Birmingham’s plan for ‘Grants Mill Road’ toll bridge is the wrong approach
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/07/toll_bridge_proposed_for_grant.html
Birmingham Mayor William Bell recently made his latest project proposal in which he announced a plan to rebuild the closed Grants Mill Road Bridge. The Grants Mill Road Bridge, before it was torn down, was used by over 8,000 people a day to reach Interstate 459. Under the plan, the bridge will be rebuilt, controlled, and tolled by a private company. That company is no other than Strada Materials, a company with strong ties to Matrix, the agency that managed Mayor’s Bell campaign. According to Mayor Bell, a portion of the toll’s income would come back to the city and he taunts this plan as a quick and cost efficient way to rebuild the bridge.
I believe that the primary agenda of Birmingham, or any governmental body in these hard economic times, should be to cut spending and direct any new spending towards revenue creation. I am not a lawyer or legal expert, but if a bridge such as this one can be legally tolled while publicly owned, honest government surely shouldn’t turn it over to a private company. Even if we charge .25 cent for each vehicle to cross, with eight thousand people using it daily, we could rack up $730,000 in revenue each year. However, considering that the majority of people who cross the bridge also have to cross it again to come back home, we may as well double that number. The typical toll bridge charges far more than .25 cent, so these numbers are simply examples. Nevertheless, the point is that keeping the bridge publicly owned and tolling it, would create additional and reoccurring revenue in 2-4 years that could be placed in the city’s saving, used to create new blue collar government jobs, or fund new projects. In addition, the new toll bridge would be mostly used by the citizens of Shelby County, many of whom used the previous Birmingham owned bridge, but didn’t pay taxes in the city.
Lets face it, that makes a lot of sense. Don’t take my word for it, call Tim James, who is an expect on both common sense and bridges – haha just kidding. Sooo…does anyone know the legality of municipal owned toll bridges? Does anyone see a better alternative or agree more with Mayor William Bell’s plan? Does anyone have an opinion at all?
Arthur Davis weights in on Robert Bentley
It seems that after losing the Democratic Primary on June 1st, Arthur Davis is slowly jumping back into the political fire pit again. Arthur Davis, the currently Congressional Representative of the 7th Congressional District, claimed that Robert Bentley would be a tough person to beat in November’s general election. Why does Arthur Davis think Bentley is so wonderful you asked?
Davis said Bentley’s win was impressive because he overcame opposition from his own party’s leadership. Gov. Bob Riley and several members of Alabama’s Republican congressional delegation bucked party tradition and openly endorsed Byrne.
I have nothing against Arthur Davis. He seems like a decent guy, but he sure isn’t a wise politician. When it comes to voting, unless you’re talking about Alabama during the Arrington’s peak of power, few people tend to pay any attention to party leadership. In fact, too much backing from the party’s leadership is a negative thing when you’re running as a Republican. You are consider an insider, or someone who just can’t understand the needs of the average people.
Arthur Davis is probably inter-relating his struggle with the Democratic Party leadership with Robert Bentley’s struggle with the Republican Party leadership. However, despite popular belief, Arthur Davis did not lose because of opposition from Joe Reed and other party leaders. He lost because of his vote against universal health care. A lot of people did not even know who Ron Sparks was until Arthur Davis voted against universal health care…yeah I know, that crazy right!
However, Davis was right when he stated:
“Ron Sparks was very much the candidate of activist, liberal Democratic voters. And the fact is that’s a very small segment of the electorate in Alabama,”
The fact is that Ron Sparks can no longer run on a single issue. The two biggest issues in Alabama are always the economy and education. When Sparks ran against Arthur Davis, his primary solution to both job creation and education was gambling. In addition to legalizing gambling, what will Ron Sparks do? He must broaden his platform if he wishes to win in November. Instead of deeming gambling as the solution, it should be deemed as part of the solution.
Ron Sparks must also reach out to Independents and Republicans without ostracizing his own party. If not, he could risk allowing Robert Bently, who is already reaching out to Independents and Democrats, to eat away at his potential base.
Quick AL-7 Runoff Analysis
The 7th Congressional District runoff election is over and Terri Sewell has been declared the winner. First, I would like to congratulate the Sewell campaign on their win. Secondly, I would like to congratulate the Smoot campaign for their hardwork and grassroots efforts.
As I was driven home today by a friend, I expressed my disappointment at the results. My friend stated, “Always follow the money”. Just a year ago, Terri Sewell was technically unknown and still today the majority of people can’t name something that she has done for the 7th Congressional District. If you pin money against experience, money will come out the winner most of the time. You have to have a lot of influence to beat money, especially on the congressional district level.
The problem was not simply money, but it was also circumstances. Commissioner Shelia Smoot was not dealt a good hand from the get-go because of her position on the Jefferson County Commission. Several people lost their jobs and sewer cost skyrocketed. Some of the fault can be placed on Commissioner Shelia Smoot, however, we must remember that she inherited a heavy load. It is believed that the Jefferson County Debt crisis began in 1996, under the leadership of Chris McNair. This was several years before Commissioner Shelia Smoot was even elected to office. You see, people tend to remember more of the bad things and less of the good.
