Kim Rafferty

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Kim Rafferty

Kimberly Selby Rafferty (born c. 1966) is the former owner of Creative Rugs, a community activist, and councilwoman for Birmingham City Council District 2 since November 24, 2009.

Rafferty is a fifth-generation resident of Roebuck. She and her late husband Mark have two children: Jessica and Morgen. She has degrees in human resources and history from the University of Kentucky and UAB. Besides her rug shop she is involved in numerous volunteer efforts, including Meals on Wheels, the Birmingham Hospitality Network, Interfaith Hospitality House, and Wonder Book Camp.

Rafferty began her involvement in public service through the Roebuck Neighborhood Association, rising to the position of vice-president. She founded the community group Airport Neighbors United in 1999, and briefly worked as an assistant to City Councilor Carol Reynolds. She has been the chief polling inspector for the McElwain Baptist Church precinct and a delegate to the Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform convention.

Rafferty was also involved with the Village Creek Human and Environmental Justice Society and chaired its first annual Earth Day festival at East Lake Park. She has served as an officer of the Parent-Teacher Association at her children's schools, helped organize the auction for the Alabama Environmental Council's Green Tie Affair, coached the Leeds Cap Ball Team, and directed programs for the We Care Circle of the United Methodist Women. For her service to the community, she was awarded a Sierra Club "Community Activist of the Year" recognition in 2002.

Rafferty challenged her former employer, then known as Carol Duncan, in the 2009 Birmingham City Council election. She ran on a platform of improving quality of life through support for community schools, streamlining citizen involvement, and mitigating the effects of the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport on neighborhoods. She finished first in the general election, but the seven candidates in the district split the votes such that she was forced into a runoff. During the runoff campaign she expressed the need for public investment and commercial development in the city's neighborhoods, including the demolition of dilapidated structures and the creation of new parks.

In late September flyers designed to look like $1 million bills with a dual portrait of Rafferty and Frank Mathews and slogans "Can't Get One Without the Other" and "We Are In the Money" appeared on the streets. Rafferty accused supporters of runoff opponent Duncan of smearing her. Duncan denied any involvement. Rafferty went on to win the runoff with almost 63% of the vote.

Rafferty's pre-existing personal legal dispute with the Birmingham Airport Authority was perceived by some as an area of potential conflict of interest with her chairmanship of the Council's transportation committee, especially after then-Council President Roderick Royal threatened to terminate the Authority's lease at the airport.

Rafferty ran successfully for re-election in the 2013 Birmingham municipal election. In 2014 as chair of the transportation committee, she made efforts to balance the ride-sharing ordinance requested by Uber with public safety and liability concerns. The council passed a revision of the relevant ordinance without input from Uber, which instead launched a social media campaign to put pressure on the council. The company then sought a state law that would supersede city ordinances regarding app-based ride-sharing companies by having the Alabama Public Service Commission license them. Rafferty participated with other municipal officials like Tuscaloosa mayor Walt Maddox to lobby successfully against the bill.

While she was leading the city council's efforts to update its transportation code and negotiate with ride-sharing companies, Rafferty also directed $30,000 of her District's discretionary funding to LW Associates to perform "economic development work in District 2". Some questioned the arrangement, given that the firm specialized in political strategy, not economic development, and that partner Lou Willie III had represented taxi companies as an attorney. When asked to substantiate the work that LW Associates performed, Rafferty described work with the legal department related to the transportation code updates as well as providing advice on economic development ideas.

In August 2015 Rafferty was on the eight-member council majority that voted to increase council salaries from $15,000 to $50,000, beginning with the incoming 2017 City Council. As with the Uber controversy, outrage over the pay increase prompted some to look to the state legislature to intervene. David Faulkner introduced a bill to make the process more transparent to the public. In the meantime, Rafferty expressed that she wished to rescind her vote and suggested tying council pay to the city's average household income (then $32,000), plus an expense account.

In the committee realignment in December 2015 she was removed from the transportation committee and instead appointed chair of the Council's Planning and Zoning committee and assigned seats on the Education Committee and Utilities Committee.

Preceded by:
Carol Duncan 		Birmingham City Council District 2 Representative
2009–present 		Succeeded by:
current
Birmingham City Council
District 1 Clinton Woods District 4 J. T. Moore District 7 Wardine Alexander
District 2 Hunter Williams District 5 Darrell O'Quinn District 8 Carol Clarke
District 3 Valerie Abbott District 6 Crystal Smitherman District 9 LaTonya Tate

References

External links

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