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District Two Candidates Forum

The District Two Birmingham City Council candidates forum, sponsored by the Eastwood Neighborhood Association, was held at Putnam Middle School on September 6. During the event, community activist and candidate for city council Frank Matthews continued his shameless shenanigans.

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.

City Hall — August 28, 2001

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By Ed Reynolds

The Birmingham City Council sinks to new depths with an unprecedented round of name-calling and insults. Councilor Jimmy Blake has only a handful of meetings remaining before his eight-year tenure on the council ends, and some council members seem determined to make it an unforgettable time.Veteran activist Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth delivers the morning invocation. Prompted by Cincinnati’s recent racial turmoil, Shuttlesworth is hosting Cincinnati newspaper reporters and photographers doing a story on Birmingham’s Civil Rights legacy. Shuttlesworth notes that he and the reporting crew were denied access to the city jail due to their failure to make prior arrangements. As photos are taken outside the jail, Shuttlesworth laughs at the irony that he could not get into the jail after having spent several nights there decades ago when championing civil rights.

Public Health 101

Mayor Kincaid announces Jefferson County Health Department recommendations for minimizing infection by mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus: removing old tires, cleaning gutters, avoiding outdoor activities between dusk and dawn, and using proper insect repellent. Kincaid says that Jefferson County will distribute mosquito larvae-killing tablets (to be placed in standing water) at area courthouses, but adds that the county “has not turned to spraying as we have in Birmingham,” partly due to the large area involved. Councilor Pat Alexander warns that a dead bird was found in her district over the weekend, and urges all citizens to refrain from touching the bird. Councilor Blake urges daytime spraying; “Controlling mosquito populations is Public Health 101.” Street and Sanitation Department chief Stephen Fancher replies that the spray is not effective in sunlight, according to the pesticide’s label. “Mosquitoes can breed in a paper cup in a ditch,” warns Fancher, stressing that the public must take an active role to combat the summer nemesis. “All you need is a couple of ounces of stagnant water,” says Fancher. Urging the public not to panic, Blake cautions, “[The mosquito population] is a serious vector of infection. It always has been. It’s probably done more to hurt and kill people than anything else in the world.”Petition numbers affirmed

Probate Judge Mike Bolin confirms the number of signatures [10 percent of registered voters] on petitions for an ordinance that would give Birmingham residents a voice in policy concerning solid waste disposal. Bolin says that the initial petition, received on August 15, did not have the sufficient number of signatures. The deficiency was brought to the attention of the petition committee, as required by law. The necessary number of signatures was collected within the next week. The council can vote the ordinance up or down, but if it votes to reject, the ordinance will appear on the October 9 council election ballot.Council peers into the future

Proposed information management consultant services between the city and Advanced Systems Design, Inc., of Tallahassee, Florida, elicit the ire of Councilor Blake, who asks, “Would somebody tell me what we’re gonna get for this $800,000 in consulting?” Mayoral chief of staff Al Herbert, acting director of the Department of Information Management, explains that the service begins with “an assessment or inventory” of needs to move the city ahead in managing information. The city’s original computer system was installed in the early 1970s on a mainframe platform that is “an antiquated method of programming and using for client-servers,” notes Herbert. The money will also provide a “strategic plan” to educate city employees, as well as a “national search” for a director to replace Herbert on a full-time basis.

Blake, acknowledging that the current administration has not been in place for very long, complains about the inability to access information necessary for city decision-making. According to Blake, the city’s “information management has been trying to squirrel the data and make sure that nobody gets any information about anything.” The councilor urges that bids be taken: “For $800,000 we ought to be able to hire a new department.” Herbert informs Blake that a “request for proposal” [RFP] regarding information management was issued in April 2000, with 14 proposals finally narrowed to three.

Councilor Alexander asks if management information is destined to be privatized, which Herbert denies emphatically. Predicting that council meetings will one day be accessible online, Herbert also foresees access to City Hall via “hand-held pocket recorders.” Blake continues to argue against the consultant expense, noting that the computer business is “the most competitive business in the world,” which causes prices to continually plummet. “If we’ve got 60 people in that [information] department [Herbert confirms the number] and they don’t know what our inventory or needs are, what have they been doing?” Councilor Lee Loder interrupts to explain that the employees have been responding to city concerns on a daily basis by “managing the mainframe we have now.” Blake votes against the proposal, which passes, proposing that the item be delayed “till you-know-what freezes over.”

“Adult” cable audit

Councilor Sandra Little continues her weekly challenge against transferring money from “salary surplus” for other city projects. Various city departments will lose a combined $115,000 to the Finance Department’s “Adult” Fees Account in order to fund an audit of the city’s contract with Time Warner Cable. [It's the second week in a row that "adult" has mistakenly appeared in place of the word "audit" on the agenda handout available at each council meeting.] Little supports the cable audit but opposes funding other projects that she feels should not take precedent over problems in her district. Little denounces renovation of City Hall’s cafeteria “when we have a Sneaky Pete’s and a deli across the street!”

Councilor Blake notes with irony that councilors who once endorsed the use of salary surplus dollars for budget shortfalls now protest taking money from salary surplus. Blake does not want to pay “another consultant,” labeling outside hiring as “irrational.” Blake notes, “We’ve got 4,000 plus employees in the city of Birmingham, and I don’t believe we ought to be handing out money to outside people over and over again.” Blake says better television service would be available if Birmingham undertook a bid process for cable service, including more channels being offered “like they do in Montgomery.” Mayor Kincaid responds that the city undertakes a cable franchise audit every three years, with the previous audit uncovering $1.2 million owed the city. The audit is approved after the Mayor requests that “adult” be corrected to read “audit.”

Councilor Aldrich Gunn agrees with Blake that there is a monopoly in Birmingham on cable service. “When you’re competitive, the rates will be lower,” explains Gunn. As he denounces “filth” on television, Gunn condemns the “buck [sic] you!” attitude of cable monopolies.

Blake labels Bell a “fool”

A resolution allowing Council President Bell to enter into an agreement, not to exceed $100,000, with the law firm of Haskell, Slaughter, Young, and Rediker, LLC ignites council tempers. Haskell, Slaughter is representing the council in Mayor Kincaid’s lawsuit seeking to reverse the transfer of assets to the Birmingham Water Works Board. Councilors Loder, Blake, and Johnson oppose the asset transfer, prompting controversy about whether the law firm is representing the entire council’s interests. When Blake asks who is instructing Haskell Slaughter about what action to take, Bell says that he was authorized by the council to do so. The near-weekly feud between Bell and Blake escalates when an irate Bell says debates of attorney fees should include lawyers representing the Mayor. Bell further suggests that discussion should extend to money Blake made off the sale of his house. “No matter how much you talk, it still does not rise to the level of $2.2 million that certain people received for their home after trying to force us to deal with American Water [Blake's choice to privately manage the Water Works],” says Bell, adding that Blake’s house was not worth that much. Bell continues to interrupt Blake, explaining that Blake sold his home so he could move to a house on the Warrior River. When Blake demands that the interruptions cease, Bell says he is treating Blake the way Blake treats others. Blake defends the selling of his home as entirely appropriate, challenging anyone to show that he has benefitted from his eight years on the council, as he claims other councilors have. After several more interruptions by Bell, Blake shouts, “You’re out of order, you fool!” As the two continue to spar verbally about who has the floor, Bell promises to admit that he is indeed out of order if Blake will pledge never to interrupt councilors again. Blake finally smiles and says, “Well, spank your own pee-pee, then!” Giggles circulate through the audience, and the insult is later replayed on the evening news.

September 4, 2001

February referendum expenses again denied

Councilor Bill Johnson remains disturbed that Birmingham citizens are losing rights due to the council’s refusal to pay election expenses of the February referendum vote concerning the fate of Water Works assets. “We work for the citizens, not the other way around. And they have the ultimate veto power over what we do here at the council. And I think not paying for this is a continuous slap in the face to the citizens of this city.” Councilor Little continues to cite advice from council attorneys to refrain from paying for the referendum until litigation is over. “I think it would be very stupid of me not to [follow the council attorneys' advice],” Little surmises. City Attorney Tamara Johnson’s opinion has not changed, explaining that the expenses are required to be paid, according to law. Councilor Blake notes that 85 percent of those who voted in the referendum want the assets transfer to the Water Works Board denied. Blake reminds the council chambers that initiatives and referendum [which generated the referendum action] is the way Bull Connor was removed when Birmingham switched from a commission-style government to the present mayor-council form.

