The city of Selma will move forward with listing the St. James Hotel with a real estate company that specializes in the sale of hotels.

The decision was made during a special council meeting Tuesday to canvass the results of last week’s election.

The St. James will be listed with Hotel Assets Group. The brokers will charge a flat $70,000 commission regardless of the hotel’s selling process.

The listing comes after a plan to sell the hotel for $100,000 to Kenneth Moore and Janee Hotel Corporation out of Illinois fell apart last week.

Moore has withdrawn his offer, according to Councilwoman Susan Keith. A Times-Journal story published last week revealed details from Moore’s past, including a felony identity theft charge, bankruptcies and lawsuits.

Moore denied that he was ever charged with identity theft and declined to comment further saying, “I’m not going to get into that with you.”

Councilman Michael Johnson said Moore was disgusted with the Times-Journal’s reporting.

“I got the opportunity to talk with Mr. Moore myself, and he was really disappointed in the way things were handled,” Johnson said. “[He] did not have a chance to defend himself … I totally understand where he’s coming from because we all went through some changes. I think it’s unfair how they did him like that.”

Johnson said the council could have handled the deal through an executive session “without putting his personal business out like that.”

The council also voted to nullify the ordinance selling the hotel to Moore that was put on first read during the council’s last meeting. The council also moved to dissolve its committee working to sell the St. James since the brokers are now handling many of those decisions.