Matt Dees, Staff Writer 

There will be few tearful goodbyes for Thomas Stith III when he departs the City Council next month.

He has been a thorn in the sides of his six colleagues many times over the years, often casting lone dissenting votes while publicly chastising the other council members. Stith vacated his council seat, which he held for eight years, to mount his unsuccessful bid to unseat Mayor Bill Bell.

"We are replacing Thomas with Farad Ali," said council member Eugene Brown. "I think most of us on the council think that's a positive." Brown was elected to a second term Tuesday, as was Diane Catotti.

The council is trading Stith's persistent dissent for a wild card in Ali, raising questions about how the new group dynamic might affect decision-making.

Catotti said Wednesday she's not sure where Ali stands on issues, or how knowledgeable the newcomer is about the most critical ones. Ali, 40, talked generally about economic development during his campaign but offered few concrete proposals.

Catotti said she has prepared a list of 15 reports she wants him to read before he takes his seat.

"I think he's got his work cut out for him," Catotti said.

Ali conceded as much, saying: "The first thing I gotta do is sit down and become a sponge. I promised competency when I ran for council, and the only way to be competent is to learn."

But he said it should be no secret what his priorities would be on the council. He works with various nonprofit groups that offer ways for low-income people and minorities to find better jobs or start their own businesses.

Economic development for people who need it most is "what I do every day," Ali said, and it will be his focus as a council member.

"I don't know all the policies and procedures to make that happen," he said. "But I want to learn how can I be a part of that happening. People voted for me for what they know that I can do and the expectations of what I will do."

Catotti said she thought Stith's methods often were unfair and counterproductive, such as when he would bring up issues at council meetings without prior discussions with his colleagues.

"[Stith] often wasn't there at council meetings," Catotti said. "He didn't participate in subcommittees. He didn't reach out to colleagues to dialogue. I hope Farad will be an active participant, because, quite honestly, Thomas wasn't."

Stith disagreed with that assessment, countering that other council members rarely approached him with their proposals.

"Communication is a two-way street," he said. "I think the council's losing someone that's willing to be very straightforward and direct, to tell people not what they want to hear but to tell them the true facts. ... What I see now is a council that's going to be pretty much monolithic from the perspective of not being as frank and direct to the community."

Ali said his work on a variety of boards has taught him how to work cooperatively.

"I don't think there'll be a problem dealing with people," he said. "That's what I do for a living."

Catotti said it was valuable to have a dissenting view on the council because it made others question or sharpen their ideas.

Brown said many of the issues Stith harped on during the campaign, such as fighting crime and holding city government accountable, are concerns for the remaining council as well. The current council, Brown said, has made clear that "the honeymoon is over" for City Manager Patrick Baker. Baker has been criticized for not communicating well with the City Council when problems arise and not being forceful enough when employees commit costly or embarrassing errors.

"He knows there has to be improvement, because the council demands it," Brown said.