2007 Birmingham mayoral election

The 2007 mayoral election for the city of Birmingham is scheduled for October 2007.

Candidates

• Valerie Abbott, City Councilor
• William Bell, Birmingham City Council
• Raymond Brooks, former Birmingham Fire Chief
• Patrick Cooper, attorney
• Buddy Hendrix, attorney
• Bernard Kincaid, incumbent
• Larry Langford, Jefferson County Commission
• Darryl W. Perry, former WJSR-FM station manager
• Carole Smitherman, Birmingham City Council president
• Barry Taylor, Birmingham Sunlights and city utility inspector

Campaign highlights

Parkway East mayoral forum

The six major candidates, three of whom had not yet formally declared their intentions, attended a mayoral forum on July 26 at Parkway Christian Fellowship sponsored by the Parkway East Business District Association. Each participant was given five minutes to introduce themselves and then responded to questions from a three-member panel. Kincaid touted a "scandal-free" administration that has steadily brought the city forward and the development activities of the Main Street Birmingham program. Smitherman said that the mayor's office needed a fresh, "can do" attitude and more aggressive demolition of blighted properties. Cooper proposed a crime reduction plan modeled on initiatives in New York, Baltimore and Atlanta and hoped to make Birmingham police the highest paid in the region. Abbott promised to hire a city manager to update the operations of City Hall and to lead a "customer service" approach to governance. Bell touted his role in making investments in economic development projects and in school renovation and construction. Langford told the audience of over 100 that current leaders make issues "too complicated" and that anything can be done with courage and vision. He pointed to his support for a 1¢ sales tax increase for schools and proposed that Birmingham fund a regional transit system.

Homelessness forum

The Birmingham Metro Diversity Coalition sponsored a mayoral forum on homelessness August 20 at the Linn-Henley Research Library. Abbott, Bell, Hendrix, Kincaid and Taylor attended. Vickii Howell screened and read questions from the audience. Most of the candidates advocated increasing the supply of affordable housing, with Abbott highlighting the opportunity to rehabilitate houses that would otherwise be condemned and demolished and Bell emphasizing the importance of bringing housing options into communities. Taylor promised to work in partnership with businesses and churches to deal with the problem. Hendrix advocated teaching personal responsibility to youth as an alternative to coddling the lazy. No candidate went on the record as supporting or opposing higher minimum wage laws, but Kincaid made clear that a local measure raising wages would harm the city's efforts at business recruitment. Other questions addressed progress toward implementing "Birminigham's Plan to Prevent and End Chronic Homelessness" which was submitted by the City's Department of Community Development and the Mayor's Commission to Prevent and End Chronic Homelessness on May 4, 2007.

Harrison Park forum

The Alabama New South Coalition sponsored a mayoral forum on September 13 at the Harrison Park Recreation Center in West End. Abbott, Bell, Brooks, Cooper, Hendrix, Smitherman and Taylor participated. The main topics were schools and city spending. Bell emphasized that the state makes the rules for school systems and promised to seek economic development grants to increase revenues. Abbott agreed that the city budgets were too tightly constrained by revenues and said that neighborhoods would have to fight to keep their schools. Cooper identified the Mayor's staff as an area of waste and promised to redirect $3 million per year toward children's programs and policing. Smitherman, likewise, blamed wasteful administrative spending for the school board's budget problems and pointed out the need for redevelopment plans when schools are closed. Hendrix called for volunteers to help keep schools operating.

WorkPlay forum

The League of Women Voters of Greater Birmingham joined with Catalyst for Birmingham, Rotoract Club of Birmingham, the Birmingham Association of Black Journalists, 16th Street Baptist Church, WorkPlay and WIAT to host a candidates forum at WorkPlay on September 18. All 10 candidates participated. Major topics included schools, crime, and economic development. On Schools, Bell said the mayor should have more control over the system. Langford advocated corporal punishment and parental discipline. Kincaid said the mayor's role is to support the elected school board while Smitherman said the whole system needs to be restructured. Cooper and Smitherman joined Bell in advocating specific, low-tolerance approaches to crime reduction. Kincaid promised to expand the Birmingham Weed & Seed Task Force citywide. Langford pinned hopes for crime reduction on education and opportunities for young people. Regarding development, Kincaid hoped voters would allow him to continue working to spread development from downtown to all neighborhoods. Langford said that a "crazy man" was needed to create [positive] change. Meanwhile, Bell called the pair "Tweedledee and Tweedledum" for presiding over the loss of Red Diamond and Tom Williams Automotive to the suburbs.

Civil Rights Institute debate

One Birmingham and WBRC sponsored a mayoral debate at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute on September 19. Nine candidates participated, with Langford the lone holdout. In addition to topics previously debated, the candidates were asked about their support for a new stadium in Birmingham. All expressed some form of support for the proposal, with Cooper noting that it was "not at the top of [his] list" and Hendrix saying that the private sector should fund it. While numerous candidates spoke of jump-starting stagnant growth, Kincaid defended his record on economic expansion. Debate on topics not directly under the city's control (such as the Birmingham City Schools) divided opinions, with Kincaid and Abbott saying the city should support the Board while Cooper, Smitherman and Bell promised to engage school programs more directly, lobbying the state legislature if necessary. The debate also provided the most vocal sparring to date between Kincaid and Bell. Bell criticized Kincaid for his financial dealings with Alamerica Bank and its founder Donald Watkins. Kincaid responded by attacking Bell's relationship with a major contractor to the Birmingham Water Works.

Contributions

The Birmingham News reported on the candidates' reported campaign accounts as of August 24:

• Abbott raised $1,250 and spent none during the reporting period for a balance of $8,917.
• Bell raised $7,475 and spent $6,313 for a balance of $1,162.
• Brooks raised $300 and lent his campaign $5,000. He spent $1,025 for a balance of $4,275
• Cooper raised $380,629 and spent $326,668 and reported a balance of $111,511, including $37,900 in in-kind contributions.
• Hendrix reported no contributions.
• Kincaid raised $99,325 and spent $$66,969, ending the period with $57,966.
• Langford raised $122,555 and loaned his campaign $70,000 from a previous campaign fund. He spent $70,087, ending the period with a balance of $122,468.
• Smitherman raised $214,700 and spent $93,012 for a balance of $121,688.
• Taylor reported no contributions.

References

• Bryant, Joseph D. (January 29, 2007) "At least five expected to vie for office." Birmingham News.
• Singleton, William C. III (July 27, 2007) "Mayoral candidates offer visions." Birmingham News.
• Bryant, Joseph D. (August 9, 2007) "City inspector running for mayor." Birmingham News.
• Bryant, Joseph D. (August 21, 2007) "West End's Hendrix running for mayor." Birmingham News.
• "Candidates for Birmingham mayor report campaign contributions." (August 26, 2007) Birmingham News.
• Bryant, Joseph D. (September 2, 2007) "Hopefuls have just weeks to win votes." Birmingham News.
• Ruisi, Anne (September 14, 2007) "Schools, spending concern 7 hopefuls at forum." Birmingham News.
• Bryant, Joseph D. (September 19, 2007) "School system woes set tone for debate." Birmingham News.

External links

• Election coverage at The Terminal
• Election coverage from the Birmingham News
• Election coverage at Birmingham View
• League of Women Voters of Greater Birmingham website