Wade on Birmingham

BREAKING – Vote 2009: Four mayors over 6 weeks

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Wade on Birmingham - Vote 2009The timeline of mayors …

  • Oct. 28, 2009: After less than 2 years in office, Birmingham mayor Larry Langford loses office upon conviction in federal court. City council president Carole Smitherman automatically becomes interim mayor until …
  • Today: The new council is sworn in. First task: Pick a council president. The council chooses Roderick Royal over Smitherman, which now makes him interim mayor for the next 2 weeks until …
  • Dec. 8: Special election day to pick a new mayor. Since Royal isn’t running, the voters will choose the fourth mayor in 6 weeks.

Whew.

Also, Steven Hoyt was selected council president pro tempore over Johnathan Austin. Hoyt and Smitherman are both running for mayor.

• • •

More Vote 2009 coverage.

10 Yips for “BREAKING – Vote 2009: Four mayors over 6 weeks”

  1. Tweets that mention Wade on Birmingham » BREAKING – Vote 2009: Four mayors over 6 weeks -- Topsy.com
    Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 10:50 am
    1

    […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Wade Kwon, Wade Kwon. Wade Kwon said: Roderick Royal is new mayor of Birmingham. Timeline of city leadership: 4 mayors in only 6 weeks: http://bit.ly/5L9pdS […]

  2. Stacy
    Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 10:51 am
    2

    I am not sure that embarrassing even begins to cover Birmingham’s political hijinks! Thanks for the update, Wade!

  3. Wade
    Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 1:25 pm
    3

    Stacy, this is actually the one part that’s working the way it’s supposed to: orderly transition of power, rather than conviction and line of succession. Thanks for commenting. We’ll keep posting dispatches from the circus.

  4. sampappy
    Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 1:54 pm
    4

    So, who were the five who voted for Royal?

  5. Wade
    Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 3:53 pm
    5

    Not sure, sampappy. None of the media reports give a breakdown.

  6. John
    Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 10:37 pm
    6

    The “six weeks” doesn’t include the likelihood of a run-off.

  7. Wade
    Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 10:43 pm
    7

    John, John, John. Didn’t anyone tell you? The clown will win outright on the first ballot.

  8. Wade
    Wednesday, November 25, 2009, 2:35 am
    8

    sampappy,

    Birmingham Weekly reports:

    Hoyt nominated Royal for Council President, and Councilor Johnathan Austin nominated Smitherman. Royal, Maxine Parker, and new Councilors Kim Rafferty and Lashunda Scales voted with Hoyt to elect Royal, who then nominated Hoyt for Council President Pro Tempore. The same councilors elected Hoyt over Austin (who was nominated by Smitherman) in another five-to-four vote.

  9. Chris
    Wednesday, November 25, 2009, 7:57 pm
    9

    Smitherman got what she deserved! She’s lied to people in Birmingham for years. She told the city workers their jobs were safe and fired them. She embarassed Vance Bowie in a news conference where she put the entire city budget on her neck despite the fact that she was the head of councils’ finance committee. She will not even land in the run off. Glad to see her go!

  10. Wade
    Wednesday, November 25, 2009, 9:57 pm
    10

    Well, she’s not exactly gone; she’s still a member of the city council.

    But Smitherman managed to torpedo her own mayoral campaign by admitting — at her own presser — that Patrick Cooper outfoxed her.

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