Councilor Gunn says one of the worst things that has ever happened to him was his visit to court [the first in his life, according to Gunn] last week “for disposition [deposition]” regarding the Mayor’s lawsuit to reverse the asset transfer. Gunn mistakenly alludes to Blake’s presence on the Election Commission when the February referendum was approved. He also suggests that Councilor Blake is currently on the Election Commission illegally since Council President Bell has not officially declared himself a candidate. [The Election Commission consists of the mayor, council president, and city attorney.] Blake corrects Gunn, stating that Bell was on the Election Commission when the February referendum was approved. “I don’t think the public properly appreciates the brilliance of Mr. Aldrich Gunn,” says Blake: “Mr. Gunn’s job, which he does brilliantly, is to talk so long and about so many different things, that you forget what we were supposed to be talking about.” Mayor Kincaid corrects Gunn, indicating that Blake’s appointment to the Election Commission is consistent with state law since Bell has said he is a candidate. Bell argues that he has not filed a declaration of candidacy, and denies that he has raised any money [a candidacy is official once $1,000 has been raised]. “I will immediately resign my position on the Election Commission with great glee and enthusiasm for the future of this city,” Blake promises, if Bell agrees to sign an affidavit indicating that he will not be a candidate in the October council election. &

Soul Man

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By Ed Reynolds

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	Soul singer Clarence Carter appears Thursday, July 12 at Spanky’s on Valley.

Southern rhythm and blues strutted with mischievous swagger on backroads between Memphis and Muscle Shoals in the ’60s and early ’70s. Frequently touted as “soul music” before disco steered the term soul straight into a mirror ball-lit ditch, rhythm and blues slowly lost its sense of direction along those feel-good blacktops once the neon was shut off outside sleazy motels, chitlin’ shacks, and juke joints. Clarence Carter, however, has never detoured from those little-known backroads. He continues to entertain hidden nightspots with his resonant baritone, lecherous chuckle, and sweet, bare-bones guitar picking. Lewd as ever, Carter still sings of loving other men’s wives, relishing his bawdy role as the Devil tempting women beyond all restraints of self-control.

In the mid-’60s, Clarence Carter hooked up with Rick Hall at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, where renowned soul producer Jerry Wexler signed Carter to Atlantic Records’ stable of R&B acts. Carter jumped onto the Top Ten charts with “Slip Away” in 1968, followed by “Patches” in 1970, his biggest pop hit. Blind since birth, Carter built a career narrating “cheatin’ and sneakin’” songs laced with sexual obsession and lascivious infidelity. Titles such as “Dark End of the Street,” “Back Door Santa,” “Doin’ Our Thing,” and “Take It Off Him and Put It On Me” suggest a lifetime of romantic pleasures. He scored his last major hit in 1993 with the overtly nasty “Strokin’.”

It’s been said that the beginning of the end for soul music began when Otis Redding’s plane crashed in 1967. While Redding’s death was a blow R&B never quite shook off, soul singers hung in the ring many more years with champs like Wilson Pickett, Solomon Burke, Arthur Alexander, and Joe Tex belting out timeless R&B in obscure clubs across America. Bruised and aging, soul music is still a powerful and beautiful thing to behold. And Clarence Carter is still standing.

Clarence Carter will perform at Spanky’s on Valley on Thursday, July 12. Tickets are $25. Call 945-1414 for details.

Voting place confusion — July 17, 2001

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City Hall

By Ed Reynolds

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July 17, 2001

Voting place confusion

Mayor Kincaid announces a special meeting of the Election Commission to examine the designation of polling places in conjunction with the new council redistricting plan. The commission had added 19 additional polling places, but Jerry Wilson, consultant for Reapportionment Group 2000, the organization which drew new council district boundaries, was concerned that new polling places might cause confusion among voters. Wilson suggests that former polling places be kept intact, but the Mayor notes two “abhorrent things” regarding his request: Some polling places are outside the jurisdiction of Birmingham, which means city police could not be dispatched if needed. The other problem is that some polling places are now split boxes, holding two districts ballots.

Council President William Bell condemns the “rumor mill” as he denies responsibility for sending voters across the city to new polling places, creating enough confusion to discourage voting [Local political observers note that the Jefferson County Citizen's Coalition, which has endorsed Bell in the past, desires low turnout, confident that they can get their supporters to the polls.] Bell stresses that only the Election Commission makes such decisions. He also notes that past elections have included both polling places outside of Birmingham and split boxes.

Councilor Little says it is her understanding that the county is responsible for security problems at polling places. However, City Clerk Paula Smith explains that county law enforcement is only involved when city and county elections are held jointly.

Airport Authority compliance with “sunshine laws” questioned

Councilor Pat Alexander delays a resolution adopting the 2001-2002 capital and operating budgets of the Birmingham Airport Authority for two weeks. Councilor Johnson praises removal of the controversial $10 million that had been left in the revised version of the airport budget for a new runway. [The proposed parallel runway was the centerpiece of controversial future plans for airport expansion. It has been widely reported that representatives of the Airport Authority had indefinitely suspended immediate plans for the new runway, which called into question why $10 million was retained in the budget for expansion.] Johnson questions why other items in the budget rose “rather substantially” in the past three months, including a $5.5 million increase for the air carrier apron rehabilitation and $13 million increase for extension of Runway 24 [east-west runway]. Councilor Alexander, who serves on the Airport Authority, does not respond to Johnson’s queries about reasons for the increases. Councilor Blake protests that budget changes by the Airport Authority were not discussed in public. “It makes me wonder if they’re [Airport Authority] having secret meetings, which would be illegal,” says Blake. Alexander immediately snaps back, “We don’t have ‘secret meetings,’ Mr. Blake!” When Blake asks how the budget changes were approved, Alexander explains that the changes came from council finance committee meetings, which she says were all open to the public. Blake does not budge. “I’m gonna be very hesitant to support any budget that’s done behind closed doors and not in the public view,” he insists, as the audience in the council chambers applauds. “We’ve got too many signs of arrogance among boards and agencies in the city of Birmingham . . . and we need to stop that.”

Johnson questions why the council does not have power to amend the Airport Authority budget since the council does have the power to approve or disapprove the budget. City Attorney Tamara Johnson explains that the lease assignment and operating agreement between the city and Airport Authority states that only the Airport Authority can make budget changes. Councilor Johnson questions the city attorney’s interpretation, but the city attorney explains that the council is limited to only making budget suggestions. Councilor Blake ends the discussion when he notes that the Airport Authority has no budget without council approval.

Mosquito patrol ready for action

Councilor Blake addresses the severity of mosquitoes in the Birmingham area this summer. Street and Sanitation Department head Stephen Fancher says that the city has been spraying since early spring, both in regularly highly-infested neighborhoods and upon request. Fancher notes, however, that neighborhoods will not be sprayed when residents with health problems and “bee-keepers” ask the city to refrain. Councilor Don MacDermott praises Street and Sanitation for spraying the same day that his district’s residents made requests. Councilor Blake asks what type of insecticide the city currently uses, but Fancher explains that a new chemical is being used this summer, and he is not sure what the pesticide actually is.

Voting machine, ballot vendors continue to demand payment

The saga rages on regarding payment for providers of voting machines and ballots in the February 2001 referendum in which voters decided to give the public a voice in who should control Water Works assets. [Judge Art Hanes, Jr. ruled in the council's favor returning the assets to the Water Works Board, a decision Mayor Kincaid has challenged in court.] Kincaid notes that the Election Commission [which then included Kincaid, Council President Bell, and City Attorney Johnson] unanimously approved the referendum, making it legal. Councilor Little continues to call the referendum a “political game,” condemning Kincaid for past references to the referendum as a “pre-council election.” She says that it’s up to the Mayor to find the money to pay the bills. Kincaid replies that his referral to the referendum as a precursor to the October council elections does not mean the council can ignore the costs in holding such a referendum. Reiterating that the Election Commission approved the referendum, Kincaid notes, “Even though you didn’t like the outcome, you still have to pay it. Just as you’ll have to pay the bill for the October 9 [council election] whether you like the outcome or not.” Kincaid supporters in the audience voice loud approval.

