Birmingham resident Marcus Lipsey has been an often vocal malcontent at City Council meetings the past few months. Lipsey seemingly has an opinion on nearly everything the council discusses. During debate on a liquor license application at the June 5 meeting, Lipsey objected to approval of the application because according to him, alcohol is destroying the black community. Councilor William Bell immediately objected to Lipsey addressing another issue. (Lipsey had addressed two issues earlier in the evening, including interrupting council procedure to voice his discontent.) “It’s not germane to the issue,” said Bell of Lipsey’s argument. “If we’re going to have a proper meeting, I am not anticipating on sitting here as Mr. Lipsey speaks out on every issue, [to] use this as pontification for whatever his mind is conjugating [sic] up. I am not going to sit here and allow this council to continue to be brought down by such actions.”

At the June 19 meeting, the City Council approved changes in the animal control ordinance (to take effect October 1, 2007) that would make it against the law for all cats, whether wearing a collar or not, to roam free. When councilors discussed the issue one week earlier, Councilor Carol Duncan said that she personally finds it impossible to keep collars on her three cats, named “Mo, Woody, and Wonkie.” The councilor recently took in a three-legged feral cat that had just died. “I named her Jinx after Halle Berry in the [James Bond] movie. They were going to put her down. But she had a wonderful four years with me . . . I am truly a lover of life, a lover of animals, trees, everything.” &