And other results from Tuesday’s state primary election

A semi-soggy Primary Election Day in Alabama brought some surprising results amid light voter turnout.

• Governor: Rep. Artur Davis, long touted as the frontrunner in the Democratic race, fell to opponent state agriculture commissioner Ron Sparks (pictured below left) in a landslide.

Davis picked up less than 38 percent in his attempt to become the first major black candidate for governor of Alabama. It appears not so much that Sparks won as much as Davis lost, and the reasons are many. Davis failed to win the endorsement of key black Democratic groups; he voted against his party on health care reform; he could still be the wrong color for a conservative Southern state.

Byrne, left, will face either Bentley,
center, or James in a runoff.

Meanwhile, a very tight three-way race among Republicans kept watchers guessing until late Tuesday night. State senator Bradley Byrne eventually pulled far enough ahead with 28 percent to secure one runoff spot. With 99 percent of precincts counted, Robert Bentley had a tiny 140-vote lead over Tim James, 25.15 percent to 25.12 percent.

It’s likely the close vote will trigger an automatic recount, which will set the stage for the July 13 runoff. The winner faces Sparks on Nov. 2.

• • •

Results from Tuesday’s primaries, state and metro Birmingham.

• • •

• U.S. Senate: Incumbent Richard Shelby handily won the GOP nomination, facing and probably trouncing Democratic attorney William G. Barnes in the fall.

• U.S. House: In District 6, Republican Spencer Bachus won 76 percent of the vote to secure re-election to his 10th term.

In District 7, the seat being vacated by Artur Davis, Don Chamberlain and Chris Salter are headed for the GOP runoff, while Terri Sewell and Shelia Smoot will compete in the Democratic runoff. Keep in mind: Only three times in history has a non-Democratic candidate filled the seat.

• Lieutenant governor: Democratic incumbent Jim Folsom Jr., who ran unopposed, will battle state treasurer Kay Ivey, who knocked out two opponents in the Republican primary.

• Attorney general: James Anderson came up just a hair short to win the Democratic nomination outright, facing a runoff with Giles Perkins. But the real tale is in Luther Strange‘s trouncing of incumbent Troy King, who not only faced opposition in a primary but also from GOP leaders after an extended battle with Gov. Riley over bingo and gambling. Strange day, indeed.

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

• • •

• Jefferson County Commission: We’re still not sure why anyone wants this job, given that previous members have sent the county into billions of dollars in debt and have gone to prison. Certainly not most of the incumbents, since only one ran for re-election.

In District 1, a seat that came open when William Bell became mayor of Birmingham, Democrats Johnathan Austin (Birmingham city council member) and George Bowman (former county commissioner) are headed to two runoffs. One runoff to immediately fill the position, the other for the regular 4-year term.

In District 2, former Birmingham city council member Sandra Little Brown and radio station owner Gary Richardson will compete in the Democratic runoff.

In District 3, Vivian Ford, a minister and a Realtor, will be in the Democratic runoff against Ron Yarbrough, who served recently as assistant tax assessor in the Bessemer cutoff. Incumbent Bobby Humphryes Jr. will face businessman Jimmie Stephens in the GOP runoff.

In District 4, Democrat Roy Wood, ran unopposed, will face the winner of the GOP runoff, businessman Ronnie Dixon or attorney Joe Knight.

And in District 5, Republican business owner David Carrington won the seat outright by defeating two opponents.

• Sheriff: In Jefferson County, incumbent Mike Hale handily defeated Republican challenger and convicted felon Jim Woodward. He’ll face the winner of the Democratic runoff, Ron Blankenship or Willie Hill.

In Shelby County, incumbent Chris Curry easily won re-election in the Republican race.

• Voter turnout: Secretary of State Beth Chapman had predicted 35 percent to 38 percent turnout among registered voters Tuesday. In 2006’s primary, turnout was 38.4 percent, while in 2002’s primary, it was 35 percent.

But in Jefferson County, voter turnout was under 25 percent Tuesday. That was about the same turnout for Madison County and Huntsville.

