Government

Birmingham City Councilor Calls for Changes to Alabama Open Meetings Act

Dec. 19, 2017 — One Birmingham city councilor called Tuesday for a reevaluation of the Alabama Open Meetings Act, the state law requiring governmental meetings to be accessible to the public. John Hilliard, the newly elected councilor for District 9, made his remarks at the council’s regularly scheduled meeting during discussion of an item that would allow members of council committees to appoint proxies when they are unable to attend a committee meeting. The text of the resolution was not made available even to members of the council, and its sponsor, Councilor Lashunda Scales, was absent from Tuesday’s meeting. But before the council voted to delay the item, it became the springboard for a freewheeling discussion about the legalities involved with committee meetings. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

A Walk Across the Park: Birmingham’s New Mayor Meets with JeffCo Commission

Dec. 14, 2017 – The Jefferson County Commission received a visit from a neighbor Thursday morning – Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin. “It’s 100 percent important,” Woodfin said. “Birmingham is the largest city in our county, so city and county should work together. … “We can’t be in a space where we’re operating in silos.” Commissioner Sandra Little Brown, a former Birmingham City Council member, acknowledged that the lines of communication haven’t always been open from the two governmental sides of Linn Park. “We represent the same people that you do,” Brown said. “I hope we can get the message to the council members.” Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Family and Friends Nationwide Want to Know: What Do Alabamians Think About the Jones-Moore Campaign

As the voting numbers started to come in Tuesday night, so did calls, texts, and social media posts to Alabama residents from their out-of-state friends, family and acquaintances. The fervor of the race between Doug Jones and Roy Moore in the special Senate election had captured the attention of the entire country. Alabamians found themselves cast in the role of political analysts even before election night. Early in the race, buzz seemed to be about the race’s effect on the balance of power in the U.S. Senate and candidates’ controversial statements. The national conversation exploded after the Washington Post published a story alleging sexual misconduct on the part of Republican candidate Roy Moore. National and international news outlets flocked to Alabama to cover the candidates. Just as it happens when a big football game is played or a tornado touches down, everyday people became the micro-level information headquarters for their friends and family. Read more. Beware the Stampede! News Media From Across the Globe Flocked to Alabama for Special Senate Election.

by Cheryl Slocum

Rick Journey and Chanda Temple Joining Woodfin’s Staff

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin has tapped television news reporter Rick Journey to serve as his director of communications. Former Birmingham City Schools spokeswoman Chanda Temple also has taken the position of public information officer. “Our administration’s focus on servant leadership by putting people first starts with transparency and providing a clear message to our citizens and our employees that we will serve with the public’s best interest at the core of our work,” Woodfin said in a statement. "I am pleased to have Rick and Chanda be part of providing that clear message and joining an administration committed to core values of transparency, efficiency, effectiveness, accountability and customer service.'' Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Moore Issues Video Statement Saying He Will Continue to Fight for the U.S. Senate Seat

Roy Moore said again Thursday that he would not concede the U.S. Senate election, issuing a video statement in which he said the race was too close, some ballots were still out, and he believed “the heart and soul of our country is at stake” in the election. Vote tallies from Tuesday showed Doug Jones beating Moore by about 20,000 votes, but the vote will not be certified until Dec. 26 to Jan. 3. You can watch the 4:46 video in full here.

by Virginia Martin

Beware the Stampede! News Media From Across the Globe Flocked to Alabama for Special Senate Election

The man who had hours before pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Alabama political history was quipping Wednesday about business development, of sorts. “Folks, once again, let me say this. I have appreciated all that you have done for the Alabama economy, coming down here.” Democrat Doug Jones, newly elected to the U.S. Senate, was talking to the throngs of reporters, photographers and camera crews — collectively known as “the media” — who descended on Alabama from across the nation and around the world, representing an unprecedented interest in Alabama’s often-colorful politics. Read more.

by Robert Carter and Sam Prickett

Doug Jones’ Search for Common Ground: Jones Talks About His Intentions, His Opponent and His Route to the U.S. Senate

In his first press conference since being elected senator, Doug Jones reiterated his desire to find “common ground” on both sides of the political aisle and dismissed his opponent’s refusal to concede the election. Jones defeated the twice-deposed Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore by roughly 20,000 votes Tuesday night, a surprise Democratic win in a state that for decades has been considered a Republican stronghold. However, Moore has not conceded the race, telling supporters that “when the vote is this close … it’s not over.” For the most part, Jones’ responses to reporters’ questions were conciliatory, stressing the need to find “common ground” — a phrase he repeated 12 times during the press conference — in the midst of a divisive political climate. “I know I’m just sounding like a broken record (when I) talk about that,” Jones said, “but I just think it is so important that we try to sit down at a table and talk about issues and talk about the things that matter in the big picture … . I want to try to find those issues more and more that we can find common ground on, and let’s just agree to disagree on those issues that are so divisive that it’s hard to even talk to people about them.” Read more. Is There Life After Doug Jones for Alabama Democrats? God and Politics, 2017 Edition: Roy Moore Brings Religion to the Forefront Like Few Campaigns Before It

by Sam Prickett

What They’re Saying

Once a Long Shot, Democrat Doug Jones Wins Alabama Senate Race (New York Times) Trump: ‘I Said Roy Moore Will Not Be Able to Win’ in Alabama (New York Times) Doug Jones’s Victory Scrambles the Republican Congressional Agenda (Washington Post) Meet Doug Jones, the Law-and-Order Democrat Who Won Alabama's Senate Seat (Los Angels Times, with video) Analysis: In Stunning 2017 Defeats, Republicans See Vision of Difficulties in 2018 (Los Angeles Times) Democrat Jones Wins Stunning Red-State Alabama Senate Upset (Associated Press)

by Virginia Martin

County by County Senate Race Results

See the U.S. Senate special election results statewide and for each county. Read more.

by Cheryl Slocum

Doug Jones Wins. Democrats Land U.S. Senate Seat for First Time in 25 Years.

Doug Jones became the first Democrat to be elected to the U.S. Senate from Alabama in 25 years Tuesday night when he beat Republican Roy Moore, initially presumed to be the frontrunner in the race, by a margin of 20,715 votes. Jones’s campaign party morphed from hopeful to ecstatic in a matter of moments when vote returns suddenly turned in his favor and then the race was called on his behalf shortly before 10 p.m. “Folks, I gotta tell you. I think that I have been waiting all my life and now I just don’t know what the hell to say,” Jones told jubilant supporters gathered at the Sheraton in Birmingham. “At the end of the day, this entire race has been about dignity and respect. This campaign, this campaign has been about the rule of law,” he told the crowd. It also was about winning over voters and getting them to the polls. Jones said in his speech that his campaign volunteers made 1.2 million phone calls and knocked on about 300,000 doors in the days and weeks before the election. The scene at Moore’s party in Montgomery was much different. There, the night started off upbeat as results showed their candidate with a lead as high as 9 percentage points. But as later returns came in from heavily Democratic areas such as Jefferson County, supporters nervously watched their smartphones, seeing Moore’s lead slowly drift away. And when the room’s video screen showed Jones taking over the lead, the music changed from jazz saxophone to old church hymns. Moore made an appearance at about 10:40 p.m., refusing to concede the race with the margin for Jones so slim. He finished his brief remarks by telling supporters, “Let’s all go home and sleep on this.” With 100 percent of the votes counted, according to Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, Jones won the race 49.92 percent to Moore’s 48.38 percent. The rest were write-in votes. Read more.

by Virginia Martin, Robert Carter, Hank Black and Sam Prickett