1979 Birmingham municipal election
The 1979 mayoral election for the city of Birmingham was held in October 1979 with four challengers vying for the office held by incumbent David Vann.
Richard Arrington, a City Councilman and former Dean of Miles College won 44 percent of the votes in the general election and then narrowly won the October 30 runoff by marshaling heavy turnout in predominantly black districts and securing about 15% of the white vote. Vann, who had the support of Birmingham's black voters in the 1975 Birmingham mayoral election was hurt by his refusal to dismiss a police officer who had shot and killed Bonita Carter, a young black woman.
Results
- Richard Arrington, Jr, 31,521 votes (44%, runoff)
- Frank Parsons, (runoff)
- John Katopodis
- David Vann, 11,450 votes (16%)
- Larry Langford
Voter turnout was 55%, with approximately 71,640 ballots cast (out of 139,254 registered voters).
During the runoff between Arrington and Parsons, Vann made no endorsements, but did make known his intention of voting for Arrington.
References
- Casey, Ron (1979) "The Election of Birmingham's Black Mayor" Southern Changes: The Journal of the Southern Regional Council. Vol. 2, No. 3
- Franklin, Jimmie Lewis (1989) "Back to Birmingham: Richard Arrington, Jr., and His Times." Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press