With such low figures in the major cities, it’s likely the statewide turnout will be low, too, maybe even below 30 percent.

Update June 3: Birmingham News estimates statewide turnout to be about 33 percent.

• • •

How did your candidates do on Tuesday? Are you planning to vote in the runoffs? Leave us a comment with your thoughts on the primaries.

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

Election results from today’s primaries in Alabama and the Birmingham metro area …

More election coverage in our Vote 2010 special report.

(Updating throughout the evening.)

The runoff takes place July 13.

Democrats

(Contested races only)

Winner in red | Runoff candidates in blue

Republicans

(Contested races only)

Winner in red | Runoff candidates in blue

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

The polls are open! Vote before 7 tonight for candidates in state and county races.

Q: Where do I vote?

A: Call Jefferson County: 325-5550, Jefferson County (Bessemer only): 481-4105, Shelby County: 669-3913.

Or Search Your Polling Place on AlabamaVotes.gov.

Wade on Birmingham:
primary election results tonight

Remember, if you have problems at your polling place:

• Notify a poll worker immediately.
• Call the state attorney general at 1-800-831-8814 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Wednesday or fill out this online form.
• Call the secretary of state at 1-800-274-VOTE (8683) or visit her site, StopVoterFraudNow.com.
• And tell the probate court for Jefferson County (325-5203) or Shelby County (669-3713).
• E-mail us at Vote2010[at]wadeonbirmingham.com.

Q: What can I expect to see on the ballots?

A: Check out these sample ballots for each county.

You’re voting for governor, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, state and county officials, plus a state constitutional amendment.

Q: Who should I vote for?

A: Before you hit the voting booth, check out our guide to the primaries.

Let us know where and when you voted, and how many votes were cast before yours.

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

The state primaries are just a day away, but voter turnout is predicted to be between 35 and 40 percent. Post-holiday weekend hangover? Voter apathy? Primary doldrums?

It just means your choices carry more weight. But first, you’ll need to figure out who’s running and who deserves your vote.

In the 5 years we’ve covered elections, the online resources have blossomed, from a variety of political bloggers across the state, partisan and nonpartisan. Their tireless research can help you figure out your picks in the remaining hours before polls open Tuesday morning across Alabama.

Plus, we’ve updated the Vote 2010 guide with the Jefferson and Shelby County races.

• • •

Determine your polling place and districts (state and county).

Sample ballots for each county.

• • •

Bhamwiki

• List of candidates in primary elections.

Doc’s Political Parlor

• Full list of races for Alabama Senate and House.
• Full list of races for state offices and Congress.
• Odds for each of the major state and congressional races in the Alabama Line.

The World Around You

• Candidates and their endorsements by newspapers and organizations.
• Predictions on the major races in Alabama.

And finally, endorsements and predictions from partisan bloggers …

• Flashpoint
• From a Buick
• Left in Alabama
• The Progressive Electorate

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

See sample ballots for the Nov. 2 general election.

•

It’s almost time to vote. To help you see the full candidate list for your district, we’ve included sample ballots for Jefferson and Shelby Counties for the primaries. (The Jefferson County ballots, 180 pages and 238 pages, include versions for every district.)

Also included is the Alabama Voter Guide 2010, which has information on voting procedures and frequently asked questions.

For easier viewing, you can print, download or zoom to full screen with each ballot.

Primary elections take place Tuesday across the state.

• • •

Sample ballots for all 67 counties.

Who gets your vote? Picks, endorsements and predictions.

• • •

Jefferson County: Democratic ballot

Jefferson County: Republican ballot

Shelby County: Democratic ballot

Shelby County: Republican ballot

Alabama Voter Guide 2010

• • •

See sample ballots for the Nov. 2 general election.

More Vote 2010 coverage.

Video: “Walker’s Theme” (live), Gerald Albright

Spend a Sunday in the Preserve in Hoover with several jazz giants. The fourth annual Preserve Jazz Festival will feature a day of music on the lawn. The lineup:

• Gerald Albright
• The Southern Gentlemen: Birmingham’s Eric Essix, plus Joey Summerville and Michael Ward
• Phil Davis
• Hungary’s Collaboration Trio
• Neo Jazz Collective

The festival takes place June 6, with performances starting at 3 p.m.