An angry Councilor Johnson rebukes comments that the council should avoid paying the referendum’s costs out of fear that legal positions regarding Kincaid’s court challenge would be jeopardized. “The legal position that the city is jeopardizing is whether or not we live in a Banana Republic!” Johnson notes with obvious disgust. He admonishes councilors for ignoring “initiatives and referendum” as provided by state law that allows such referendums to take place when 10 percent of registered voter’s signatures are collected via petition.

July 24, 2001

Bobby Frank Cherry

Mayor Kincaid praises the peaceful tone of protests currently being held each morning in front of the Criminal Justice Building in downtown Birmingham. The protests focus on Judge James Garrett’s recent ruling that 16th Street Baptist Church bombing suspect Bobby Frank Cherry is incompetent to stand trial for murder. Kincaid is dismayed that “a Rule 11 technicality has shifted the burden of proof about the competency [of Cherry] onto the state.” The Mayor expresses hope that other opinions will be heard regarding Cherry’s mental faculties at the August hearing.

A coalition of local pastors and community leaders addresses the Cherry issue. “All of us got a virus, and it’s the Cherry virus. If you love justice, then you ought to have it to!” says Reverend Hagler. Local Nation of Islam representative William Mohammed calls the judge’s ruling “the irony of ironies,” and condemns the Justice Department because it “kept murderers from justice for 38 years,” and now calls Cherry incompetent.

Irate resident calls mobile home park “undesirable”

Birmingham resident Ethyl Hollaway complains to the city council about the “25 mobile homes of undesirable tenants” in the mobile home park where she resides. Hollaway says she is plagued with “five major illnesses” which make the loud music played in mobile home yards there intolerable. The elderly resident also complains about beer drinking in front of some homes. “It’s a shame and a disgrace where I have to live, and I’m too old to move,” says Hollaway. She adds that her undesirable neighbors “have no respect for me or my country!” Police Chief Mike Coppage says the residents in question are not violating noise ordinances, and confine beer drinking to their own yards. Coppage notes that the complaints have been checked out at all hours, day and night. He adds that the community is largely Hispanic, and says no one else has complained.

Persistent mosquitoes

Councilor Aldrich Gunn requests that the Street and Sanitation Department spray for mosquitoes in his district. Gunn is especially concerned about dead birds recently discovered in Collegeville, fearing possibilities that the West Nile virus that recently found in Georgia has invaded Birmingham. [The virus is transmitted from birds to humans via mosquitoes.] Gunn says it appears the birds “just fell over” and died. The councilor explains that the birds have been properly refrigerated until further examination for the virus by experts. Councilor Lee Loder warns that he heard such birds should not be touched, but Gunn says proper protection was taken in retrieving the dead birds. Councilor Blake urges the city to secure outside help if needed to combat the excessive number of mosquitoes infesting Birmingham this summer. “It’s a serious public health issue, not to mention just a hell of a nuisance,” says Blake. Street and Sanitation head Stephen Fancher says city-wide spraying is currently being employed, noting that it takes two weeks to spray the entire city with the four trucks available. Councilor Pat Alexander urges all citizens to simply stay indoors. &

The Original Tree-Huggers

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By Ed Reynolds



	Franklin D. Roosevelt touring the South in 1932.

The next time you’re hiking a winding trail in the Appalachians, sunning yourself on Florida beaches, or casting for bream in crystal lakes surrounded by giant oak trees in Alabama state parks, take a moment to reflect on the 3,463,766 men who planted 2.5 billion trees, restocked 972 million fish, improved 3,462 beaches, and forged 13,100 trails across America between 1933 and 1942.

Two days after his presidential inauguration, Franklin D. Roosevelt started a program called the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the most popular experiment to emerge from his New Deal. Designed to counter rampant unemployment and economic despair that had resulted from the Great Depression, the CCC was born out of Roosevelt’s Emergency Conservation Work Act. With 13,600,000 unemployed in America in 1933, fear of losing a generation of idle young men to the ravages of poverty instigated nationwide approval of the program. The program was supported by 67 percent of the Republicans, 95 percent of California, and even the Soviet Union, which praised the CCC for its “socialistic” leanings. Roosevelt’s original goal had been the enlistment of 500,000 men ages 18 to 25 to save America’s wilderness from two centuries of apathy and neglect. That number increased six-fold before the program ended during World War II.

Roosevelt did not want to establish new bureaucracies, but to utilize existing governmental departments. The departments of Interior and Agriculture were responsible for work projects, while the Labor Department was in charge of selection of CCC applicants. Logistics were an immediate problem; most of the work projects were out west despite unemployment being highest in the eastern United States. Roosevelt chose the U.S. Army to oversee training and transport of workers from induction centers to the 4,500 camps that functioned as living quarters. Camps existed in every state, including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Camps were run like Army barracks, with World War I veterans in charge of each work platoon. Workers (dubbed grunts) earned $30 a month, $25 of which was automatically sent home as part of the effort to revitalize the country. By 1939, the monthly rate jumped to $50, $42 of which was garnished. One CCC veteran laughs now at the hard times. “Our assistant leader [of the platoon] was a loan shark. He’d advance you 25 cents, but you had to pay him back 50 cents on payday,” the elderly fellow laughs. “Times were lean, though, and corners had to be cut. When you went to the dentist, you only got painkillers when they were extracting teeth. Got nothing when they drilled for fillings. It was horrible,” he smiles.

The numbers tell the story. The CCC saved 814,000 acres of grazing land, built 125,000 miles of roads, created 52,000 acres of campground and 800 state parks, constructed 32,149 wildlife shelters, and erected 1,865 drinking fountains.

There will be a reunion for CCC veterans beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 28, at Desoto State Park near Fort Payne. According to park officials, fewer show up each summer for the gathering, as CCC vets are a vanishing breed. The reunion is free. It should be a wonderful way to spend a Saturday, eavesdropping on post-Depression memories of tall tales spun and friendships forged while a generation introduced America to conservation. Call 256-845-0051 for details.

City Hall — July 3, 2001

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City Hall

By Ed Reynolds

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July 3, 2001

Real men invest in pink

Alabama State Representative John Rogers snags first place in Councilor Pat Alexander’s “Real Men Can Cook” contest. “Let me tell you ’bout my sauce!” brags Rogers. “It comes from a Hindu monk in the Himalaya Mountains [councilors laugh loudly]. It’s been marinatin’ for 365 days. . . . It’s a time-honored recipe, so it’s the best you ever tasted in your whole life!” howls Rogers as he thanks the council for the award. Mayor Bernard Kincaid quips, “With some of these tall fish stories, this should have been a weigh-in.” Kincaid seizes the moment to herald men in the kitchen as positive male role models for Birmingham youth. “Can I have the Pepto Bismol franchise?” Council President William Bell asks Councilor Alexander. “You know, somebody got to make a little money outta this deal!” The council again erupts in laughter.

Peace on Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard

Reverend Abraham Woods says that recent attempts to remove former mayor Richard Arrington’s name from the one-way thoroughfare previously known as 21st Street
“would certainly have made all of us poorer.” Calling the legal challenge by businesses along Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard “the essence of disrespect,” Woods proudly announces that a peace accord has been struck. [The businesses filed suit over the name change because of difficulty receiving mail and inordinate expenses incurred in reprinting letterheads, envelopes, etc.] An agreement was approved by postal officials, according to Woods, who says that businesses will receive mail regardless of whether the new or old street address is used. “The document was signed by business leaders of the white community which had this lawsuit in court!” declares Woods, noting the lawsuit will be stopped according to the recent agreement. Woods can’t resist the opportunity to “take a crack” at Councilor Jimmy Blake, a frequent nemesis. The reverend condemns Blake for accusing Woods of “always playing the race card,” which Woods denies ever doing. “Not only can good men cook, but good men can go to the meeting room. And they can sit down and they can discuss in a positive way their differences!” Woods rants with religious fervor. Calling Blake his favorite councilor, Woods remarks, “It is always better to work things out in the suite than to work ‘em out in the street!”