Let me say that I do not know Commissioner Shelia Smoot personally. I have only met her twice, and both times were very brief and during this election. However, my opinion on the candidates was based on their experience and record. Once again, I congratulate Terri Sewell and I hope that she will turn her campaign message into action. Kudos to all the great people over at the Smoot campaign.
Dirty politics hit ‘Hot 107.7′ as Tamala Savage praises Terri Sewell while slamming the phone down on Shelia Smoot
Today, Terri Sewell once again took her campaign to the radio waves as she appeared on ‘Hot 107.7′ for a debate that Shelia Smoot apparently knew nothing about. According to the show’s host, Tamala Savage, both candidates were invited to take part in the democratic process and engage voters. Tamala Savage even invited Shelia Smoot, who was portrayed as a no show, to call in if she was listening. Terri Sewell decided to go ahead and take care of business by entertaining the questions of the listeners. All was well for Terri Sewell until Commissioner Shelia Smoot called in to have the debate that was supposedly planned. Smoot pointed out that she did not received an invitation to appear on the station, and strangely, Tamala Savage could not name the person in the Smoot campaign that was notified about the debate.
However, I was certain that Tamala Savage would be happy about Shelia Smoot’s surprise drop-in, nevertheless, she was furious. She first placed Commissioner Shelia Smoot on hold for 5-10 minutes and after Commissioner Smoot mentioned Terri Sewell’s attack ads, Tamala Savage began to yell at the top of her lungs. After being yelled at, Shelia Smoot made it clear to Tamala Savage that she wouldn’t be disrespected. Tamala Savage hung up in the face of Commissioner Smoot, stating, “I’m not going to talk to her over the phone, she was invited.”
No one should believe for even a second that Commissioner Shelia Smoot was invited for a debate on Tamala Savage’s show. The fact is that Terri Sewell missed two debate with Shelia Smoot, leaving Smoot sitting next to an empty chair. This was an attempt by Terri Sewell’s campaign to soften the blow-back that resulted from missing those two debates, but her campaign failed miserably. Why are these conspiracies being plotted days before the election? What is Terri Sewell afraid of? What is in it for Tamala Savage?
It was obvious from the get-go that Tamala Savage was not only pro-Sewell, but also anti-Smoot. Every pro-Smoot caller was either met with a rebuttal, pushed off the phone quickly, or shouted down. Every pro-Sewell caller was greeted with friendliness and their vote of choice was never questioned. For example, one pro-Smoot caller was asked why she supported Shelia Smoot and Tamala Savage made it clear that the caller’s reasoning was not good enough for her. The pro-Sewell callers were never asked that question, or any questions at all for that matter. However, when a pro-Smoot caller questioned Sewell’s claim that she and her mother struggled to pay for her father’s health care cost, the caller was quickly shut out and told that she would not ask the Holier than Thou, Terri Sewell, “personal questions”. She defended Terri Sewell at every wrong turn and acted more like her press secretary than a radio host. She was rude, disrespectful, and out right nasty. The bad thing about it is that she only hurt the Sewell campaign. If Terri Sewell can’t speak up for herself on a radio station in Alabama, how can she speak up for the people of the 7th Congressional District in Washington D.C.?
Terri Sewell holds town hall meeting at Birmingham’s West End Library
Tonight Terri Sewell, a candidate for Congress in the 7th Congressional District, held a town hall forum in the West End Community in Birmingham, Alabama. She spoke primary on her intentions to create jobs through new industry, improve education, and find funding for transit.
She received a full round of applause as she told the audience that she would fight for better transit in Birmingham and improve the sewage system, roads, and bridges in Selma. The day before the town hall meeting, she was in the West End area going door to door with community leaders and activist, calling for voters to support her on July 13th.
It appears that community leaders in the West End area strongly back Terri Sewell, and Commissioner Shelia Smoot was not invited to attend the forum. Despite not being backed by West End neighborhood leaders, Commissioner Shelia Smoot continue to maintain a large and loyal base of support in the area and it will be a close battleground on July 13th.
Dallas County may hurt Shelia Smoot on election day
Thus far, it has been a hard fought runoff between Commissioner Shelia Smoot and Jefferson County Bonds Attorney Terri Sewell. There are five days left until the runoff election, and we might as well not count on the two ladies to put their heels back on and sell their boxing gloves until then. We have Terri Sewell falsely accusing Commissioner Smoot of corruption, while at the same time, there are allegations that Terri Sewell is a Republican elephant trying to ride a donkey into Congress.
It is hard to say who will become the next congressional representative of AL-7, however, it is clear that Dallas County may be a big problem for Commissioner Shelia Smoot come July 13th. Shelia Smoot is fighting an uphill battle in Dallas County and the fact that Attorney Terri Sewell has raised ten times as much money as her doesn’t help.
