Vote 2009
Continuing coverage of municipal elections from Wade on Birmingham.
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Calendar
- Nov. 17 | Birmingham mayoral candidates’ forum
- Nov. 19 | Candidate meet-and-greet, from Miles Law School Student Bar Association
- Nov. 30 | Birmingham Business Alliance candidate forum
- Dec. 1 | Catalyst 2009 mayoral town hall
- Dec. 3 | Birmingham Roundtable debate
- Dec. 4 | NAACP Birmingham mayoral candidates’ forum
- Dec. 8 | Special election for mayor of Birmingham
- Jan. 7 | debate at Jackson-Olin High School
- Jan. 10 | debate at Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center, with live TV/radio coverage
- Jan. 11 | debate at Five Points West Library, with live radio coverage
- Jan. 12 | debate at BJCC Medical Forum, with live radio coverage
- Jan. 14 | debate, with live TV/Web coverage
- Jan. 19 | Special runoff election between William Bell and Patrick Cooper
Coverage: regular election
- Aug. 25 | Vote as if your city’s life depended on it
At stake: nine city council seats and nine school board seats. Your complete guide to the elections. - Aug. 25 | Birmingham News endorsements then and now
Comparing the newspaper’s endorsements for 2009 and 2005. - Aug. 25 | City council, board of education election results
Who won the Birmingham city council and board of education races? - Oct. 5 | City council and board of education runoffs on Tuesday
For runoffs for city council and board of education, voters in seven districts have unfinished business. - Oct. 6 | City council, board of education runoff results
Birmingham runoff election results in nine races.
Coverage: special mayoral election
Election stories
- Nov. 2 | Let’s do something (like select another mayor)
The election day for a new mayor is set for Dec. 8.
- Nov. 23 | The ‘Cooper Rap’ video and more campaign oddities
A look at the first parody of this election season and its surprising origin.
- Nov. 24 | Four mayors over 6 weeks
Mayoral candidate Carole Smitherman out as council president/interim mayor. Council taps Roderick Royal to lead. - Dec. 7 | Last-minute thoughts on a hurry-up mayoral election
The candidates may not have had much time, but they failed in one critical area: distinguishing themselves from each other and from politicians of the past. - Dec. 8 | Time to elect another mayor
This Birmingham special election will decide who will fill in until the regular 2011 election. - Dec. 8 | William Bell, Patrick Cooper headed for Jan. 19 mayoral runoff
Cooper takes first place, Bell second, but neither has enough votes to win outright. - Jan. 19, 2010 | Vote 2009: William Bell wins mayor’s race over Patrick Cooper
After three failed attempts, Bell wins office.
Candidate stories
- Nov. 5 | Patrick Cooper enters mayoral race
The first candidate declares; finished second in 2007 election. - Nov. 8 | Mayoral candidate No. 2? Emory Anthony
Defense attorney enters the race. - Nov. 9 | Also running for mayor
Three more candidates are in the running: Stephannie Sigler Huey, Edith Mayomi and Jimmy Snow. - Nov. 10 | Carole Smitherman running for mayor
The interim mayor wants a shot at the real thing. - Nov. 11 | William Bell to join mayoral race
Jefferson County commissioner William Bell and community activist Scott Douglas plan to run for mayor. - Nov. 12 | With three more in race, 11 total running for mayor
Ernie Dunn, Jody Trautwein and Harry “Traveling Shoes” Turner jump in. - Nov. 13 | Steven Hoyt makes mayor’s race an even dozen
Another city council member is in the running.
- Nov. 19 | And two more candidates for mayor make 14
T.C. Cannon and William Jason Sumners join the crowded race. Plus, video discussion of the election so far.
- Nov. 24 | Campaign scoreboard – 14 candidates, 1 arrest
Jimmy Snow was arrested for disorderly conduct. Snow says he was campaigning at a Lakeview bar, denies any wrongdoing. - Dec. 1 | Up close with Harry ‘Traveling Shoes’ Turner
Meet Turner, an evangelist, roller-skating teacher and clown.