Jesus, prostitutes, and truckstop etiquette

A request by Mount Moriah Baptist Church for the re-zoning of land it owns on the Bankhead Highway (Highway 78) meets a barrage of protests from the Smithfield Estates Neighborhood Association. The property was formerly the site of Burgess Nursing Home, which is presently unoccupied. The re-zoning would allow construction of what has been called a convenience store by those in favor. But neighborhood residents argue that the 5.2 acre plot would be a truckstop. [The controversial site lies in the midst of commercial development on Highway 78.] Donald Blankenship, counsel for D & D Oil Company, which operates as Cowboy’s stores in parts of Alabama and Georgia, says that the store would be a “10 to 12 gasoline pump” station. Blankenship notes that the stretch of road in proximity to the proposed site on Highway 78 between Pratt Highway and Cherry Avenue carries approximately 46,000 vehicles per day, according to the Birmingham Regional Planning Commission. “So it will be some type of commercial or industrial development [in the future],” explains Blankenship, who denies that the convenience store will be a truckstop. He cites the locale as “the perfect place for a gasoline station.”

A contingent of neighborhood residents protests crime and the loss of property values that accompany truckstops, including the “loss of family flavor of the neighborhood.” One resident, whose property is adjacent to the proposed site, says her home has already been the target of crimes four times. “Historically, convenience stores have been a mecca for [prostitution and drugs],” she says while reeling off a list of recently failed businesses in the area.

Neighborhood resident Billy Baldwin echoes others’ gripes about the disturbing sound of “air-brakes” as he voices traffic concerns. “This is the main route for the 18-wheeler traffic from Memphis to Birmingham to Atlanta. We’re already listening to the screeching of the wheels and everything!” Baldwin says as he points to the plethora of convenience stores in close proximity. “If there was a need for this, we wouldn’t squawk!”

Highway 78 business owner Doug Reid of Doug Reid Autoplex explains how much pride he has in the local community where he conducts business. Noting that he’s a Christian, Reid says he’s proud of today’s council meeting. “I heard God mentioned here more than I do at church!” The auto dealer points out that traffic in the area is a problem. “I’ve seen seven people killed at that red light [intersection of Cherry Avenue and Pratt Highway] in the 15 years I’ve been there,” says Reid, who says that most of the carnage is caused by trucks running the intersection’s traffic light. He also condemns prostitution as a “terrible, terrible problem in the area,” admitting that he calls the police every day to report hookers. “Yesterday there was a prostitute in the middle of the highway flagging down trucks! Sometimes I’m ashamed to tell people where my business is located,” bemoans Reid as he recalls television stations doing stories on prostitution near his autoplex. He quickly blames truckstops for the surge in prostitution and drugs. “I pick up needles and condoms off my lot nearly everyday.” Reid warns that when police respond to robberies, the suspects will seek refuge in the homes of neighborhood residents. Reverend Tommy Lewis joins the truckstop opposition, recalling the excitement in the community when it was first reported that a church was to be built on the nursing home site. The delirium quickly turned to disappointment when Lewis discovered that “we want to trade Christ for a cowboy!” He gravely warns, “It’s our neighborhood today; it could be your neighborhood tomorrow.” The council votes against the re-zoning.

July 10, 2001Roosevelt City fire station continues to smolder at city hall

Councilor Sandra Little requests that Roosevelt City residents be allowed to address the Mayor this morning regarding the continued delay in construction on the controversial Roosevelt City fire station that was included in the council’s amended budget. Mayor Kincaid says he must leave early this morning to attend a funeral but will be glad to meet with the group in his office at a later date. Council President Bell grants Little a “point of personal privilege” and allows Roosevelt City residents to address the council. The Mayor promptly leaves the council chambers as resident Brenda Jennings speaks first. Jennings tells of an elderly, wheelchair-confined woman who recently died in a house fire in Roosevelt City. The woman’s home was secured by burglar bars, so neighbors were unable to help her as they called 911. According to Jennings, by the time the fire department arrived 20 minutes later, the woman’s cries for help had ceased. “The only thing [the fire department] could do was to put out the fire and remove her charred body,” explains Jennings. She says if Mayor Kincaid is not concerned for the welfare of all citizens, “maybe he should not have that seat he’s sitting in.” Jennings adds, “That fire station has been a dream of our grandparents, our great-grandparents, and our parents.”

Roosevelt City community leader Eddie Turner threatens to sue the Mayor for failure to build the station, condemning Kincaid for ignoring the council’s veto that provides for funds for the station’s construction. “Kincaid is not a dictator. This is America; this is a democracy!” Turner protests angrily. Councilor Sandra Little gives the history of the proposed fire station: $1 million for the station was put in place by former Mayor Richard Arrington, and the land was secured under interim-Mayor Bell’s brief tenure. Little urges the neighborhood to pursue the issue in court, noting that litigation is frequently Kincaid’s method of operation.

Church continues to protest $2,500 lawn care bill

Representatives from Mercy Seat Baptist Church in Ensley, Councilor Leroy Bandy’s district, claim they received no notice from the city regarding a $2,500 fee paid to a contractor to cut the grass on church property in Wylam. Three certified letters warning the church to clean up the property were sent in the fall of 1999, according to a representative of the Street and Sanitation Department. Three bids of $2,500, $3,000, and $3,500 were also received. Defending the church, Councilor Bandy says that sometimes notes on doors are removed by passersby. Councilor Aldrich Gunn, a former letter carrier, argues that postal carriers always place mail in mailboxes, sparking a brief flare of tempers between the two councilors. A church representative explains that the church was billed for $175 by the city in 1994 for having the grass cut, and is baffled at the sudden cost escalation for lawn care. Councilor Don MacDermott is mystified at the church’s failure to pick up its mail. MacDermott notes the dangerous precedent that will be set if the church is not forced to pay. “If we tell everybody in this city that they can ignore certified mail, and we forgive [the church] on this payment, then we’re going to have to do it for everybody . . . We’re going to have overgrown lots [everywhere]. The city’s going to become the lawn boy for everybody in cutting lots,” MacDermott warns. Bandy argues that other items of similar nature are treated differently, appalled at the exorbitant price of cutting grass. “The church has no reason to lie [about not receiving the notices],” says Bandy. Councilor Lee Loder examines photos of the property, noting extensive growth. Councilor Gunn admits there are hardships on churches, but reminds that rules and regulations still exist. Gunn remains adamant that the church should have heeded the notices. He suggests letting the church pay the debt off in installments. Finance Department interim head Michael Johnson says payment plans are rare at city hall. Councilor Bandy wants to “knock the price down.” Gunn laughs and tells Bandy he’ll have to talk to the contractor about that. The council votes the church must pay, with Gunn, MacDermott, Loder, and Johnson leading the majority. [Bell left before the vote, so four votes were enough for a majority.]

July job freeze

Citizen Adolphus Johnson condemns Mayor Kincaid’s plan to freeze city hiring due to recent budget deficits. “We freeze meat and non-perishable [sic] items,” says Johnson. “We do not freeze people’s abilities to take care of their homes!” Johnson says that if there is a freeze, all the relatives, friends, and church members affiliated with Kincaid should be examined for the positions for which they were hired, as many are unqualified, according to Johnson. &

City Hall — June 19, 2001

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It has been awhile since Councilor Jimmy Blake launched verbal missiles of malcontent at both Mayor Bernard Kincaid and Council President William Bell during the same council meeting. Blake’s preemptive tirade and the two municipal leaders’ return fire are the featured entertainment this morning as Kincaid vetoes council amendments to his Fiscal Year 2001-2002 operating budget.No toilets, dumpsters spell doom for Fall Fair and Spring Fling

Council President Bell’s 6 percent pay raise proposal for all city employees [the only avenue available for raising public safety salaries] ignites the morning’s first debate. The across-the-board raise is deemed irresponsible by both Kincaid and Blake. The Mayor cites “devastating effects upon the city of Birmingham and its long-term health” as his reasons for vetoing the budget passed by the council at last Tuesday’s meeting. “By placing employee pay raises at the center of the budgetary process, the budget adopted by the council decimates vital funding for city departments, virtually eliminates the city’s contingent liability account, and jeopardizes the city’s financial reserves unnecessarily,” warns Kincaid.

