year citing safety concerns the group had shared with him. The LGBTQ+ group sued the city and obtained a quick emergency injunction allowing the group’s float to participate in the parade on First Amendment grounds.
Councilor Tommy Merrick expressed the most interest in pursuing the idea in the future, but generally agreed with Boone and Strichik that it will require too much time and discussion to explore to make that decision ahead of the 2025 parade.
