MONTGOMERY — A majority of Alabama Republicans trust the COVID-19 vaccines and are concerned about the delta variant currently spreading across the state, according to a new Alabama Daily News poll. The poll also showed a strong majority of GOP voters believe all Alabamians should have access to quality health care, and close to a
Two members of the Birmingham Board of Education, including President Daagye Hendricks, were defeated in Tuesday’s election, and a third incumbent was forced into a runoff. Challenger Derrick Billups got 55% of the votes to oust District 4 member and board President Daagye Hendricks. District 2 incumbent Terri Michal fell to Neonta Williams, who collected 56% of the vote in the two-candidate field. In District 1, challenger Sherman Collins Jr. narrowly led incumbent Douglas Lee Ragland in a three-way race, but neither got a majority and they will meet in a runoff Oct. 5. Each got 43% of the vote, with Collins leading by 13 votes. Read more.
As the newly reelected mayor of Birmingham stepped to the stage upstairs at The Fennec in the Parkside District, a few hundred people chanted, “We’re With Woodfin,” and “Four More Years.” Indeed, they were with Randall Woodfin at the ballot box on Tuesday. As a result, the incumbent pushed aside seven challengers and earned another four-year term in office. “The energy in this room tonight doesn't reflect me,” he said. “It reflects us. The energy in this room is the definition of Team Birmingham.” In total, 36,790 Birmingham residents went to the polls Tuesday, for a voter turnout of 25.27%. Incumbents did well in the City Council election, with six of the nine incumbent councilors being returned to their seats outright and two more heading to an Oct. 5 runoff. Incumbents on the city’s board of education didn’t fare as well. Read more. Strong Campaign Propels Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin to a Second Term (WBHM) 2021 Birmingham City Election Results
Though two of them will have to fight for their seats in an Oct. 5 runoff election, Tuesday's municipal election proved friendly to incumbents on the Birmingham City Council, with six councilors retaining their seats outright, despite a crowded slate of challengers. Councilors facing multiple challengers had to receive over 50% of the vote to avoid triggering an Oct. 5 runoff election with the second-place candidate. Most were successful, but two — District 4’s William Parker and District 9’s John Hilliard — were not and will faces runoffs on Oct. 5. Read more.
BIRMINGHAM MAYOR William A. Bell Sr.: 9.14% Cerissa A. Brown: 0.64% Napoleon Gonzalez: 0.13% Philemon Hill: 0.41% Lashunda Scales: 20.77% Darryl T. Williams: 0.33% Randall Woodfin: 64.33% Chris Woods: 4.26% Read on for results in the city council and board of education races.
A poll of Republican voters in Alabama shows Gov. Kay maintaining popularity as she heads toward a reelection campaign in 2022. Polling this month by Alabama Daily News also indicated support for the effort to improve conditions in Alabama prisons, education reform and the fuel tax that was approved in 2019. But respondents said they
MONTGOMERY – A new poll of Alabama Republicans shows voters are open to a prison infrastructure plan, want the State House open to the public and support both charter schools and the Alabama Literacy Act. In addition, a plurality of Republican voters supported the 2019 gas tax increase, known as Rebuild Alabama. State lawmakers and
The Birmingham City Council voted Tuesday to approve using $18 million in American Rescue Plan funds to cover unexpected extra costs in construction of the city’s Bus Rapid Transit system. The BRT project, which will create a 10-mile, higher-speed public transit corridor through 25 neighborhoods, broke ground in December. But last week, Charlotte Shaw, the city’s deputy director of capital projects, told councilors that the project had run into rising costs in the construction industry — a “perfect storm” resulting from COVID-19’s strain on the market. Even with significant cuts, she said, the city would need at least $14 million more to complete the BRT, which originally had been budgeted for $45.8 million. Read more.
The Jefferson County Commission on Friday named Cal Markert as the new county manager, effective Oct. 1, 2021. Markert has been deputy county manager while the commission looked for a replacement for its first county manager, Tony Petelos, who retired in June. Read more.
MONTGOMERY – Summer discussions between lawmakers and Gov. Kay Ivey’s administration on how to fix the state’s crowded and crumbling prisons have entered the draft legislation phase. Officials aren’t talking publicly about the details, but Ivey said she’s “encouraged” by the work done so far. A draft bill prepared at the State House calls for new and renovated prison infrastructure over a 10-year period. “While there has yet to be a final plan in terms of legislation, I’m encouraged by the progress being made from the ongoing discussions with the Legislative leadership,” Ivey told Alabama Daily News in a written statement. “For several months, they have engaged with our team, and I can assure the people of Alabama that we are like-minded and laser-focused on finding a solution to our decades-long problem within our correctional facilities. I’m extremely hopeful they are on the right-track, and I am encouraged by their holistic approach to this issue.” Read more.