The council approved a three-year contract with United Shows of America in August 2000 to conduct the Fall Fair and Spring Fling, obligating the city to provide up to $65,000 per event for promotion and sponsorship, as well as covering costs of portable toilets and dumpsters. The removal of $265,000 in funding for management fees associated with Fairgrounds events means the end of the carnivals, according to the Mayor, resulting in economic suffering for Five Points West area merchants.

Blake calls city hall “a chamber of buffoonery”

Councilor Blake characterizes city hall as “a vacuum of responsible leadership in this city that everyone is playing a role in.” Blake shouts down the council budget as nothing more than an “irresponsible, childish, vindictive–it don’t [sic] even add up–budget.” He notes that each budget process he’s endured in his eight years on the council gets “worse and worse and worse.” For a politician not seeking re-election, Blake is on a roll. “I tell you, sitting down on this city council is the most frustrating thing I’ve ever done in my life,” he notes as audience members applaud. “The Mayor won’t meet with anybody. [And] William Bell? Talking to him is like talking to a wall, because his boss don’t [sic] stay in city hall anymore. It’s ridiculous!” Blake, infuriated that the Mayor’s lack of understanding political processes allows Kincaid’s enemies to destroy his administration to the point that “people see city hall as a chamber of buffoonery,” scoffs at Kincaid for “refusing to learn anything about anything,” The councilor again hurls insults at the council, bellowing, “And God knows, the only direction coming from the council office is who can hand the most to the most of their friends. It’s an outrage that we have to choose between corruption and incompetence in the city of Birmingham. WE NEED A THIRD WAY!” He abstains from approving the budget, declaring, “It’s time to wipe the slate clean!” Blake notes that only the “biggest fool in Alabama” would support the Jefferson County Citizens Coalition, represented on the council by Bell, Bandy, Little, Gunn, and Alexander.Kincaid, Bell tag team “Blake the Snake”

Metaphorically armed and dangerous, Kincaid and Bell waste precious little time counter-attacking Blake. Council President William Bell, admitting that at one time he had a reputation as a “hot-head,” fires the first round as he thanks Blake for teaching him restraint over the years. “He has pushed every button possible. He has attacked me, he has attacked my family . . . I guess he thinks that because he yells ‘corruption’ so much and so often, that people believe it.” Bell continues: “Now ladies and gentlemen, I’m not smart enough to be able to outwit the federal government and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I’m not smart enough to outwit all of the people who look at my actions as an elected official. And I still sit here today despite all of what Dr. Blake has said in the last election [1999 mayoral election in which Kincaid beat Bell decisively].” Bell aims a side volley at Kincaid when he references a song called “The Snake” by soul singer Al Wilson, noting that the Mayor “brought a snake into his campaign, and he listened to that snake. That snake has given him advice and helped him to get to where he is. And now that snake has turned around and has bit him!” Councilor Alexander is suddenly moved to shout “How many times?” while Councilor Bandy yells, “Tell it!” Some members of the audience scream “Go ‘head on!”Mayor Kincaid embraces the gospel ambience as he takes his turn. “Now, I’m no snake charmer,” as Citizen Coalition councilors shout their approval of Kincaid, a rare occurrence. “But the way the song went, ‘You knew I was a snake when you picked me up!’” says the Mayor as he glares at Blake. Kincaid notes that Blake is acting this way because the Mayor wouldn’t meet with a group of neighborhood leaders assembled by Blake. Past condemnation by Kincaid of Blake’s desire to be mayor surface again. “Behind the Mayor’s desk [there] is not a chaise lounge. It doesn’t have room for but one person. It’s a chair. And [it] does not have enough room for a committee to sit behind the Mayor’s desk! And that offended some people [presumably Blake]. Some people that, by the way, I did not ask to support me for mayor!”

All over but the pouting

Councilor Loder [rumored by some Birmingham political observers as Kincaid's number one challenge in the 2003 mayoral election should former mayor Richard Arrington fail to assemble a Jefferson County Citizens Coalition majority in the October council election] gives credit to Arrington for leaving the city in sound financial condition. But he refuses to support council budget proposals due to the possibility of depleting the city’s savings. Loder disagrees with Blake’s assessment that there’s a lack of leadership in Birmingham, focusing instead on “unique styles of leadership.” He says he’s willing to trust the voting public’s decision in the October election. “I’m willing to respect the decisions that the public makes, and we move on. That’s what life is all about. No use in pouting about it.”

Science fun with Aldrich Gunn

Despite statements from the chairman of the Birmingham Airport Authority last week indicating that proposed construction of a parallel runway would not proceed, Councilor Alexander [a member of the Airport Authority] says that no final decision has been made in that regard. Councilor Bill Johnson wants the $10 million in the airport budget for the new runway removed before he’ll support budget approval. The proposed runway would wipe out East Lake Park and surrounding neighborhoods. Councilor Aldrich Gunn insists he was against the airport expansion before his council district was re-configured to include the area that would be decimated. In response to Gunn’s query about where the water in the park’s lake would go when “thousands of cubic feet of concrete” are poured to fill up the lake, a man in the audience hollers, “Evaporation!” Gunn doesn’t miss a beat as he coolly responds, “Yeah, but it still comes down, even in evaporation. I’m not a scientist, but I understand the process.” The item is delayed for one week until the fate of the $10 million can be studied more closely.

June 26, 2001

It’s a lackluster Tuesday for the Birmingham City Council. Most of the interesting sparks are saved for the segment at the end of the meeting when area citizens address city officials.

Birmingham’s Hollywood future

In an attempt to woo movie stars to Birmingham, the council is mulling the creation of the Birmingham Film Commission, a proposed entity designed to recruit the film industry and develop the city as a hotbed for creating big screen entertainment. The council votes to wait a week before deciding on the film commission’s fate.

An amendment to a resolution passed by the council two weeks ago is approved. It will allow Mayor Kincaid to enter into a $20,000 contract with Osiris Chess Club, Inc. to teach Birmingham children how to play chess. The instructional effort is expected to raise intellectual abilities and self-esteem, according to city officials. Some city employees laugh that it’s the perfect way to prepare Birmingham youth for day-to-day “adult bureaucratic games” at city hall.

Parking meter accused of stealing time

Today’s meeting finally gets interesting when Birmingham residents take turns launching attacks on the various factions running city business. The first speaker is a woman named April May who reads a lengthy, rhyming discourse she composed that scolds the council for not giving Mayor Kincaid a chance to run the city. Included are references to the amount of time spent bickering, the council “making too big a deal out of the Mayor’s car [the Lincoln Town Car he demanded when he was elected],” and “problems with the street lights and prostitutes walking day and night.” Councilor Gunn immediately responds, “Paid political advertisement.” Council President Bell interrupts, “Now hold it, Mr. Gunn.” Gunn later apologizes and admits he should have just referred to the woman’s oration as “a poem.”

Lee E. Loder, father of Councilor Lee Wendell Loder, urges the Mayor and council to “lighten up.” The elder Loder, who was defeated in a bid for the Jefferson County Commission by Rueben Davis, says he voted for Bell for mayor, but “I’m dissatisfied with what I did at the time.” He points at Councilor Loder, saying, “That’s my son. He’s not my child. He’s a child of God! My son does not know how to play the tricks like some of us do to get things passed.”

Geraldine Jackson, who frequently marches in front of city hall urging the defeat of all on the council seeking re-election except Councilor Loder, complains about downtown parking meters “stealing time.” Jackson says she recently had three hours on the meter where she parked, but returned less than three hours later to find a meter violation ticket on her windshield. She then turns her attack on the council’s re-election bids, yelling, “I think you need to go! We are tired of you! We want you to get out of city hall!”

