2009 Birmingham municipal election

The 2009 Birmingham City Council election will be held on August 25, 2009, with a runoff on October 6. The ballot will also include Birmingham Board of Education elections.

The council voted on March to change the election date to August from October 13 after being advised by city attorney Lawrence Cooper that more than the usual three weeks would be needed between the election and any runoffs in order to meet the requirements of the federal "Help America to Vote" act. Cooper's office waited until May 7 before applying to the U. S. Department of Justice for approval of the new schedule. A decision was returned on June 20, just days before it would have been too late to make the change.

In order to appear on the ballot, candidates must file qualification papers at the Jefferson County Probate Court by 5:00 PM on August 4.

City Council candidates

The following list of candidates originated with a telephone survey of announced and likely candidates conducted by the Birmingham Times in March 2009. It has been updated by later news reports. Candidates marked as "qualified" have formally filed in probate court:

• District 1
  • Joel Montgomery (incumbent)
  • Roderick Jackson (qualified)
  • Brandon McCray (qualified)
  • Lashunda Scales (qualified)
  • Rhonda Robinson
  • Trisha Working
  • George Bowman
  • Johnnie Johnson
• District 2
  • Carol Duncan (incumbent, qualified)
  • Yawntreshia Coleman (qualified)
  • Lawrence Conaway (qualified)
  • Rolanda Hollis (qualified)
  • Rodney Huntley (qualified)
  • Kim Rafferty (qualified)
  • Alvin Rutledge (qualified)
  • Carnetta Norman
  • Frank Matthews
• District 3
  • Valerie Abbott (incumbent, qualified)
  • Howard Bayless (qualified)
  • Adam Snyder
  • Don Lupo
• District 4
  • Maxine Parker (incumbent)
  • Robert Walker (qualified)
• District 5
  • Johnathan Austin (incumbent)
  • Brandon Davis (qualified)
  • Charlie Williams (qualified)
  • Kamau Afrika
  • Emmanuel Ford
  • Elias Hendricks
• District 6
  • Carole Smitherman (incumbent)
  • Keith Aaron (qualified)
  • Samuel Wiggins (qualified)
  • Sheila Tyson
  • Billy Pitts
• District 7
  • Willie Florence (qualified)
  • Chiquita Holloway (qualified)
  • Percy McGowan (qualified)
  • Jay Roberson (qualified)
  • Ernestine Williams (qualified)
  • Carolyn Johnson
• District 8
  • Steven Hoyt (incumbent)
  • Gerri Robinson (qualified)
  • Demetrius Carr
  • Bernard Kincaid
• District 9
  • Roderick Royal (incumbent)
  • Leroy Bandy (qualified)
  • David Russell (qualified)
  • Marcia Starks (qualified)
  • William Barnes (qualified)
  • James Williams
  • Art Grayson
  • John Hilliard
  • David Merrida

Board of Education candidates

• District 1
  • Tyrone Belcher (qualified)
• District 2
  • Robert Carter (qualified)
• District 3
  • Elisa Burns Macon (qualified)
  • Bob Friedman (qualified)
  • Randall Woodfin (qualified)
• District 4
  • Edward Maddox (qualified)
• District 5
  • Dannetta K. Thornton Owens (incumbent, qualified)
  • Emanuel Ford (qualified)
• District 6
  • Willie Maye, Jr (incumbent, qualified)
  • Gwendolyn Bell (qualified)
  • Ervin Hill (qualified)
• District 7
  • Alana Edwards (qualified)
• District 8
• District 9

References

• Natta, André (November 18, 2008) "Let the 2009 city council races begin." The Terminal
• Lewis, Jessie (March 11, 2009) "One Man's Opinion"
• Kennedy, Joey (March 19, 2009) "Will there be new faces on the Birmingham City Council?" Birmingham News
• Bryant, Joseph D. (June 16, 2009) "Birmingham city election date still unsettled, week remains until early date possibility dies." Birmingham News
• Williams, Roy L. (June 21, 2009) "Justice Department approves Birmingham officials' request to move election to Aug. 25." Birmingham News
• Ruisi, Anne (July 6, 2009) "Birmingham, Alabama city council, school board have candidates qualifying." Birmingham News
• Bryant, Joseph D. (July 12, 2009) "Birmingham City Council race rivals Carole Smitherman, Sheila Tyson skirmish in radio ads." Birmingham News