Government

Woodfin to Be Inaugurated as Birmingham’s New Mayor Tuesday

Randall Woodfin will be officially sworn in as Birmingham’s 30th mayor Tuesday, following his upset of incumbent William Bell in last month’s runoff. Woodfin’s campaign was sometimes presented as a populist insurgency, leaning heavily on grassroots fundraising and endorsements from progressive figures such as former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Bell in a controversial speech he gave to members of his staff in August characterized Woodfin’s campaign as part of a nationwide effort focused on “restructuring the Democratic political dynamic” and compared Woodfin to Chokwe Lumumba, a self-described “radical” progressive candidate who became mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, earlier this year. Woodfin has downplayed the narrative of himself as a far-left candidate, telling In These Times’ Katherine Webb-Hehn last month that he considered his platform as a “people-centered” and “lean-left” platform, not an “extreme” one. Read more. Inaugural Day Events Swearing-In Ceremony Tuesday, 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, 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.

What Happens If CHIP Goes Away? Congress’ Failure to Fund Popular Health Program for Kids Could Leave Thousands in Alabama Uninsured

It’s a $53 billion* question for Alabama, and that’s just the U.S. government dollars at play in a year in the state. There are also the personalities, policies and practices setting the direction of federal influence on everything from Alabama retirees’ Social Security checks to Boeing Company’s more than $900 million* in contracts. Today’s report on the Children’s Health Insurance Program is the first of BirminghamWatch’s looks at the Alabama-Washington connection. If your child needed medicine for asthma or ADHD or treatment for an infection or injury, what would you do if you didn’t have insurance or the funds to pay? That’s the scenario thousands of Alabama families face if Congress fails to reauthorize funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP. Despite bipartisan support, including professed support from the Trump White House, CHIP was not reauthorized in time for a Sept. 30 deadline. And now as the clock ticks, the funding for 160,000 children in Alabama hangs in the balance. About 77,000 of those children have insurance paid for by the state’s Medicaid program, using CHIP funds. Medicaid could still choose to provide insurance for these children if Congress fails to act, but the state of Alabama would have to pick up the cost for covering them. Medicaid routinely faces yearly struggles for funding in the Alabama Legislature. But 83,000 children whose insurance through Alabama’s ALL Kids program is subsidized by about $200 million from CHIP would find themselves without insurance that many of their parents can afford. If Congress doesn’t act soon, that’s what will happen early in 2018, said Cathy Caldwell, director of the ALL Kids program. “If CHIP funding is not continued, it’s very likely that the ALL Kids program would go away,” Caldwell said. She estimated the program could be canceled in about February. Read more.

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.” Read his full remarks.

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

Randall Woodfin will be sworn in as Birmingham’s new mayor during his inauguration Nov. 28. BirminghamWatch interviewed him, new council members and departing council members before the passing of the baton: First? Look at the Books: A Q&A With Birmingham’s Next Mayor Newly Elected Birmingham City Councilor Hunter Williams Calls for Broad Coordination to Move

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