Shelia Smoot
Shelia Smoot is a current Jefferson County Commissioner for District 2. She serves as Commissioner of Roads & Transportation and of Community & Economic Development. She was first elected in November 2002 and is the first African American woman and youngest person to serve on the Commission.
Early life
Smoot was born in Flint, Michigan to Alabama natives working in the auto industry. She attended Michigan State University in Lansing and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in telecommunications with a minor in political science. She was active in college in several black campus organizations and on the college judicial board.
Journalism
Smoot has had a successful career as a journalist. She also hosted a weekly radio program, "Know Your Rights with Shelia Smoot," and spent time as both a reporter and anchor on local television news. She is most known for her award-winning investigative reports for "Six on Your Side" at WBRC 6. More recently, Smoot has hosted the program "Alabama Business" on ABC 33/40
She has served on the Board of the Alabama Associated Press, a Fellow of the Investigative Reporters and Editors, regional director of the National Association of Black Journalists, and president of the Birmingham Association of Black Journalists.
Commission
Smoot has spent her time on the Commission advocating for affordable housing, public transportation, and economic development. She established a computerized "Performance Review Program" for the County's Roads and Transportation Department. She has pushed to establish a demonstration passenger rail connection between Birmingham and Bessemer. She has used resources from her discretionary accounts to repair and improve equipment at parks across her district. She split the former office of Community and Economic Development into separate directorships. She has also spearheaded the clean-up and redevelopment of the Trinity Steel site in Titusville.
Smoot cast the deciding vote for a controversial 1¢ sales tax for school construction proposed in 2004 by Commission President Larry Langford.
As Commissioner, Smoot holds positions on the boards of the Metropolitan Planning Organization, and the Metropolitan Arts Council. She participated in the Class of 2000 for Leadership Birmingham and volunteers with the Boy Scouts of America, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the NAACP, the Urban League, the Alabama Democratic Caucus, and the Birmingham Jaycees. She is on the Executive Committee of the Alabama Democratic Party and on the legislative committee for the Alabama County Commission Association. She also traveled as a delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
Smoot was re-elected in 2006. Her power in the commission was reduced as Bettye Fine Collins took over as Commission President and she and Commissioner Larry Langford (later William Bell) formed a Democratic minority.
Smoot has informally announced her candidacy for United States Representative, representing the 7th Congressional District of Alabama being vacated by Artur Davis, who resigned to run for Governor of Alabama.
In the Spring of 2009 Smoot became embroiled in a controversy over her habit of parking in a "No Parking" zone at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. The issue was taken up on Matt Murphy's radio program and elicited a response from Smoot in which she claimed to have been "doing business" that justified her use of the No Parking area.
References
- Wright, Barnett (November 10, 2006) "Smoot may seek Davis' seat if lawmaker runs for Senate." Birmingham News.
- "A public official, a no parking sign, and Matt Murphy" (May 4, 2009) WAPI-1070 - accessed May 7, 2009
External links
- Shelia Smoot bio at Jeffcointouch.com