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";}}
        )

)
1647568218 
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.

 

A U.S. airman is charged in death of a South Dakota woman who had vanished in August

Quinterius Chappelle was arrested on a federal charge of second-degree murder in the death of Sahela Sangrait, according to the Pennington County Sheriff's Office.

Harvard will be free for students whose families make $100,000 or less

The expanded financial aid plan will also offer free tuition to families that make $200,000 or less. The move comes after affirmative action was barred from the admissions process.

Judge seeks sworn declaration from Justice Department in deportation case

At issue was whether plane-loads of alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang were deported despite the judge's order to turn the planes around.

The VA will deny gender dysphoria treatment to new patients

While the VA never offered gender-affirming surgery, it did offer treatments like hormone therapy. The agency says less than than 0.1% of the 9 million veterans it provides care for identify as trans.

Pentagon website removes, then restores, page honoring Black Medal of Honor recipient

Charles C. Rogers was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Richard Nixon in 1970. But a profile of the Vietnam War veteran was caught in an "auto removal process," the Defense Department says.

Navy warship is sent to the southern border to carry out Trump’s immigration plans

Capable of holding over 300 crew members and larger than any Coast Guard vessel, the USS Gravely has been assigned to help tighten border security, operating on both domestic and international waters.

More BirminghamWatch Coverage