Tickets — $35 in advance, $38 at the event — are available online. Admission is free for children age 12 and younger.

For more information, visit the Preserve Jazz Festival site.

Check out the lineup via videos …

http://vimeo.com/10959776

Video: “Birmingham,” Eric Essix

Video: “Ladybird,” Neo Jazz Collective

The 27th annual Magic City Art Connection takes place Friday through Sunday in Linn Park downtown. We’re featuring 15 randomly selected Alabama artists out of the 200 or so expected to attend.

The free event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.

Update April 23: The event is canceled for Saturday because of inclement weather, but will resume Sunday.

Painting

Ron Lewis

• City: Birmingham
• Site: Ronald Lewis Art Gallery
• Bio: Since graduating from the University of Montevallo, Ronald Lewis has won over 95 awards for his paintings in oil, watercolor and acrylic.

“Night Rider,” Ron Lewis

Jewelry

Kelly Olshan

• City: Birmingham
• Site: Kelly Olshan Designs
• Bio: Kelly Olshan is a visual arts student at the Alabama School of Fine Arts and makes jewelry on the side.

Bracelets, Kelly Olshan

Mixed media, 2D

Tracy McKay

• City: Pleasant Grove
• Site: Tracy McKay
• Bio: A mutt, athlete, self taught artist and poet using roofing paper, found objects and whatever house paints and stains that are available. I have a loose idea of what I want to paint, I trust on an impulsive process layering paint and dragging my knife and fingers around the shapes.

“Land of the Midnight Sun,” Tracy McKay

Photography

Michael Mixon

• City: Alabaster
• Site: Hanging Around Hoover
• Bio: Since opening Hanging Around Hoover. I must say that this business has been one of the most rewarding endeavors I’ve ever taken.

Photo, Michael Mixon

Clay

Jason Anderson

• City: Birmingham
• Site: Jason Anderson Ceramics

Red raku-fired vessel, Jason Anderson

Metal

Robert Taylor

• City: Birmingham
• Site: Southern Artistry
• Bio: My first experience with metal working came in 1986 when I became a member of the Alabama Forge Council. The council meetings and conferences allowed me the opportunity to learn by working hands-on alongside domestic and international master smiths.

“Cahaba Lily,” Robert Taylor

Fiber

Terry Martin

• City: Birmingham

Scarves, Terry Martin

Sculpture

Jinx Bentley

• City: Odenville
• Site: Trash Dog Sculptures
• Bio: Jinx likes to surprise people. A creative sculptor, she is an extremely passionate and self-motivated artist exploding with fresh new ideas.

“Benji,” Jinx Bentley

Glass

Jeff and Jaky Felix

• City: Titus
• Site: Joyful Imagination

Fish, Jeff and Jaky Felix

Wood

Carl Smith

• City: Birmingham
• Site: Nature’s Art by Carl
• Bio: In 1979, I started with driftwood and discovered that there weren’t many places to find it in my area. In my quest to find driftwood, I began to notice pieces of decaying wood with strikingly odd shapes. I began to venture into wooded areas in search of a variety of woods, such as oak, walnut, cedar and wisteria vines.

“Miriam the Dancer,” Carl Smith

Mixed media, 3D

Frank Ledbetter

• City: Theodore
  Site: Artistic Metal Creations
• Bio: Metal artist Frank Ledbetter creates functional metal art using stainless steel, carbon steel and aluminum. Because his dad always had a metal shop in the back yard, he grew up around steel fabrication and welding.

Seahorse pedestal sink, Frank Ledbetter

Watercolor

Richard Russell

• City: Birmingham
  Site: All Things Gallery
• Bio: Having sold over 1,000 Russell original paintings, this artist got started in several upper end New York galleries.

“Temple Emanu-El,” Richard Russell

Drawing

Rob Clifton

• City: Hoover
• Bio: Most of what I draw looks like something that you would see from a wild dream, and that is because many of my ideas come to me during sleep. In my drawings I try to depict stories, as well as ideas. My primary instruments are ink pens, and I use a variety of sizes.

