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During a late evening called meeting on Wednesday, the LaGrange City Council called for another special election to fill the vacated seat of former Mayor Pro-Tem Jim Arrington.

Arrington stepped down as mayor pro-tem the previous day after a separate, more controversial, meeting where the council called for a special election to replace the late Willie T. Edmondson in a 3-2 vote. During that meeting, a number of attendees voiced concerns that it was too soon.

City Attorney Jeff Todd explained that if the council wanted to have the election at the next available opportunity on May 21, it needed to be called either Tuesday or Wednesday to meet a state requirement that the election call be made 90 days prior to the election. Otherwise, the city would have to wait until the November General Election.

After the vote, Arrington stepped down from the council and as mayor pro-tem, saying he intended to run for mayor in the May 21 election.

After Arrington stepped down, the remaining council unanimously voted Councilman Quay Boddie as the new mayor pro-tem. That meeting was then adjourned without a call for an election to fill Arrington’s vacated seat.

During a second called meeting on Wednesday, the council unanimously called for an election to fill Arrington’s vacated seat on May 21.

Todd said the important dates will be the same for both elections with qualifying opening at 8:30 a.m. on March 11 and closing on March 13 at 4:30 p.m. March 20 is the deadline for write-in candidates to file and publish.

Voter registration ends on April 22 for the election on May 21. A run-off will be held June 18 if needed.