Otis Jones stands before the council with a homemade placard shaped like a road sign covering his torso. The sign reads: LUKE 10:27. Jones lashes out at councilors, noting, “Don’t know what road we’re on, but we’re on a wide road going nowhere!” Jones is a regular at council meetings, constantly videotaping or snapping photos of proceedings. Councilors frequently joke that Jones has no film in his camera.

Community activist and radio talk show host Frank Matthews calls the master plan detailing the future of the Birmingham International Airport a “disaster plan” that is nothing less than “diabolical.” Matthews tells the council a strange story about a foul odor he once encountered each time he drove his car. One day he finally looked under his automobile and found a dead gopher. Matthews relates this anecdote to the irresponsibility of the airport’s plans to expand, and says that “tree-huggers” from the Cahaba River Society have not reviewed how expansion would affect the environment at the airport. &

Wedding Extravaganza

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By Ed Reynolds

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“Bigger and different!” That’s the motto Adamsville fireworks mogul Debbie Foster lives by. Foster’s company, Pyro Productions, Inc. has been lighting up Southern skies for six years, drawing “oohs,” and “aahs” with displays of explosive colors and ear-splitting detonations. Foster is the daughter of “Crazy Bill” Cairns, whose roadside trailers have been peddling an assortment of skyrockets, bottle rockets, and firecrackers for years. Pyro launches fireworks productions [not to be confused with a "fireworks show," according to Foster] for Barons games, the Steeldogs, the now-departed XFL, and the Alabama State Fair, the venue where she met fiancee Jeff Neu.

It was those majestic evenings together at the Fairgrounds under the exploding sky that led to an engagement ring and what is being billed as “the wedding event of the year.” True to Foster’s concept of extravaganza, Debbie and Jeff will seal their vows August 18, at the Barons annual Skyfest fireworks celebration held at the Hoover Met. The event is also part of Pyro Productions annual exhibition showcase, which gives clients the opportunity to view Foster’s immense firepower. “Of course, I had to have fireworks at my wedding,” laughs Foster in her pixie Southern drawl. “Being the fireworks lady, it was expected. We’re making it a business and friends and family gathering. We’re killing three birds with one stone.”

As a prelude to the public wedding, a private ceremony is scheduled for earlier in the evening in the Michael Jordon Banquet Room at the Met. “Then, as soon as the Barons game is over, the lights will go out like we’re going to start Skyfest. We’ll draw the crowd’s attention to the JumboTron, and there will be a short video where I introduce myself and do a behind the scenes look at what it takes to put on Skyfest. That’ll give us two minutes to set up the field pyrotechnics and roll out the red carpet.”

Spotlights will zero in as Debbie and Jeff walk towards each other on the carpet, reciting their vows [which will be pre-recorded]. “The very instant our lips touch, the fireworks will start!” Foster gushes, unable to conceal her delight. Skyfest 2001 will then begin. The wedding spectacle will be captured on film for a documentary the couple plans to pitch to the Discovery, History and Lifetime channels.

City Hall — Swords drawn over budget deficits

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City Hall

By Ed Reynolds

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June 5, 2001

Swords drawn over budget deficits

Council President William Bell moves for denial of a budget deficit reduction ordinance proposed by Mayor Bernard Kincaid. The Mayor says accusations by Bell that current budget deficits are contrived “betrays an utter lack of regard for the current and future financial condition of the city.” Kincaid warns that a downgrade in the city’s bond rating will almost certainly result. According to Kincaid, Bell should be aware of the bond rating threat since the council president recently traveled to New York for meetings with ratings agencies. Budget revenue shortfalls include a decrease of approximately $2.5 million in sales taxes to date due to the national economic downturn, a decrease of $1.9 million in business license taxes, and the loss of more than $6 million budgeted last year from anticipated Water Works revenue. Kincaid warns that the city’s ability to provide basic services to citizens and to pursue new programs to move the city forward will be in peril. “This deficit is real; it is not contrived,” notes the Mayor.

If the Mayor’s budget reduction ordinance is passed, items already passed by the council would have their contractual obligations threatened, according to Bell. He denies that his trip to New York included discussions about the city’s budget, and disagrees that recent downgrading of the city’s bond rating had anything to do with any action or lack thereof on his part. Bell also claims to have never heard of Fitch IBCA, one of three bond rating agencies involved with the city, until Kincaid read a letter three weeks ago regarding that agency’s downgrading of the city’s bond rating. Councilor Sandra Little joins Bell in refusing to support the Mayor’s ordinance, still fuming that her district’s Roosevelt City fire station has been held up by the Mayor’s office for two years.

Blake and the bottom line

Councilor Jimmy Blake notes that law requires that the budget be balanced. “We’ve got an interim finance director [Michael Johnson] that’s been in office for a short period of time, and is getting thrown into a political ‘hot potato,’ unfortunately.” According to Blake’s understanding of the law, the finance director has the “ultimate authority” to decide what revenues must be budgeted for the coming year. Blake urged the council several months ago to play a role in determining where to make up for the imminent shortfalls, which first came to light several months ago when Kincaid warned that deficits loomed ahead. Demanding that political games cease, Blake says that if the council refuses to pass the deficit ordinance, it needs to legislate what changes must be made. “If we refuse to act on his recommendation, then it’s our responsibility to create our own recommendation. And we have not done that,” scolds Blake.

Council President Bell says that he has previously asked the finance director to look for other areas to cut, and vows that he is willing to sit down with Kincaid, the finance director, and the council to solve the deficit dilemma. Councilor Aldrich Gunn protests any slicing of projects in his district. Gunn quietly asks the Mayor if the city’s bond rating is higher or lower than two years ago. Kincaid responds that the bond rating is higher than 18 months ago. The two larger companies, Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s, rate the city at AA, whereas two years ago the rating was AA negative. Kincaid notes that “cataclysmic circumstances within city government” affect bond agencies’ ratings. [Fitch cites the city's unstable political climate as one reason for the rating downgrade.] Bell, however, says that the improved bond ratings from the larger bond agencies were due to the transfer of the assets back to the Water Works because the agencies viewed the transfer as “a stabilizing factor” since the city would not carry the Water Works debt. Bell objects that Kincaid’s lawsuit seeking to halt the asset transfer did nothing but perplex the bond rating agencies. The council president urges councilors to personally go to New York to visit the agencies to verify his position.

The city attorney’s side of the story

City attorney Tamara Johnson gives her account of what occurred during her two trips to New York to meet with bond rating agencies. The first trip included Kincaid’s chief of staff Al Herbert and former finance director Mac Underwood, who left that position several weeks ago to take the job of assistant general finance director with the Birmingham Water Works. Johnson says that she never misrepresented the status of the Water Works lawsuit; instead the entourage explained the lawsuit. She insists that she gave no guarantee as to what the outcome of the lawsuit would be. Her second trip included Herbert and interim city finance director Michael Johnson. On this particular New York trek they were told that a few days prior to their arrival, Bell and an attorney for the Water Works Board had visited the bond rating agencies. She notes that Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s, the two major bond agencies, seemed to understand the city’s position in the lawsuit. The two agencies inquired not only as to why an asset as valuable as the Water Works would be transferred away, but also asked how the city planned to pursue further funding of the school system, as this was the underlying purpose in documents transferring the assets back to the city originally, according to Johnson.

Bell immediately objects to Tamara Johnson’s account, denying that he had stated that Johnson had misrepresented anything. Bell explains that Johnson and her group did tell the agencies that the Water Works assets were being transferred. Johnson disagrees, and reiterates that she only reported the status of the lawsuit.

Councilor Leroy Bandy welcomes Bell’s suggestion that councilors travel to New York to confer with rating agencies. Bandy says he first suggested that idea two years ago. “This is educational for me. We’re newcomers!” pronounces Bandy, perhaps not choosing the best words for a councilor seeking re-election in four months after having served for four years.