Drawing, Rob Clifton

Computer generated

Binx Newton

• City: Birmingham
• Site: Binx Newton

“Birmingham Street Fountains,” Binx Newton

Printmaking

Ashley Lindsey

• City: Birmingham
• Site: Ashley Lindsey
• Bio: Through printmaking, I have a connective methodology. My first artistic love is drawing, preferably with colored pencils, since color has multicultural meaning.

“Blue,” Ashley Lindsey

Also:

• Corks and Chefs features 16 chefs on Saturday and Sunday. $25 in advance, $30 at the door.

The Birmingham Business Alliance is holding a series of forums for Jefferson County Commission candidates starting tonight. All five forums start at 6 p.m.

• District 1 | tonight, The Harbert Center, downtown [map]
• District 5 | Tuesday, Hoover City Hall, council chambers [map]
• District 3 | April 19, McAdory High School, McCalla [map]
• District 2 | April 22, Lawson State Community College, A.G. Gaston Auditorium [map]
• District 4 | April 26, Tarrant City Hall, council chambers [map]

[Map of Jefferson County Commission districts]

The alliance is taking voter questions ahead of time through an online form.

Bright House and Charter plan to record the forums to show on their on-demand channels.

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

The Birmingham Business Alliance is looking to the future in a city with a very troubled recent past. At its annual meeting Tuesday, the organization focused on Blueprint Birmingham, its effort to develop a regional plan for economic development.

The playbook has been similar to Opportunity Austin, the successful program that made the Texas city more competitive.

• Step 1: Hire Atlanta firm Market Street.
• Step 2: Ask for input on education, infrastructure, quality of life and other aspects through a survey.

Those interested can take the survey online or print the 69-page version to send in.

The survey deadline is Monday.

The last time Alabama’s unemployment rate was this high was more than 25 years ago. With 226,790 unemployed workers, the state’s jobless rate hit 10.9 percent in October, a slight increase from 10.7 percent the month before.

But the news is far worse in Birmingham. In October 2008, 26,000 people in the Birmingham-Hoover metro area were out of work. This October, more than 50,000 were unemployed, a 95 percent increase from year to year.

It could be worse. No, really: One economist at Regions Bank says Alabama’s unemployment rate could hit 12 percent by spring.

Ernie Dunn, a candidate for mayor of Birmingham, was found dead in his Hoover home Thursday night. The 49-year-old man had a history of medical problems according to authorities.

In an interview published earlier today by the Birmingham News, Dunn explained why he was running, even with a residence outside of Birmingham:

“I need a job. I’ve been trying to get back into the job market and the mayor’s job came open. I figured why don’t I give it a try. I’ll make good decisions for everyone, but I need a paycheck. I’m hun­gry just like everyone else.

“I’m broke. There is nothing else I can rent currently.”

Thirteen candidates remain in the race. Election Day is Tuesday.

• • •

More Vote 2009 coverage.

Birmingham native became second winningest coach in college football history; will lead Seminoles in one last bowl game

Video: “I’ve got to go get a job. I ain’t had a job in 55 years.”

Coach Bobby Bowden announced Tuesday that he would retire after 34 years at Florida State, capping a 44-year career. The Birmingham native amassed 388 wins at Samford, West Virginia and Florida State, second only to Joe Paterno at Penn State.

Bowden led Florida State to two national championships in 1993 and 1999 and has never had a losing season there, save for his first season in 1976 at 5-6. The current Seminole team is 6-6, heading to a yet-to-be-decided bowl game.

He grew up in Woodlawn, then East Lake, played as a quarterback at Alabama, before transferring to Howard College (now Samford). Bowden modeled his career after another legendary coach, Alabama’s Paul “Bear” Bryant.

On his retirement, Bowden said:

“Nothing lasts forever, does it? But I’ve had some wonderful years here at Florida State, you know it. Hadn’t done as good lately as I wish I could have, but I’ve had wonderful years, no regrets.”

