Out with the old, in with the new. That’s the message Birmingham voters sent in Tuesday’s municipal elections. Next month, 36-year-old Randall Woodfin will replace Mayor William Bell, who has held the office since 2010. Besides the upset, two incumbent city council members lost their seats: Kim Rafferty and council president Johnathan Austin.
Bell’s big selling point was his experience. But is it a bad thing to have someone who hasn’t been around the block at City Hall too often? How big of a learning curve will Woodfin have? And how will Tuesday’s election affect the often fractured relationship between the mayor’s office and council? Host and producer Andrew Yeager takes us through a lively conversation with Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald and WBHM local government reporter Sherrel Wheeler Stewart.
Our theme music is “Find Your Way” by Birmingham guitarist Eric Essix.
China and the U.S. have locked horns over tariffs. Alabama companies and farmers are right in the middle.
Election season is underway in Alabama with party primaries June 5th and the general election in November. We'll talk about the upcoming elections, some of the dynamics at play and a few key races.
We're on spring break this week. In the meantime, support the podcast by donating at wbhm.org. We'll be back with a new episode in April.
The issue of guns and schools has been in the news the past month after a gunman walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people. In Birmingham these issues became very real when a student was shot and killed at Huffman High School earlier this month. We explore the topic through a series of conversations.
When a big-box store closes in a smaller community, that drop in tax revenue can be a big hit to the town. That's a situation Fairfield and Irondale are working through.
The ballot for state elections this fall is shaping up after Friday’s deadline for candidates to qualify. There are a notable number of women running for office this year. Alabama’s governor and chief justice are both women and they're are running to keep their jobs. The #MeToo movement appears to have encouraged some women to jump into the fray as well.