Blake’s philosophical conclusion

In a day of reiterations, Councilor Blake again stresses that if the council had addressed the deficits five months ago when they were first recognized, there would be no crisis with only three weeks left in the fiscal year. Addressing interim city finance director Michael Johnson regarding the finance department’s cooperation on debt resolution, Blake says, “I’m quite sure I’ll have absolutely no say in what we determine on that. There will be five or six people who will get together and make their determination about that. And it won’t be done in the light of day, just as it ain’t never done in the light of day in this city. And then let’s turn it over to the president of the council and his cohorts, and let them tell us what we’re gonna end up doing ’cause they’ve got the votes. And then let’s go from there.”

June 12, 2001

Jail inmates eating too well

The city council votes to adopt an amended version of Mayor Kincaid’s Fiscal Year 2001-2002 operating and capital budgets, with Councilors Blake and Lee Wendell Loder voting not to approve. Included is a 6 percent pay increase [Kincaid's employee raise had been 3 percent] for all city employees so that police and fire fighters could receive a substantial increase as previously demanded. [Public safety workers have been lured away from Birmingham to surrounding municipalities offering large pay increases.] A $100 monthly uniform allowance for police and firefighters is also included.

Councilor Loder proposes a different plan from the one presented by Council President Bell. Loder says that he fully intends to honor his commitment to provide a substantial pay increase for public safety personnel. The councilor is not happy about elimination of appropriations for the Pike Road redevelopment project, which could force Limbaugh Toyota to move out of the city limits. Among Loder’s proposals are a $200 monthly uniform allowance. [Police and firefighters had requested a $242 monthly allowance. The county has already voted to provide a $160 allowance each month.] Loder also suggests reduction in travel expenses by sending one representative to conventions instead of several councilors or city employees. Elimination of UAB football funding and reduction in “food for prisoners” by $100,000 are also included in Loder’s cuts.

Call out the National Guard

Mayor Kincaid opens his attack on the council’s proposed budget cuts by noting his commitment to properly compensate police and firefighters “responsibly.” Kincaid reminds the council that former Mayor Richard Arrington refused to support the 20-year retirement plan (as opposed to the previous 25-year plan) that Kincaid has strongly supported, a plan that was subsequently passed this past year. The Mayor says the new retirement plan is “tantamount to a pay increase from city government, so it’s not as if they [public safety personnel] have been shunted to the side.” A reduction in city services and personnel will result, says Kincaid, warning, “Some of the people who will enjoy the 6 percent raise in this budget will be laid off.” He stresses that the same goals desired in pay raises can be attained by increasing the benefit package. According to Kincaid, the uniform allowance is being viewed as a salary increase, and thereby would be subject to taxation.

Bell argues that the uniform allowance is not a salary, “regardless what you call it in the press.” The council president denies that his proposed budget cuts are a power play on his part, and says that he is not trying to be mayor. Councilor Don MacDermott defends the pay increase, noting that former Birmingham police officers who are currently on the Vestavia police force have told him, “You better do something or else you’re going to have to call out the National Guard to police your streets.” Birmingham officers present at the council meeting burst into a thunderous round of applause.

Blake’s final hurrah

Councilor Blake notes that this is his eighth and final budget adoption. Offering a comparison of the fiscal battles he’s encountered, Blake says that the first six budgets were passed by a mayor [Richard Arrington] and six councilors who were “overtly members of the Citizens Coalition, so there wasn’t any pretending about what we were doing.” Blake reminds the council that he advocated pay raises for police and firefighters each of those years, and put together detailed budgets that were “responsible.” The councilor then confronts the large group of police officers and firefighters present: “Public safety employees are not the entire city. And I will not, because this is an election year, vote for a budget that is unbelievably irresponsible and designed specifically to re-elect those five members of the Citizens Coalition and those one or two members of this council who have somehow cut some deal on this thing.” Blake continues, “There are so many holes in this budget, you could drive 10 trucks through it. Let me say to my friends in the police and fire department that were clapping loudly for an irresponsible budget this morning, you are cutting your future off for today by supporting this budget.” Blake concludes by adding that he will not vote for a budget that “puts hundreds of thousands of dollars into the council budget so that they can hire their buddies, [so] that they can get re-elected, and puts peanuts into the districts of those few people who cut a deal with Coalition members again this year, and sell out the future of this city as a responsible entity.” He surmises that it is a “nut budget.”

Gunn defends trees, denounces hydrogen bombs

Birmingham airport officials have decided to forego plans to build a new runway parallel to the existing one. Councilor Gunn notes the destruction of the East Lake community that would have resulted from the expansion. Gunn speaks up for trees in East Lake, praising them for their ability to stop wind and sound. “It’s amazing what trees [can] do. We talk about how many homes we move, how many families we move [as a result of airport expansion]. But we don’t talk about how many trees we’re moving. That’s something money can’t buy. That’s where you get your fresh oxygen from.” The councilor says that runway expansion plans would have decimated the eastern area to the point that it “would have been worse than the hydrogen bomb.” Bell leaves the council chambers during the discussion, resulting in a tie vote on council approval of the airport budget. It will be brought back up next week.

Let them eat nothing

The meeting ends on a light note when appropriations for $14,000 in emergency dental care for inmates at the city jail are brought up for a vote. “Now if we don’t approve this, then the inmates will have bad teeth and they won’t be able to eat as much food,” Bell points out, barely able to control his laughter.
“Loder was saying we need to cut down on the amount of food [for inmates]!” &

City Hall — May 22, 2001

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City Hall

By Ed Reynolds

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May 22, 2001

There was no City Council meeting.May 29, 2001

The reconfiguration of Birmingham’s nine City Council districts rules the morning agenda. “Don’t move lines unnecessarily,” is Councilor Jimmy Blake’s rallying cry as he draws his own lines in the sand and pushes for two overwhelmingly white majority districts and seven majority black districts. Blake opposes maintaining three white council districts, as his District Three is actually the only overall majority white district (the other two districts are majority white only in the number of voting age residents living there, with overall white populations of approximately 49 percent in each district). Blake and his constituents warn that a lawsuit will be filed.Shifting racial tides

The Citizens Commission on Redistricting, formed to educate the public and to accept input about the current redistricting process, files its report on the redrawing of district lines. The commission has no power to make decisions and has abstained from making formal recommendations about the redistricting plan. But a majority of the commission agrees that maintaining six majority black seats and three majority white seats (the present black-to-white ratio on the council) is a
“logical and amicable redistricting approach that ensures no rich aggression has occurred in terms of the level of minority representation on the city council,” according to Gloria Gilmore, Powderly neighborhood president and secretary of the redistricting commission. She notes that a portion of each commission meeting was set aside for citizen input.The Citizens Commission is made of representatives appointed by each councilor. Jerry Wilson of Reapportionment Group 2000, L.L.C. served as facilitator of the commission’s May 3 meeting at the Aldrich Gunn Cultural Arts Center when the three redistricting proposals were presented. The city council eventually whittled the list down to one, known as the 2B plan. Council members had a couple of months to offer opinions in the redistricting process. Noting that “an extended public hearing” was held during the May 3 meeting, a Citizen Commission member reports this morning that “the three proposed plans were reviewed in painstalking [sic] detail.”

The current population of Birmingham is 242,820, with an ideal council district population of 26,980. The districts of Councilors Blake, Johnson, and MacDermott are too large (10,000 must be moved from these three majority white districts), while districts of Councilors Bell and Gunn are significantly too small. The districts of Councilors Bandy, Little, and Alexander will require little change. In the past decade, slightly more than 37,000 whites have left Birmingham, while the number of black residents has increased by just over 10,000. Under Plan 2B before the Council this morning, whites will be transferred out of Blake’s and MacDermott’s districts, while Johnson and Bell would have white residents added to their districts. Blacks would be removed from Bell’s, MacDermott’s, and Johnson’s districts, with black resident additions to the districts of Gunn and Blake.

Cris Correia, a voting-rights lawyer representing Reapportionment Group 2000 in Birmingham’s redistricting, fields questions and explains district changes. Supreme Court rulings previously determined that differences among districts for a city council level of government must not deviate beyond 10 percent. Reapportionment Group 2000 recommends that the deviation be kept below five percent “because the Census was just released,” according to Correia. She says the Voting Rights Act must be complied with, noting the short time frame involved considering that Council elections are only a little over four months away. The Justice Department has 60 days to approve or reject the plan.

