Virginia Martin

Ivey leads Republican sweep of statewide races

Gov. Kay Ivey turned back Democratic challenger Walt Maddox on Tuesday and led the Republican ticket to a clean sweep of statewide races in Alabama.  “The people of Alabama have spoken loud and clear: We want to keep Alabama on the right track and keep Alabama working,” Ivey declared before cheering supporters Tuesday night at a Montgomery hotel.  “It is with immense gratitude that I stand before you tonight as the next governor of Alabama. … Tonight, today, together we have made history — the first Republican woman to be elected governor.” Read more.

by Robert Carter and Sam Prickett

Birmingham Council Members Push Back Against Road in Watershed That Protects Drinking Water

The Birmingham City Council appears set to oppose construction of the controversial Cahaba Beach road and bridge project across the Little Cahaba River. The Little Cahaba flows from the Lake Purdy reservoir a quarter-mile upstream from the project to the larger Cahaba River, where the Birmingham Water Works Board takes water for treatment. A majority of council members, meeting as a committee-of-the-whole on Monday, voted to recommend against connecting Cahaba Beach Road off U.S. 280 to Sicard Hollow Road in Shelby County and to the Liberty Park development in Vestavia. The vote included a total of seven council members, President Valerie Abbott among them. A full council vote is set for Nov. 20. Representatives of environmental groups at the meeting said the road is an “unnecessary convenience road for a few” that “should not outweigh the risks to the quality and cost of a main drinking water source for 600,000 people.” The Alabama Department of Transportation and Shelby County engineers are pushing to extend Cahaba Beach Road across a new bridge to Sicard Hollow Road in Shelby County. Representatives of those entities did not attend Monday’s meeting. Read more.

by Hank Black

Polls Close Across the State as the Wait for Results Begins

Polls have closed in Jefferson County and across the state; now the wait begins for results in the governor’s race, all the top statewide offices, the Legislature and county offices statewide. Lines greeted many voters as they arrived at the polls today despite initial predictions of near record-low turnout. Jefferson County Board of Registrars Chairman Barry Stephenson revised his prediction and estimates about a 50 percent turnout in the county. Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill predicts about 40 percent turnout across the state. The spokesman for Merrill’s office said results should start trickling in by about 7:30 p.m. They will be available here on the Secretary of State’s website. BirminghamWatch also will be regularly updating vote numbers in the top state races and periodically updating local results. Merrill’s spokesman, John Bennett, said no major statewide problems had been reported from the polls today. However, poll workers in the Huntsville area are having issues the Madison County Probate Judge Tommy Ragland said could force a hand count of many ballots. He said many ballots could not be fed into readers because the paper ballots were swelled from moisture in the air. Read more.

by Cheryl Slocum and Virginia Martin

Flyer Aimed at African-American Voters Depicts Trump With Klan Marchers

A campaign mail piece sent primarily to African-American voters features photos of President Donald Trump alongside members of the Ku Klux Klan — and it’s not the first time that the groups listed as the flyer’s sponsors have used the tactic. The flyer, which was shown to Birmingham Watch by the staff of Gov. Key Ivey’s campaign, is emblazoned with “Vote or Die” on one side and “Hate Crimes Are On The Rise” on the other, along with images of Trump superimposed on a Confederate battle flag and images of Klan members. Under that image, the flyer reads, “Governor Ivey, Attorney General Steve Marshall and Republican Legislators are strong supporters of Trump’s plan to ‘Make America White Again.’” An Ivey campaign spokesperson said they were given copies of the flyer by Ivey supporters in Hoover and Vestavia Hills. A statement along the bottom of the flyer says that the message was sponsored by Vote or Die, SOS Movement for Justice & Democracy and the Alabama New South Coalition. Representatives of those groups did not return calls. Political materials with racial overtones are not new to Alabama. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Don Wallace

Alabama Board of Education, District 4 Don Wallace Party: Republican Age: 52 Residence: Northport Political experience: Elected Tuscaloosa county commissioner, 2004-2012. Professional experience: Owner, Don Wallace CPA PC, 1999-present; adjunct instructor, Shelton State Community College, 2014-2016. Education: Coursework for master of business administration in sports management, Shorter University, 2014-2016; bachelor of science in business, University of Alabama. Civic experience: Member and speaker,

by Virginia Martin

Yvette Richardson

Alabama Board of Education, District 4 Yvette Richardson Party: Democrat Residence: Fairfield. Political experience: Elected to Alabama State Board of Education, 2010; re-elected, 2014. Served as 2015 State Board of Education President Pro-Tem (temporary) Served as 2016 Vice President of Alabama State Board of Education Professional experience: Currently educational consultant, public education teacher, assistant school principal, school principal, director

by Virginia Martin

David Faulkner

Alabama House of Representatives, District 46 David Faulkner Party: Republican Age: 50 Residence: Birmingham Political experience: Member, Alabama House of Representatives, District 46, 2014-present Professional experience: Partner, Christian & Small LLP, 1999-present; General Counsel, Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce, 2004-2014; Associate Attorney, Spain & Gillon, LLC, 1994-1998. Civic experience: Vice president, governmental relations, Mountain Brook

by Sam Prickett

Greg Reed

Alabama State Senate, District 5 Greg Reed Party: Republican Age: 53 Residence: Jasper Political experience: Alabama State Senate, 2010-present. Professional experience: Vice president, Preferred Medical Systems (present); medical sales, GE Healthcare; sales, National Cash Register. Civic experience: Paul Harris Fellow Rotarian, Jasper Rotary Club; Sunday School teacher, First Baptist Church, Jasper. Education: Bachelor’s degree, University

by Robert Carter

Priscilla Dunn

Alabama State Senate, District 19 Priscilla Dunn Party: Democrat Age: 75 Residence: Bessemer Political experience: Alabama State Senate, 2009-present; Alabama State House of Representatives, 1998-2009. Professional experience: Homeless Education Coordinator, Bessemer City Schools. Civic experience: Advisory Board, Jefferson/Shelby Counties American Cancer Society; Board of directors, Bessemer Civic Center; president, Concerned Citizens of Bessemer Cut-Off; Board

by Robert Carter

Rodger M. Smitherman

Alabama State Senate, District 18 Rodger M. Smitherman Party: Democrat Age: 65 Residence: Birmingham Political experience: Alabama State Senate, 1994-present; Senate president pro tempore, 2009-2010; past president of Alabama Legislative Black Caucus. Professional experience: Attorney, Smitherman and Smitherman, 1989-present. Civic experience: Board of trustees, University of Montevallo; board of directors, Metro Birmingham YMCA; member of

by Robert Carter