Mayor Randall Woodfin 15,656 40.84% William Bell Sr. (I) 14,011 36.55% Council District 1 Lashunda Scales (I) 2,384 68% Council District 2 Kimberly Rafferty (I) 488 17% Hunter Williams 1,053 38% Council District 3 Valerie Abbott (I) 2,547 65% Council District 4
The Birmingham City Clerk’s Office is posting results as they come in tonight. You can follow the results live here. BirminghamWatch will be posting the final tallies tonight.
Aug. 22, 2017 — The only voice of contention at Tuesday’s Birmingham City Council meeting happened to come from the one councilor not on the election ballot. District 9 Councilor Marcus Lundy, who is not seeking re-election, followed through on his promise last week to “finish strong” by challenging the mayor on various development projects — particularly the housing development at Enon Ridge, a neighborhood in Lundy’s district. Mayor William Bell remained silent, not looking up from his desk as Lundy questioned him over allegations that Bethel-Ensley Action Task, a contractor with the city, had not finished two houses in Enon Ridge over the course of two years. Read more.
When Cooper Green Mercy Hospital closed its doors in 2013, Jefferson County officials were reeling from health care costs that had spun out of control. At that time, the $50 million indigent care fund – generated by a percentage of sales tax revenue – was not enough to cover costs and officials were dipping into the county’s general fund to cover the shortage. Cooper Green was reborn as an urgent care and primary care clinic. The move has reduced costs over the past four years, but some commissioners recently expressed concern at the amount the county was paying UAB, which provides in-patient, emergency and specialty care to Cooper Green’s poor patients. The payments to UAB are projected to reach about $24 million this fiscal year – nearly half of the county’s indigent care fund. Jefferson County Manager Tony Petelos said the county is not in danger of exceeding the money set aside for indigent care this year, but that does not mean it is as cost effective as it could be. Because it is costly operating the aging building designed to be a hospital, Petelos and Cooper Green Mercy CEO Roger McCollough are pushing an effort to replace Cooper Green Mercy. They’re also looking for ways to channel patients to less-expensive preventative care, treating them before they’re so sick they require treatment in an emergency room or hospitalization. Read more.
Find Your Polling Place Verify Your Voter Registration In a recent “refresh” of the voter rolls, the Secretary of State’s Office has moved 340,162 people to the inactive voter list. You can check the status of your registration above. If you arrive at the polls and are told you have been put on the inactive
BirminghamWatch Listening Sessions: A Community Conversation Antidote to Birmingham Crime? Community Investment, Not More Police, Some Residents Say Parents Criticize Birmingham Public Schools. Still, ‘Somebody in Every School is Fighting for Something,’ They Say. Young Voters Seek Transformative Leadership With a New Vision in Birmingham Elections Quality of Life Issues Dominate Discussion in Forest Park-South
BirminghamWatch has put together a package on the Board of Education that includes a Q&A of candidates on some of the top issues the board will be facing, along with stories on challenges before the board and a rundown of what the board could look like after the new group is elected and takes office. Read more.
With five of nine Birmingham City Schools board members not seeking reelection, the city school’s governing body will have a majority of new members in the next administration. Read more.
VIDEOS: BirminghamWatch brought residents together for a series of meetings leading up to the 2017 elections.
When seats are filled in the upcoming election, what challenges will the new board face? Charter schools, for one thing, but put communication systems on that list, too. Read more.