Video: The Bowden legacy

Also:

• Associated Press: “FSU coach Bobby Bowden to retire after bowl game”
• Bhamwiki: Bobby Bowden
• “Being Bobby Bowden”

• • •

And in other football news …

Alabama’s high school football championships take place today and Friday in Tuscaloosa. Birmingham had played host to the games since 1996, but lost a bid earlier this year to Tuscaloosa and Auburn.

The only Birmingham-area team still in the running is Hoover. The 13-1 Buccaneers play 6A arch-rival Prattville at 7 p.m. Friday in Bryant-Denny Stadium. All games will air on WUOA-TV 23.

Our pal Christie has been working overtime pulling together all of the Black Friday deals around Birmingham on Birmingham Bargain Mom.

Here are our favorites to help you save time, money and stress during the post-Thanksgiving madness …

• Dollar General Thanksgiving discounts: Why wait till Friday when you can save on Thursday? DVD players for $20, 5MB digital cameras for $25 and more.

• Freebies! Target has free reusable tote bags, Costco has free cookbooks, and Sam’s Club has free breakfast. Um, yes, yes and … pass.

• Payless ShoeSource coupon for buy one, get one half off: The coupon is available online, and a bonus coupon is available via special text message.

• Bass Pro Shops: Hooded sweatshirts for $10, Under Armour shirts for $39.99 and Garmin Nuvi 255 GPS navigator for $99.99  Open Thanksgiving, too.

Also: FatWallet has a comprehensive list of all Black Friday deals, which we’ve put into this Google Doc.

If you know of other Black Friday bargains, leave a comment.

Photo by lordcolus / CC BY 2.0

CEO keynote explains parallels and possibilities

Jay Grinney told attendees of the Birmingham Economic Summit Thursday that HealthSouth’s comeback can show the way for Jefferson County to solve its debt and leadership crisis. The HealthSouth chief executive officer was the keynote speaker during lunch at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.

Included above are slides from his presentation, which show how badly the rehab company screwed up, and how nothing short of replacing all top officers and changing the culture kept the company from shutting down.

Grinney pointed out that during his travels across the country, Jefferson County was known far and wide for its convicted officials and massive sewer debt: “More people are aware of Jefferson County’s problems than they were of HealthSouth’s problems.”

He cited the Birmingham Business Alliance’s plan in the works to stimulate economic development, and the need for a combined county-city government.

The two-day summit concludes today.

What do you think? Can the county learn from HealthSouth? Should it work on cooperative or combined government?

The nonprofit groups came together at one point, back in 2006, to meet, to share, to collaborate. A new idea was taking hold: Birmingham-area volunteers and board members could find ways to help each other out. It was called the YP Roundtable.

In October, that same group decided it was time for a pat on the back. Several in fact. The group has partnered with the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce over the past three years. Now that the chamber is dead, the Birmingham Business Alliance has pushed for a new program, the Birmingham Leadership Awards.

Want to win the fawning praise for your formerly selfless good deeds? Let’s go through the process:

1. You nominate yourself. You fill out the form on behalf of yourself, in one of two categories: more than or less than 5 years “in the Young Professional scene.” Or you can nominate your own organization (the three categories divide entrants by size of group). You talk about yourself, your accomplishments and even provide two letters of recommendation.

2. Judges pick up to 10 individuals and three groups as winners. Who are the judges? They haven’t been revealed yet. What are their criteria? The form doesn’t say.

3. Bask in glory, noble humble winners. The awards ceremony takes place Dec. 1.

What was once a chance to collaborate has degenerated into unnecessary competition. What was once a chance for those working to help charities and causes through combined effort has become an exercise in self-importance.

When the winners are announced, take a hard look at each one of them. No one plucked them out of obscurity to hold them up as shining examples for a troubled city to admire, even emulate.

Each one of them chose to enter, as if to say, “Look at me. Reward me. Me me me.”

Good works deserve recognition. But did we have to make it so selfishly egotistically uncharitable?

What’s your take? How do we recognize community champions without creating another awards monster?