Voting blind

Under Section Five of the Voting Rights Act, redistricting “cannot have changes that will leave the racial minority in the jurisdiction worse off than it was before,” explains Correia. She says that the plan is “very much a compromise plan. Nobody [councilors] got everything they wanted out of it.” Correia confirms that council input was taken into consideration. Redistricting proceedings turn comical when it’s discovered that some information regarding District Nine is missing from the maps Correia has given to Mayor Kincaid and the council. (For the record, Reapportionment Group 2000 was paid approximately $250,000, reduced from the $500,000 fee requested. Councilor Blake had earlier offered to do the job for $1,000.) Correia apologizes for the printing error, noting that Districts Six through Nine do not change significantly. She then reads District Nine’s new configuration numbers to assuage fears over the missing district. Correia also keeps referring to councilors as “commissioners.” [At this point, the map before the Council repeatedly falls off the easel on which it is precariously perched, and Correia begins to show signs of nervousness.] Adding to the disorder of the presentation, Correia discovers that she doesn’t have actual figures when Councilor Lee Wendell Loder asks about changes to District Eight. Correia insists, nonetheless, that the alterations to Loder’s district are insignificant. When the councilor asks if the missing information pertaining to the number of residents to be removed from his district could be obtained before the end of the council meeting, Correia says no. But she does promise to e-mail the numbers when she returns to Atlanta that evening. Loder goes ahead and votes with the council majority to approve the new district alignment even though he doesn’t have the actual population changes in his district before him.

Have constituents, will travel

Addressing a boundary shift involving his District Four, Councilor Gunn notes, “That’s a tremendous move. I have no objection to it, ’cause I’m gonna represent the people wherever I go. But I want you to know that I want to have the right information which I’m votin’ on here, and I do not have it.” Sounding like the track announcer at Churchill Downs, Gunn suddenly reels off a list of street names as he recites the new boundaries of his district. “I’ll work with whatever card hand is dealt me,” promises Gunn. Commenting on how boundaries of one district affect another, the elder councilor says, “If you took a cup of water, and had it standin’ still, and you took a pea and dropped in it, the ripple effect would affect every district.” He reiterates his complaint about having to vote on the incomplete map set before him, but like Loder, Gunn votes with the majority approving the redistricting plan anyway.

Plan nine from outer space

Councilor Blake, who’s not running for reelection, has three additional redistricting plans he wants the council to consider. The councilor notes that all of the neighborhood presidents in his district oppose Plan 2A. The proposal being voted on by the council today is actually Plan 2B, but Blake explains that Plan 2A is almost the same as the 2B plan. Plan 2A differs from Plan 2B only by a few discrepancies between MacDermott’s and Johnson’s districts, notes Blake, which he says has been discussed by the two councilors. Blake complains that current redistricting proposals dilute white voting strength. The councilor notes that though many councilors are to be commended for wanting to avoid racial issues, racial concerns are a reality. “Unfortunately, redistricting under the Voting Rights Act is very much about racial issues. And I’m going to talk about racial issues this morning. I don’t know any way to handle it but straight up and straight forward, because it is essential to what we’re talking about.” Blake begins in cryptic fashion: “The first one [plan] is what I call Wilson Plan 2A Mod 2. I guess the B plan would be Mod 1.” Blake points to the Plan 2B map presented by Cris Correia, but explains again that his comparisons are actually to Plan 2A. Councilor Loder asks for clarification of Blake’s Plan 2A references. Blake explains that he did not get the 2B Plan until late, so his presentation to neighborhood leaders in his district was actually the 2A plan.

Blake further addresses white voting power: “The plan [presumably 2B] does not meet the objectives of not diluting the minority–let me call it what it is–the white voting strength.” Blake asks why overwhelmingly black areas are being put into majority white District Three. “That’s not rational, based on our criteria here,” says Blake. “We decimated Glen Iris Park with this plan. We took in, essentially, black voters, and gave up white voters to dilute out District Three. That’s not rational.” He points out that if a voting age majority is substantial reason for white majority designation, that will soon change as constituents reach voting age. According to Blake, the Reapportionment Group 2000 Plan 2A calls for 33,245 people to be moved to other districts, while his plan would require only 20,000 people put in new districts. Blake further warns that Plan 2B will not meet criteria defined by the Voting Rights Act. Addressing the reality of white flight, Blake deadpans “Let’s talk turkey for a minute,” as he notes that “white folks are moving out of Birmingham.” The councilor is concerned that the topic is “too sensitive” for some to discuss, but says this will not stop him from engaging in debate over white voting rights.

Pointing out there are not enough whites to actually have three majority white districts, Blake notes, “What we do to protect voting rights of white folks–and that’s what we’re talking about, and I’m not going to be squeamish about it–is that we change our approach and try to go to two majority districts that are substantially majority white. And there are enough white folks in Birmingham to do that.” District Two would no longer be a majority white district under Blake’s plan. “In terms of protecting and allowing white people to feel like they do have some word in the future of Birmingham, this is the proper way to do it.” Blake adds that he thinks his plan also improves Bell’s and Gunn’s districts.

Councilor Blake also has another plan that would pit MacDermott and Johnson against one another in the same overwhelmingly majority white district. Blake also speaks of “Plan Four,” though it is not immediately clear to which plan he is referring. He stresses that two predominantly white districts are vital to the future of Birmingham. Gunn replies that Blake’s original redistricting plan “ran me on a dog trail all the way up to Jeff State and across to [Highway] 79.” Gunn says that instead of trusting Blake’s plan, he’d prefer to be “pulled out of the ditch with a rope around my neck.”

Reapportionment Group 2000 representative Cris Correia argues with Blake that reduction to two majority white districts would violate the Voting Rights Act and its protection of minorities. Correia explains that since it’s possible to draw three white districts based on voting age population, the Justice Department will have no problem with that criteria. She also notes that registration rates of white voters are higher than black registration rates, which also plays into Justice Department criteria for determining majority districts. Blake disagrees, explaining that “traditionally, the Voting Rights Act has determined that black districts are considered majority when they are 65 percent or more black.” Blake says Correia is
“playing games” by using voting age and “what you don’t know about registration” as criteria for minority district determination.

Neighborhoods divided

Studying a laptop computer screen, Council President Bell proposes an amendment to Plan 2B that address concerns of Five Points South Neighborhood president Mike Higginbotham. Residents are perturbed about drastic changes in their district. Bell says that Blake told the “demographers” that he [Blake] “would not stand for any white neighborhood to be represented by any black council member.” Blake responds, “That’s insane!” Bell immediately smiles and replies, “That is insane, Dr. Blake, that’s what I’ve been trying to tell people about you for some time now.” As Bell continues to study the computer screen in front of him, he tells Blake, who is peering over Bell’s shoulder at the screen, “You know, Dr. Blake, I could concentrate if you weren’t breathing on me.” Blake replies, “It’s ironic that the only two people who are going to understand the district are you and Mike Higginbotham, because nobody else has seen it.” Bell says that he thought he was doing a favor for the neighborhood based on Blake’s request. Blake responds that he favors delaying the process until all have had the opportunity to view the final redistricting plan. Mike Higginbotham addresses the Council to clarify his role in the neighborhood protests. “Councilman Blake did talk with the neighborhood presidents, and expressed to us that he thought that we should express our concerns about the plan.” Higginbotham says that he has made an effort to stay out of the redistricting process, instead letting his neighborhood association decide what to do. The neighborhood’s protest centers around inclusion of voters from Bell’s district, because traditional voters in the district were being removed in favor of new voters.

Councilor Johnson finally interrupts the morning debates to urge that a vote be taken on the 2B redistricting plan. Johnson notes that there has been “plenty of opportunity for input.” As Blake begins to argue with him on that point, Johnson responds that he has the floor and immediately asks, “Mr. President [Bell], can you get Dr. Blake under control?” &