2005 Birmingham municipal election

The 2005 Birmingham municipal election was held on October 11, 2005 to fill all nine seats on the Birmingham City Council. Seven of nine incumbents campaigned for re-election, with Bert Miller and Lee Loder leaving openings in Districts 7 and 8, respectively.

Runoffs, held on November 1, were required in all but three districts, with Valerie Abbott and Carole Smitherman winning re-election outright. Miriam Witherspoon narrowly won outright in the 7-way race to replace Miller in District 7 as well.

During the campaign, a recording of former council member Bert Miller endorsing Abbott was mass-dialed to residents of District 3. Though the calls originated from a machine operated by the Stuart Consulting Group in Metairie, Lousiana, the caller ID displayed Abbott's home telephone number. Her opponent in the race, Chris Hartsell has been associated with Stuart Consulting in his later role as Mayor Larry Langford's chief of operations.

Results

• District 1
  • Joel Montgomery, incumbent - 1,528 (44.7%, won runoff)
  • Lashunda Scales - 701 (20.5%, lost runoff)
  • Johnnie Johnson Jr - 657 (19.2%)
  • Christopher Cummings - 531 (15.5%)
• District 2
  • Carol Reynolds, incumbent - 1,283 (48.8%, won runoff)
  • Frank Matthews - 563 (21.4%, lost runoff)
  • Richard Rutledge - 345 (13.1%)
  • Alvin Rutledge - 291 (11.1%)
  • Mark Bodenhausen - 106 (4.0%)
  • Rick Austin - 41 (1.6%)
• District 3
  • Valerie Abbott, incumbent - 2,005 (79.3%, winner)
  • Chris Hartsell - 410 (16.2%)
  • David Ricker - 114 (4.5%)
• District 4
  • Maxine Herring Parker - 1,106 (43.8%, won runoff)
  • Hezekiah Jackson - 617 (24.5%, lost runoff)
  • Edward Maddox - 447 (17.7%)
  • Gwen Sykes, incumbent - 278 (11.0%)
  • Ondray Agee - 76 (3.0%)
• District 5
  • William Bell - 1,190 (49.0%, won runoff)
  • Elias Hendricks, incumbent - 1,110 (45.7%, lost runoff)
  • T. C. Cannon - 129 (5.3%)
• District 6
  • Carole Smitherman, incumbent - 2,416 (69.7%, winner)
  • Keith Aaron - 670 (19.3%)
  • John Harris - 379 (10.9%)
• District 7
  • Miriam Witherspoon - 2,233 (53.2%, winner)
  • Sandra Little Brown - 1,294 (33.2%)
  • Robert Littleton - 258 (6.1%)
  • Glenn Hardy - 144 (3.4%)
  • Angela Wells - 110 (2.6%)
  • Sandra Bergeron - 33 (0.8%)
  • Gilbert Klein - 29 (0.7%)
• District 8
  • Steven Hoyt - 1,264 (48.6%, won runoff)
  • Gerri Robinson - 872 (33.5%, lost runoff)
  • Mary Jones - 345 (13.3%)
  • Fred Lee Randal - 88 (3.4%)
  • Henry Clay Dennison - 32 (1.2%)
• District 9
  • Roderick Royal, incumbent - 1,444 (39.8%, won runoff)
  • Leroy Bandy - 789 (21.8%, lost runoff)
  • David Merrida - 520 (14.3%)
  • William A. Barnes - 277 (7.6%)
  • David Russell - 245 (6.8%)
  • William Muhammad - 198 (5.5%)
  • Connie Lee Smith Jr - 154 (4.3%)

References

• "Birmingham City Council candidates" (October 9, 2005) Birmingham News
• "The Results: Birmingham City Council: Incomplete and Unofficial Returns." (October 12, 2005) Birmingham News.