Author: Virginia Martin
Inaugural Events for Birmingham’s New Mayor
Mayor-elect Randall Woodfin will drop the “-elect” from his title when he is officially inaugurated as Birmingham’s 30th mayor Tuesday.
Festivities marking the inauguration began Sunday with a Day of Service, encouraging people to get out and better their community, and a Prayer for the City of Birmingham event held Sunday night.
Here’s a rundown of the inauguration day events:
Swearing-In Ceremony
Tuesday, Nov. 28, 12 p.m., Linn Park
Watch Woodfin officially take the oath of office in Linn Park, just outside of City Hall. In a statement published on his website, Woodfin describes the event as “the culmination of more than a year of hard work by many, many people across our city who joined together to with his important election.”
Green Carpet Inaugural Reception
Tuesday, Nov. 28, 5:30 p.m., Birmingham Museum of Art
Woodfin says he is “not a red-carpet kind of guy,” so he’s getting around that by changing the color of the carpet. The green carpet is meant to “recognize all the thousands of people who worked at the grassroots level to make our election a reality.” All are invited to the event, which is being held in conjunction with the Birmingham City Council.
“You Have to Follow Your Own Path:” Mayor Bell Reflects on 40 Years of Public Service
Nov. 21, 2017 — Mayor William Bell bid a tearful farewell to the Birmingham City Council during Tuesday’s meeting, the last of his nearly eight-year tenure as mayor.
His successor, Randall Woodfin, will be sworn into the office Tuesday.
During an emotional address in council chambers, Bell reflected on his decades-long career in government and expressed gratitude to his city employees — or, as he said he liked to call them, his “coworkers.”
Birmingham City Council Stalls Over Disputes With Leadership
Nov. 21, 2017 — District 8 Councilor Steven Hoyt managed to single-handedly slow Tuesday’s meeting of the Birmingham City Council to a crawl, apparently making good on a promise he made last week to protest the leadership of Council President Valerie Abbott.
The strategy also seemed designed to forestall discussion of the FY 2018 budget, which appeared once again on the council’s agenda despite a vote last week to send it back to committee. Read more.
To Uber or Not to Uber: That is the Question Before Birmingham’s Transportation Committee
Nov. 20, 2017 — Birmingham City Councilors say they may revisit the ordinance that allowed ridesharing company Uber to begin operating in the city.
During its first meeting of the 2017-2021 term, the council’s transportation committee — now led by District 5 Councilor Darrell O’Quinn — received a presentation from Stephanie Jones, a representative of Birmingham Cab Drivers United.
Jones expressed concerns about ridesharing companies such as Uber and Lyft, which she said operated “under no rules, regulations, nothing.” In particular, she pointed to a perceived lack of accountability ride-sharing companies have to city governments, specifically regarding background checks — which, currently, are done in-house at their respective companies. Read more.
Oops: Hackers Hijack Young Repubs Site, Send Viewers to Chinese Erotica
The Alabama Republican Party website has been “bombarded” with hacking attempts over the past several days, according to Infomedia CEO John Lovoy.
Infomedia is a Birmingham-based web company that maintains ALGOP.gov, the Alabama GOP’s website. (Infomedia also maintains BirminghamWatch.org.)
Lovoy said that approximately 29,000 attempts to compromise ALGOP.gov have been noted this week. The origin of these attempts is currently unknown, Lovoy said, but Infomedia has had to increase security on the site to combat the attacks. As of Friday afternoon, Infomedia had not determined that any of the attempts had been successful.
The status of the Greater Birmingham Young Republicans (GYBR) website, linked to on ALGOP.gov, has raised concern, however. Until Friday afternoon, a link purportedly to that organization’s site from the Alabama GOP website’s “Clubs/Coalitions” page redirected, instead, to a Chinese-language site with erotic content. Representatives for the party said they had been unaware of that until notified by BirminghamWatch. Read more.
After Week of Silence, Alabama Republican Leaders Say They’ll Stand by Roy Moore
The Alabama Republican Party is standing by its man.
A week after allegations of sexual improprieties with teenagers surfaced about U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore, the state party has finally broken its silence and announced it will continue to support Moore in his race against Democratic candidate Doug Jones.
Read the day’s reports on the Moore situation.
Democrat Jones Leads Roy Moore by 8 Points in Alabama, Per Fox News Poll (Washington Post)
Alabama Senate Race Aggravates Deep Divide in Republican Party (New York Times)
Marsh Opposes Write-In Alternative to Moore (Anniston Star)
Moore Scandal Creates Difficult Politics for Alabama Republican Women (Decatur Daily)
Birmingham Young Republicans Censure Roy Moore, Pull Endorsement (AL.com)
Will Alabama’s Politics Scuttle Its Chances at Toyota-Mazda? (AL.com)
In Sex Crimes and Other Cases, Roy Moore Often Sided With Defendants (New York Times)
Read BirminghamWatch’s coverage of the controversy
Lawyer for Roy Moore Demands Analysis of Signature in Yearbook of Woman Who Said He Sexually Abused Her<.a>
Another Woman Accuses Roy Moore of Attack, Senate Leader Calls for Vote to Expel, and Pastors Publish Letter of Support
Friends of Moore’s Accuser Defend Her Decision to Discuss Allegations Now
Roy Moore Says Sexual Allegations Were Raised to ‘Defrock’ His Campaign, Fallout Continues as Some Republicans Defend Him and Others Look for Ways to Bounce Him From the Ballot
Accusations of Sexual Misconduct Against Roy Moore Throw Senate Race Into Turmoil
Birmingham Votes 2017
Lawyer for Roy Moore Demands Analysis of Signature in Yearbook of Woman Who Said He Sexually Abused Her
Representatives for Roy Moore this afternoon said he insists it is not his writing in a yearbook that a woman who says Moore tried to force himself on her released to bolster her claim.
