Birmingham Mayoral Debates Reveal the Race is More than a One Man Show

BIRMINGHAM, AL - With the mayoral election less than two weeks away, incumbent mayor William Bell appears to have the lead in the polls, but his competition is heating up, as two debates held this week revealed a heavy amount opposition from the rest of the field. Of the 12 candidates vying for the mayor's position, four candidates got the opportunity to debate with Bell, and heated issues such as education, finance, crime and economic development came to the forefront of discussion.

Bell joined candidates Patrica Bell, Randall Woodfin, Chris Woods and Randy Davis for a debate Tuesday night, while Woods, Woodfin and Bell participated in another debate Thursday morning. Of the 11 candidates running against Bell, Woodfin and Woods have received most of the support, although Bell reportedly has the support of 54 percent of voters.

Here is where the top five candidates stand on current hot issues facing Birmingham, based on this week's debates:

Education:

Birmingham's public school system has twice been taken over by the state to fix its financial woes and traditionally low performance, and the system is now on its third superintendent in three years. Bell faced criticism from the other candidates for not adequately funding schools, and all of the candidates agree that improving education will help fix the crime problems in Birmingham, although opinions differed on how education should be addressed.

Mayor Bell acknowledged that the education system has failed many of Birmingham's youth, and that has led to high crime in the city. He vowed to institute a new reading initiative in the schools, but also reminded the panel that state funding has been a problem more than local funding.

Patricia Bell said she would triple the funds allocated for education in the city, and would speak with the new Birmingham City Schools Superintendent Lisa Herring. She wants to see public schools teach courses on cultural heritage.

Woodfin - who is the current president of the school board - also said he would raise the amount of money the city puts into public education, and added that the mayor needs to fully support the city's public education system, something he said the current mayor has failed to do, and that he would make a top priority if elected.

Davis said he plans to create a sweepstakes program that would allow Birmingham students to attend community college for free. He said this program will allow the city to put more money in schools and create after-school programs.

Woods said he would like to see curriculum tweaked to make learning more fun for students and to engage with Birmingham's students more through better programs.

Crime:

Birmingham's crime rate has continued to be a source of frustration for residents, and with recent high-profile violent crimes in the city - two involving children under the age of five - Mayor Bell's opponents pointed at failed leadership in City Hall as a culprit.

Mayor Bell said he has been dismayed at the crime in the city and one issue he sees as a reason is that many of the city's best police officers are retiring, and replacing them has been a problem. He said he wants to come up with incentives to bring some of these retired officers back. Bell also pointed to the city's use of the Ban the Box Program which would help criminals get back into the work force by preventing them from having to disclose to a potential employer that they have committed crimes in the past.

Patricia Bell said she would create a volunteer program to support law enforcement. She said supporting economic development would also reduce crime.

Woodfin said, as a former prosecutor, he has seen first-hand how bad the crime is in the city. He said poverty has played a significant role in the high crime rate in Birmingham, and that getting more people into the workforce through economic development and education.

Davis, a former law enforcement officer, said he wants to create a community relations program where police officers can build relationships with residents. Through the program, all officers would be able to speak with residents at least 10 times a day and "develop a rapport with the community" and work together to fight crime.

Woods said "90 percent of the crimes being committed are by young black males," and that fully staffing the police department is the answer. Woods said the BPD is currently 150 officers short, and those positions need to be filled and money must be allocated to fund the police force.

Economic Development:

Downtown Birmingham has seen a bevy of improvements to its infrastructure in the last decade, and all of the candidates have said they want to see that continue. Bringing new businesses into the city has been a priority of Mayor Bell's administration, although his critics say not enough effort has been spent on other parts of the city - namely road conditions throughout the city, crumbling infrastructure and blight in neighborhoods - and a lack of fiscal transparency is prevalent in the city's leadership.

Mayor Bell said, "I have not been a mayor who has sat back and let others take control of the city's economic future." He pointed to Regions Field, Railroad Park and the arrival of companies like Steris Corp. (which purchased Birmingham's Integrated Medical Systems last year) all occurring under his watch. He also said he has presented a plan to the city council to have every road in the city paved as long as the city commits $10 million a year for the next five years.

Patricia Bell said she does not see the progress made in paving roads in the city, and that recent paving projects are only just now happening because it is an election year. She said she believes road money has been misappropriated and that the city needs to be more proactive.

Woodfin said he does not think the problems financially in the city have to do with how much money the city has, but rather, "We have a 'how is our money being spent' problem." He said he wants to see all financial information readily available to anyone via the city's website. He pointed to Mayor Bell's use of taxpayer dollars to hire 101 staff members for his office alone. "We are short police officers, we are short firefighters. We need to cut the number of employees in the mayor's office and focus on basic services for our citizens." He added that the city currently needs $60 million in street paving, and the streets should also be reconfigured to include bike lanes.

