Before the candidates began making stump speeches, the neighborhood voted overwhelmingly to raise $2,500 for an illuminated sign for Putnam Middle School; the sign will be used to advertise school functions and special events. Matthews, the first candidate to speak to the crowd, pulled from his pocket a $100 check already made out to the Eastwood Neighborhood Association “as a challenge to his opponents to also contribute to the [Putnam School] sign.”

The group of teens who shadow Matthews’ campaign appearances stood behind the candidate as he spoke, hoisting a huge banner laminated with newspaper clippings that tout Matthew’s commitment to city youth. [Matthews has a $25,000 contract with the city to develop anti-gang initiatives, and some local political observers question whether or not the kids working for Matthews are being paid.] “I do understand hard work, and that’s why I’ve got my construction hat,” saids Matthews, as one teen handed him the orange construction helmet the candidate frequently sports when campaigning. “First thing I’ll do is ask my good friends down in the Legislature to put forth legislation that would change how the mayor and the council function, because [city] department heads answer to the mayor and not the council,” said Matthews, stressing the importance of giving the city council the authority to direct department heads.

Carol Reynolds, a 14-year employee of the Birmingham Water Works, spoke next. “This is the city I love,” Reynolds began. “And I know how to work hard.” She decried the “low expectations of our council, the low expectations of the service to our city. People need to be in charge of government and not government in charge of the people.” Fielding the inevitable question about her views, as a Water Works employee, on the controversial Water Works Board, Reynolds candidly replied, “I’m not for the Water Works being a city department. Something that could undergo change every four years as crucial as [our water] is not a good idea. I have a problem with each board member making $240 to attend a meeting. I have a problem with a board that is more powerful than the employees. I have a problem with a board that is willing to develop land on the Lake Purdy watershed. I respect them, they’re my supervisors, but they know how I feel.”

Candidate Richard Rutledge began by claiming, “I never dreamed I would ever be involved in anything political.” Rutledge expressed his disgust over the fact that eastern Birmingham has changed so much, and the “mass exodus” that has taken place in the area. “As a realtor, I can not sell property in Birmingham with the conditions of [local] schools,” said Rutledge. “I’m mad about what’s happened to our city!”

Councilor Bill Johnson claimed that “all the brouhaha you see at City Council every Tuesday” is not what governing is really about. Johnson explained that city government should provide basic necessities, such as properly maintained paved streets, reliable garbage pickup, and quality schools. “I’ve worked diligently to try to do those things where I can to make improvements in quality of life,” said Johnson. He admitted that there was one campaign promise he had yet to fulfill. “I promised to stop the insanity [at City Hall]. I haven’t been able to do that.”

Candidate Al Rutledge focused on “regional cooperation” and more development of retail in downtown Birmingham. “I’m not going to get down there [City Hall] and cause a laughingstock. I will represent you well,” said Rutledge, acknowledging that the best way to communicate with people is to go door to door.