Phillip Jauregui, who is representing Moore, in a press conference demanded that Gloria Allred, who is representing the woman, send the yearbook to an independent handwriting expert for verification.
Meanwhile, the GOP steering committee has gathered in a special called meeting this afternoon. The meeting was set to be conducted at party headquarters but was moved to a nearby hotel.
Moore is running for U.S. Senate in the Dec. 12 special election to fill the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions when he was appointed attorney general.
But his campaign has been clouded with controversy in the past week as five women reported that Moore had inappropriate contact with them when they were teenagers.
Wednesday, three more women added their voices to the choir. Two women who worked at the Gadsden Mall when they were teens reported unwelcome advances by Moore to the Washington Post. One of them said Moore was such a known quantity at the mall that girls were advised to just stay away from him when they saw him.
Another woman told AL.com that Moore groped her in his law office in 1991, when she was 28 and he was married.
Read more.
Read the day’s reports on the Moore situation.
Senate Republicans Look to Trump to Restore Order Amid Alabama Upheaval Washington Post
GOP Braces for Extended Clash in Alabama Associated Press
Fox News’ Hannity Decides Not to Pass Judgment on Roy Moore Associated Press
‘Absolutely Not’: Richard Shelby Won’t Vote for Roy Moore Montgomery Advertiser
Sex Abuse Allegations Put Spotlight on Roy Moore’s Allies Anniston Star
Doug Jones: Roy Moore Allegations ‘Have More Credibility Than the Denials’ AL.com
Roy Moore Announces 12 Testimonials From Women Affirming His Character AL.com
NRSC Poll: Moore Trails Jones by 12 Politico
In Roy Moore’s Senate Race, Anonymous Threats, Deceptive Texts, Alternative Facts Washington Post
Two More Women Describe Unwanted Overtures by Roy Moore at Alabama MallWashington Post
New Roy Moore Accuser: ‘He Didn’t Pinch It; He Grabbed It’
Read BirminghamWatch’s coverage of the controversy
Another Woman Accuses Roy Moore of Attack, Senate Leader Calls for Vote to Expel, and Pastors Publish Letter of Support
Friends of Moore’s Accuser Defend Her Decision to Discuss Allegations Now
Roy Moore Says Sexual Allegations Were Raised to ‘Defrock’ His Campaign, Fallout Continues as Some Republicans Defend Him and Others Look for Ways to Bounce Him From the Ballot
Accusations of Sexual Misconduct Against Roy Moore Throw Senate Race Into Turmoil
New Birmingham BOE OKs Post to Work With 13 ‘Failing’ Schools
At the first board meeting for most of its members, the Birmingham Board of Education Tuesday night approved a new instructional support position to work exclusively with students at 13 city schools on the state’s “failing” list.
Led by newly elected board President Cheri Gardner, the board also approved hiring a new English as a second language instructor to serve multiple schools and heard from Superintendent Lisa Herring about a five-stop Listening and Learning tour she plans over the next three weeks. Read more.
National Backlash Against Roy Moore Grows
The backlash against Roy Moore in Washington grew Tuesday over allegations by women who say he made sexual advances on them when they were teenagers. The RNC pulled out of a joint fundraising agreement it had with Moore, saying it would put no more money into the Senate campaign. As more Republicans rescinded support for Moore in the Dec. 12 special election, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that if Moore is elected, he immediately will be the subject of a Senate Ethics Committee investigation.
Read the day’s reports on the Moore situation.
Amid Calls to Step Down, Moore Finds Refuge With Base (Associated Press)
National Republican Move Against Roy Moore Grows — But Key Alabama Republicans are Not Joining In (Washington Post)
RNC Cuts off Moore (Politico)
McConnell: Moore Will Face Senate Ethics Probe If He Wins Election (The Hill)
Roy Moore Says He’s Being ‘Harassed’ by the Media Over Allegations (CNN)
He Said He Was a Washington Post Reporter Offering a Reward for Dirt on Roy Moore. But It Wasn’t True. (Washington Post)
Roy Moore, Long Divisive in his Hometown, and Even More So Now (New York Times)
When Did Roy Moore Meet His Wife? (Al.com)
Ala. Senate Race on Track as Moore Scandal Grows (AP video)
Read BirminghamWatch’s coverage of the controversy
