Virginia Martin

Wardine Towers Alexander

Birmingham City Council District 7 Age: 64 Residence: Birmingham (Roosevelt) Political experience: Birmingham City Councilor, 2018-present. President, Birmingham School Board, 2015-2017. Member, Birmingham School Board, 2013-2017. Professional experience: Quality Assurance Supervisor (Retired), BioLife Plasma/Shire, 1999-2017. Education Manager (Retired), American Red Cross Blood Services, 1977-1999. Civic experience: Member, Birmingham Public Library Board, 2018. Former member and

by Sam Prickett

Clinton Woods

Birmingham City Council, District 1 Age: 33 Residence: Birmingham (Echo Highlands) Political Experience: Birmingham City Councilor, 2019-present. Campaign manager, Mark Pettway for Sheriff, 2017-2018. Previously worked as consultant on several other political campaigns. Professional Experience: Owner, Prescott Contracting, 2017-present. Construction Manager, Tacoma Housing Authority, 2016-2017. General Contractor, Prescott Contracting, 2012-2015. Project Manager, C.W. Woods Contracting,

by Sam Prickett

Willine Body

Willine Body Birmingham City Council, District 6 Age: 73 Residence: Birmingham (Graymont) Political Experience: President, Graymont Neighborhood Association, 2012-present; Applicant, Birmingham City Council District 6, 2018; Vice President, Graymont Neighborhood Association, 2002-12 Professional Experience: Self-Employed, Home Quality Inspection Services Civic Experience: Minister, Greater Temple Missionary Baptist Church Main Issues: Economic development, rehabilitation and restoration of

by Sam Prickett

Haki Jamaal Muhammad

Birmingham City Council, District 1 No information was available for Muhammad and he did not respond to requests for information from BirminghamWatch.org. Top Contributors: None filed

by Sam Prickett

Birmingham Votes Today on School Taxes, Three Council Seats

Election officials are expecting a light turnout in today’s city election, which will decide the fate of three property taxes for schools and three seats on the City Council. Most voters will have only the three ad valorem tax renewals on their ballots. Those taxes generate about 12% of the Birmingham City Schools’ budget. Voters in City Council Districts 1, 6 and 7 also will have a choice of city councilors to represent them on their ballots. That’s almost half of the council seats up for grabs. Councilors representing those districts were appointed after the elected councilors resigned their positions. Under the Mayor-Council Act, appointed councilors may serve only until the next election. If no candidate in the city council elections has more than 50% of the vote, then a runoff election between the top two vote-getters will be held Nov. 19. Some city polling places have changed this year. If you are uncertain of your polling place, you can verify it at AlabamaVotes.gov. Voters who have questions or problems at their polling places can call the Birmingham City Clerk's office at 205-254-2290. BirminghamWatch’s city voter guide provides profiles of the candidates, an explanation of the school taxes, information about casting a ballot, links to sample ballots and a map of council districts. Read the city voter guide.

by BirminghamWatch

Poll Hours, Polling Sites and Absentee Ballots

The polls will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Oct. 8. You can verify your polling place on the AlabamaVotes.gov site. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Birding in Alabama: A View of What Losing 3 Billion Birds in North America Looks Like Here

On a recent sunny Saturday, Dwight Cooley and some friends spent four hours at north Alabama’s Swan Creek Wildlife Management Area looking for different kinds of what an online dictionary defines as “a warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrate distinguished by the possession of feathers, wings, and a beak and (typically) by being able to fly.” In other words, they were birding. Cooley, the former manager of the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge near Decatur, has been bird-watching and doing bird counts since the 1970s, and what he and the others saw on that recent Saturday was not encouraging. In their four hours in the field, they saw dozens of birds, including 16 representing five species of warblers. Four decades ago, under similar conditions, Cooley said, the group not only would have seen more warblers, but also more species of them. “You just don’t see the number of birds that we used to see, and you don’t see the diversity of birds out there,” Cooley said. Read more.

by Tom Gordon