Candidates Lining Up To Run For Birmingham City Council

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2020/11/Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-e1605736021874.png
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:1203;s:6:"height";i:673;s:4:"file";s:57:"2020/11/Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-e1605736021874.png";s:5:"sizes";a:17:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:57:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-e1605736021874-336x188.png";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:188;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:5:"large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:57:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-e1605736021874-771x431.png";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:431;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:57:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-e1605736021874-140x140.png";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:12:"medium_large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:57:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-e1605736021874-768x430.png";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:430;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:55:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-e1605736021874-80x80.png";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:57:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-e1605736021874-800x450.png";s:5:"width";i:800;s:6:"height";i:450;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:57:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-e1605736021874-600x600.png";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:57:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-e1605736021874-556x311.png";s:5:"width";i:556;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:57:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-e1605736021874-470x263.png";s:5:"width";i:470;s:6:"height";i:263;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:28:"gb-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:57:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-e1605736021874-600x400.png";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:25:"gb-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:57:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-e1605736021874-600x600.png";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:57:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-e1605736021874-125x125.png";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:27:"web-stories-poster-portrait";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:57:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-e1605736021874-640x673.png";s:5:"width";i:640;s:6:"height";i:673;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:28:"web-stories-poster-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:57:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-e1605736021874-853x640.png";s:5:"width";i:853;s:6:"height";i:640;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:25:"web-stories-poster-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:57:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-e1605736021874-640x640.png";s:5:"width";i:640;s:6:"height";i:640;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:26:"web-stories-publisher-logo";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:55:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-e1605736021874-96x96.png";s:5:"width";i:96;s:6:"height";i:96;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:21:"web-stories-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:56:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-e1605736021874-150x84.png";s:5:"width";i:150;s:6:"height";i:84;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => The Birmingham City Council
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_wp_attachment_backup_sizes] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:18:{s:9:"full-orig";a:3:{s:5:"width";i:1203;s:6:"height";i:675;s:4:"file";s:34:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1.png";}s:14:"thumbnail-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-140x140.png";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:11:"medium-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-336x189.png";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:189;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:17:"medium_large-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-768x431.png";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:431;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:10:"large-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-771x433.png";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:433;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:14:"wbhm-icon-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:40:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-80x80.png";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-800x450.png";s:5:"width";i:800;s:6:"height";i:450;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:25:"wbhm-featured-square-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-600x600.png";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:23:"wbhm-featured-home-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-554x311.png";s:5:"width";i:554;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:27:"wbhm-featured-carousel-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-470x265.png";s:5:"width";i:470;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:33:"gb-block-post-grid-landscape-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-600x400.png";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:30:"gb-block-post-grid-square-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-600x600.png";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:19:"post-thumbnail-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-125x125.png";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:32:"web-stories-poster-portrait-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-640x675.png";s:5:"width";i:640;s:6:"height";i:675;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:33:"web-stories-poster-landscape-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-853x640.png";s:5:"width";i:853;s:6:"height";i:640;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:30:"web-stories-poster-square-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-640x640.png";s:5:"width";i:640;s:6:"height";i:640;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:31:"web-stories-publisher-logo-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:40:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-96x96.png";s:5:"width";i:96;s:6:"height";i:96;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:26:"web-stories-thumbnail-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:41:"Bham-council-5.29.20-768x431-1-150x84.png";s:5:"width";i:150;s:6:"height";i:84;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}}
        )

)
1665036778 
1612866498

Six months before Birmingham’s municipal elections, the pool of candidates for City Council is beginning to take shape.

Though official qualifying won’t be open until June 25, social media campaigns are underway for several Birmingham residents looking to claim a spot on the nine-member council. For now, some races are looking more crowded than others.

So far, only four incumbents — District 1’s Clinton Woods, District 2’s Hunter Williams, District 6’s Crystal Smitherman and District 7’s Wardine Alexander — have confirmed to BirminghamWatch that they’re seeking re-election, although it’s likely other councilors will make official announcements soon. Woods and Williams are so far unopposed. No one has yet announced a run for District 5 or District 8, represented by Councilors Darrell O’Quinn and Steven Hoyt, respectively.

Councilor Valerie Abbott has held the council’s District 3 seat since 2001, making her the current council’s longest-serving member. She hasn’t yet indicated whether she’ll seek another term, but she’ll face at least two challengers if she does. Former Gardendale City Councilor Blake Guinn has announced a run for the seat, as has Joseph Casper Baker III, founder of the Facebook activist group I Believe in Birmingham and a former candidate to represent Alabama House District 54.

Two challengers are seeking the District 4 seat held by Councilor William Parker. One of them, Qunelius “Cory” Pettway, sought the seat in 2017; after that loss, he spent several years as community liaison for O’Quinn. Also running in District 4 is Scottie McClainey, a former grants program specialist for UAB who previously held positions on the Birmingham Parking Authority Board of Directors and the Downtown Redevelopment Authority board. Parker has not yet announced a re-election bid.

Smitherman has confirmed that she’ll run to keep the seat she was appointed to in 2018. So far, she has one declared opponent. Keith O. Williams, a local activist and vice president of the North Titusville Neighborhood Association, has launched his bid for the seat. He previously ran in 2017 and 2019.

Alexander also will run for re-election. She’ll once again be facing off against Lonnie Malone, a local political commentator and executive director of the Effective Family mentorship program. Malone has made two unsuccessful bids for the office before, against Alexander’s predecessor, Jay Roberson, in 2017, and against Alexander in 2019.

If he runs again this year, incumbent District 9 councilor John Hilliard will face challenger LaTonya Tate, a retired probation parole officer and founder of the Alabama Justice Initiative, a group advocating for the end of mass incarceration.

 

Federal workers sue Education Department over partisan shutdown emails

Employees say their out-of-office messages were changed without their consent to include language blaming Democrats for the shutdown.

Trump federalizes the National Guard in Chicago, while troops arrive in Oregon

The White House said Trump "authorized" the deployment of 300 Illinois National Guard members, after vowing to send troops into Chicago. Meanwhile, Guard members arrived in Oregon from California.

SNL roasts Trump in season premiere, as Bad Bunny addresses Super Bowl criticism

Bad Bunny returned to SNL as a host for the second time, and the musician addressed criticism over his upcoming Super Bowl performance.

States are cutting Medicaid provider payments long before Trump cuts hit

North Carolina and Idaho have cut their Medicaid programs to bridge budget gaps, raising fears that providers will stop taking patients and that hospitals will close even before the brunt of a new federal tax-and-budget law takes effect.

At least 5 dead in large-scale nighttime Russian strike on Ukraine

At least five civilians died after Russia launched a major nighttime attack on Ukraine overnight into Sunday, a barrage which officials said targeted civilian infrastructure.

With makeshift jump ropes and hide and seek, kids play to cope with crisis

From Gaza to Ukraine to South Sudan, children play to deal with the stress — and find a moment of joy.

More BirminghamWatch Coverage