2008 State of the City address
Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford's 2008 State of the City address was delivered to the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham at noon on Tuesday January 15, 2007, at the beginning of Langford's 1st year in office.
Langford, walking with crutches after a recent hip surgery, highlighted some of the initiatives he has announced during his first 90 days in office. He thanked the Birmingham City Council for approving his Birmingham Economic and Community Revitalization Ordinance to fund several of those initiatives,
Regarding the most costly proposal, to construct a domed stadium, Langford said that he would ask business leaders to sponsor an independent evaluation of four sites for the dome. He did take the time to say that the downtown site adjacent to the BJCC lacked space for adequate parking.
Langford also announced plans to hire 50 additional police officers and to lobby the Alabama legislature for tougher gun laws. "I'm going to put everybody in jail who acts the fool," he told the crowd, adding that the entire community would have to pull together to solve the crime problem.
He also announced that he would be striking a deal with former Auburn Tigers tailback Bo Jackson and other investors to develop a downtown supermarket. And last, he announced that he was putting together a revitalization plan for Five Points West, to be unveiled in 3 to 4 weeks, explaining that "We can't just revitalize downtown, we have to revitalize the whole city."
References
- DeButts, Jimmy (January 15, 2008) "Langford gives 'state of city' address, says Bo Jackson plans downtown development." Birmingham Business Journal.
- Bryant, Joseph D. (January 16, 2008) "In first State of City address, Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford calls for 50 more police officers." Birmingham News