Davis also said he would like to see more streets paved to make way for economic development and that bike lanes should be placed on city streets.

Public Transit:

Currently, Alabama is one of only four states that does not fund public transportation, leaving individual cities with the responsibility of funding mass transit. For years, Birmingham's transit system has been under scrutiny for lack of buses, outdated bus routes and a lack of transit options. The Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority recently hired Barbara Murdock as its executive director, and a new intermodal facility, which combines MAX, Greyhound and Megabus stations with the city's Amtrak station. Still, candidates believe more can be done.

Mayor Bell said he has worked with the federal government on funding for transit, and that now the city does have a surplus of buses. He also mentioned the Bus Rapid Transit system in the works that will improve routes and transit times. Bell also said he is working with the BJCTA on an airport-to-downtown transit system.

Woodfin said the city must invest in its transit system, and that the intermodal facility "is not going to keep buses from breaking down." he said more financial support is needed to build the bus system to where it needs to be.

Woods he thinks the fight for better transit needs to be addressed in Montgomery. He said working with the surrounding communities and municipalities in Birmingham is the key to improving transit. He said he would also like to see a high-speed rail system built in the city.

Regional Cooperation:

Birmingham's surrounding municipalities have, historically, not worked cooperatively with the city itself, and that has been a source of frustration among business leaders, especially those that own businesses in the city, but live outside the city. Many metro residents have voiced their disapproval of the lack of teamwork among the metro area's different municipalities, and economists have pointed to that lack of cooperation as a hindrance to the city's development. Mayor Bell, Woodfin and Woods each said they would be in favor of signing an agreement with surrounding cities that would guarantee the different cities would not poach business from each other.

Mayor Bell said he is already communicating with Birmingham's surrounding cities. He said with the 2021 World Games coming to Birmingham, full cooperation throughout the region must be a priority. He also said the Birmingham BOE has not done its part in helping relationships between Birmingham and its surrounding communities - a subtle criticism of Woodfin - and that he is working toward building better rapport with the leaders in other cities.

Woodfin said the problem lies in the city itself. "We can't talk about regional cooperation if (the mayor) can't talk to your own council," he said, referring to the much-publicized rift between Bell and the city council which in 2015 even resulted in a physical altercation between Bell and councilman Marcus Lundy. "We need cooperation from within, then we can cooperate with other cities, support existing small businesses and bring more jobs here."

Woods said Birmingham will never move forward without regional cooperation. "We need to work as a team with other cities, share services," Woods said. "The school system is not holding us back, the mayor is. I am committed 100 percent to regional cooperation"

Council/ Mayor Relationship:

In the last five years, the relationship between the mayor and the city council has been lukewarm at its best times, and toxic in its worst. Council members have publicly criticized Bell on numerous occasions, and Bell has publicly lamented about council actions in return. This situation has been a hot topic in the race for mayor, and one of the talking points of Bell's opponents as evidence that the city needs a new mayor.

Mayor Bell said Thursday the strained relationship between he and the council is somewhat exaggerated. "We do communicate," Bell said. "Forget the political rhetoric. About 95 percent of the items placed on the agenda get approved. There is only one mayor. But some seem to think there are 10 mayors."

Woodfin said the mayor has never cooperated with the council. he said the first priority to developing a positive working relationship with the council is to listen to each council member. "We need a mayor that understands the council and works with the council instead of bullying it."

Woods said the biggest problem in this realm is that the mayor and council are separate branches of the government, and that Bell is trying to do the jobs of both branches. "The mayor went to Montgomery to work against the city council," Woods said, referring to Bell's support of the Mayor-Council Act passed last year by the state legislature that gives new appointing authority to the mayor and would say that the city council could not create, abolish or change the responsibilities of a city department without approval of the mayor.

Gentrification:

The city has seen a significant amount of development in previously blighted areas in recent years, including Woodlawn, Avondale and Crestwood. This has come under scrutiny, especially from the city's African-American community who say they are being pushed out of their neighborhoods by skyrocketing housing costs, in favor of predominantly white-owned businesses and residents. The Southtown housing projects are set to be demolished to make way for commercial, retail and residential properties, just as Park Place was redeveloped years ago. Since this has mostly happened under Bell's administration, he has taken most of the blame and/or credit for the situation.

Bell said he believes everyone in the city will get the same quality of life, and that he is committed to work toward the continued revitalization of the city. "When we were losing population, people were complaining. Now we are gaining population, and people are complaining," Bell said.

Woodfin, who grew up in the Southtown projects, said he sympathizes with residents who are worried they are being displaced, and said Bell has ignored the concerns of these residents.

Woods said the redevelopment does not have to be a negative action. "I can't blame private investors for coming into Birmingham, but as mayor, I will make sure the current residents are not being pushed out."

The municipal elections will be held August 22.

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