Heads up: How to buy a mayor
By Wade KwonAs Election Day draws ever closer, the money men are hard at work behind the scenes. Case in point: Two-term mayor Bernard Kincaid, left, is fighting off eight other candidates. At least his campaign war chest is full, thanks mostly to one man, attorney Donald Watkins and his $95,000 contribution. Oh, PAC transfers, is there anything you can’t do?
The self-proclaimed scandal-free candidate returned the love with $40 million in city deposits in Watkins’ Birmingham-based bank, Alamerica. That’s a lot of free toasters. See, everybody wins!
Other big money candidates include Carole Smitherman ($94,750 from 30 PACs) and Larry Langford ($79,000 from 14 PACs). And it’s all legal. Scandalous, but legal.
• Birmingham News: Kincaid’s campaign has one big contributor | City is Alamerica’s top patron
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Tuesday, September 11, 2007, 8:26 am
Just ’cause it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s right.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007, 12:15 pm
But it certainly is profitable.