Valerie Abbott

Valerie A. Abbott represents District 3 in the Birmingham City Council. She also serves as Chair of the Planning and Zoning Committee and is a member of the Public Safety and Administration, Finance and Budget committees. She was first elected to the City Council in 2001 and was re-elected with nearly 80% of the vote in 2005. Her current term ends in 2009.

Abbott also serves on the boards of the Birmingham Planning Commission, the Birmingham Tree Commission, the Birmingham Historical Society, the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham, the Metropolitan Planning Organization, and Birmingham Urban Soccer for Youth.

In 2006 Birmingham Weekly gave Councilor Abbott an "A+" in its annual grading of Council members. In March 2007 she announced that she would create an exploratory committee for a possible campaign for the 2007 Birmingham mayoral election. That same month, she introduced an "Inclusion Resolution" to the Council, which sparked an unexpected debate on the legitimacy of recognizing civil rights for homosexuals.

Because she is an employee of BellSouth Affiliate Services Corporation and because the Mayor-Council Act prohibits City Councilors to work for utility companies, Birmingham's Citizen's Advisory Board asked Abbott in May 2007 to secure an opinion from the state's attorney general's office. Abbott did not seek such an opinion, but relied on her attorney's advice that the spin-off company which actually employs her is not a public utility. The question has continued to inflame the CAB and its president, Emanuel Ford.

Abbott and her husband, Rod, have one son and three grandchildren.

References

• Whitmire, Kyle (March 29, 2007) "Run, white lady, run!" Birmingham Weekly.
• Bryant, Joseph D. (August 21, 2007) "CAB chief wants councilwomen to quit." Birmingham News.

External links

• Abbott's council bio at informationbirmingham.com
• drablyabbott.com, criticism of Abbott