- Dec. 1 | Up close with Jody Trautwein
Trautwein is an administrator and youth pastor for Point of Grace Ministries. - Dec. 2 | Up close with Jason Sumners
Sumners owns Sumners Publishing Group.
- Dec. 2 | Up close with Jimmy Snow
Snow owns a Mountain Brook health food store and also works as a cook. - Dec. 3 | Up close with Carole Smitherman
City council member running for mayor. - Dec. 3 | Up close with Edith Mayomi
Mayomi is a substitute teacher running in her first race. - Dec. 4 | Up close with Stephannie Sigler Huey
Huey works as a math teacher in the Birmingham school system. - Dec. 4 | Up close with Steven Hoyt
The newly selected council president pro tempore is in the race.
- Dec. 4 | Candidate Ernie Dunn found dead in Hoover home
Out of work, Dunn had history of medical problems. - Dec. 5 | Up close with Scott Douglas
Douglas is executive director of Greater Birmingham Ministries. - Dec. 5 | Up close with Patrick Cooper
Cooper is a Birmingham attorney. - Dec. 6 | Up close with T.C. Cannon
UAB student Cannon is a former bar owner. - Dec. 6 | Up close with William Bell
Bell serves on the Jefferson County Commission. - Dec. 7 | Up close with Emory Anthony
Anthony works as a defense attorney. - Dec. 9 | William Bell on the runoff
The candidate discusses “honesty, integrity, leadership and vision” in this video interview. - Dec. 9 | Patrick Cooper on the runoff
The candidate discusses “the past vs. the future” in this video interview. - Jan. 12, 2010 | The strutinizing of Bell and Cooper
The war of words escalates with troubling accusations against both candidates.
Forums and debates
- Nov. 13 | Meet the candidates at these forums
Two forums scheduled to meet the contenders. - Nov. 16 | Third mayoral forum slated for Nov. 30
The Birmingham Business Alliance brings the candidates to the Alabama School for Fine Arts. - Nov. 17 | Miles puts on a mayoral meet-and-greet
The Miles Law School Student Bar Association has a candidate meet-and-greet at the Hotel Highland. - Nov. 24 | Birmingham Roundtable debate invites five mayoral candidates
Only Emory Anthony, William Bell, Patrick Cooper, Stephen Hoyt and Carole Smitherman invited to participate in the Dec. 3 debate. - Dec. 1 | Mayoral candidate forum on economic development
Nine participants field questions on business, finances and development. - Dec. 2 | Mayoral town hall wrapup
Five candidates answers questions from moderator and audience on the budget, the arts and local food. - Dec. 4 | NAACP holds last mayoral forum tonight
A final event to hear the candidates’ ideas and platforms at Jackson-Olin High School. - Dec. 11 | Bell, Cooper to participate in four runoff mayoral debates
The two remaining candidates sign on for debates in January. - Dec. 23 | First Bell-Cooper debate set for Jan. 10
The Birmingham Business Alliance debate to focus on business and economic development issues. - Dec. 31 | Wade on December 2009
Another debate set for Jan. 14, on Fox 6 and MyFoxAL.com. - Jan. 11, 2010 | Two more mayoral debates announced
Bell and Cooper to spar, if they actually both show. - Jan. 15 | Bell, Cooper face off in last televised debate
Videos of the two candidates fielding questions on budget, jobs and race. - Jan 18 | Mayoral candidates take callers’ questions
WBHM (90.3 FM) opens the lines to voters, plus story roundup of the last endorsements and observations.
Mayoral candidates
Candidates in bold in Jan. 19 runoff.
- Emory Anthony
- William Bell
- T.C. Cannon
- Patrick Cooper
- Scott Douglas
- Steven Hoyt
- Stephannie Sigler Huey
- Edith Mayomi
- Carole Smitherman
- Jimmy Snow
- William Jason Sumners
- Jody Trautwein
- Harry “Traveling Shoes” Turner
Note: Ernie Dunn died on Dec. 3.
Latest candidate tweets
If we’re missing a candidate, please contact us. Check out our other Twitter lists.
Note: We dropped this feature after the runoff election.
Other resources
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Coverage of Vote 2008 | Vote 2007 | Vote 2006.
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