In the June 1st primary, despite Dallas County being the second largest county covering the 7th Congressional District, Commissioner Shelia Smoot received less votes there than in any other of the twelve counties. Dallas County drew 11,257 voters to the polls, but only 551 of those voters marked Shelia Smoot on their ballot. This compares to 7,534 people who voted for Sewell in that very same county. The biggest upset is that even Martha Bozeman, who garnered the least amount of votes, received more votes than Commissioner Smoot in Dallas County.
Although Commissioner Shelia Smoot received less votes in Dallas County than any other candidate, none of their numbers compared to Terri Sewell’s. It is obvious that Dallas County is her stronghold, and in these last five days, Commissioner Shelia Smoot should do all in her power to break that stronghold. The race will be very tight in the smaller counties. It is likely that Commissioner Shelia Smoot will win big time in Sumter & Pickens County. The other smaller counties that supported Earl Hillard are hard to predict. I personally believe that Commissioner Shelia Smoot has the greater chance of winning. However, Dallas County will have me shaking in my boots on election night. Any thoughts?
Shelia Smoot & Terri Sewell debate it out in Selma
Tonight the people of Dallas County were finally given the chance to hear the platform of both candidates and their arguments for why they deserve to represent the Democratic Party on July 13th in a bid for Congress. Both women showed up with their boxing gloves tied tight, and after the first round the best candidate was clear.
Lets face it, Terri Sewell is a very bright candidate. She surely isn’t what anyone would describe as a dummy. She received her undergraduate degree from Princeton University and went on to pursue her masters degree at Oxford University. Eventually, she went on to earned a law degree from Harvard. In fact, U.W. Clemons described her as “marketedly superior” based on her education after she failed to show up at a debate hosted by the Alabama New South Coalition. Judge Clemons is correct in a very particular sense. Terri Sewell is certainly marketedly superior to Shelia Smoot when it comes applying for a high paid job on Wall Street, however, it is simply not true in regards to representing the people of the 7th Congressional District. Being marketedly superior on Wall Street is a good thing, but it certainly doesn’t make you the best political candidate. Arthur Davis, another candidate endorsed by U.W. Clemons, is marketedly superior when compared to most on an educational level. Did that stop Ron Sparks from winning in a landslide? Voters want someone who will stand up and support their best interest.
The problem is that Terri Sewell has no record of working for the people of the 7th Congressional District and she hasn’t proven that she has the ability to stand up and fight for the interest of voters. This was clearly depicted when an individual called in during the debate and asked both candidates what they had done for the people of the 7th Congressional District. While Shelia Smoot scrambled through a long laundry list of accomplishments ranging from job creation, education, and public funding, Sewell couldn’t name a single accomplishment. It may be in the best interest of the Terri Sewell campaign to miss a few more of these debates so that they can get a list of accomplishments together. What do you think?
Shelia Smoot may have another forum tonight
In the previous week, there have been two scheduled debates between the 7th Congressional District runoff candidates, Shelia Smoot and Terri Sewell. As many of us know, both of those debates turned into a single candidate forum when candidate Terri Sewell claimed that she was too busy taking part in other engagements to make it.
The first debate was held at the Linn-Henley Research Library in Downtown, Birmingham located in Jefferson County. The second debate was on Z105.3 in Selma located in Dallas County. Essentially, Terri Sewell sent the clear message that she is too busy for the people of Jefferson and Dallas county. It was the same message sent by Rep. Arthur Davis when she chose not to show up at similar engagements.
Tonight Terri Sewell will have another chance to make time for the people of Dallas County. Both Shelia Smoot and Terri Sewell are scheduled to air on WBFZ FM Radio in Selma, Alabama at 7PM. I hope that there will not be another empty chair tonight. If you do not live in Selma, Alabama, you can listen in online here. Will you be listening in?
Bentley’s poll declares lead, but isn’t Alabama tired of the lies.
Republican candidate for governor, Robert Bentley, recently release a poll claiming to have a 19 point lead in the Republican primary runoff. However, isn’t Alabama tired of all the lies coming from our politicians? During the campaign leading up to the June 1st election, just about every top candidate released their own internal poll, which showed that they were in lead.
Even in the Democratic Primary, Rep. Artur Davis claimed to have a 13 point lead on Ron Sparks. The Artur Davis campaign obviously knew that such numbers were not true, as I had slammed the phone down in their face again and again. In fact, I slammed the phone down in their face on the morning of election day as they literally begged for votes. Around the same time, candidate Ron Sparks released a poll showing that he was leading by a single point. When Sparks woke up on election day to find that he was actually in the lead, I’m sure he almost defecated on himself.
The polling charade has even hit the congressional 7th district race between Shelia Smoot & Terri Sewell, with both candidates touting numbers showing that they are in the lead. Any opinions, additions, or corrections?
Day of Rememberence: Frederick Douglas Independence Day Speech
Happy Fourth of July. This is a day of remembrance. We must not only remember the good times when we all rejoiced, but also the dark past of our nation and how far we have come. We must remember what our nation use to be and how it transformed into a beacon of freedom and prosperity for people of all ethnic groups, races, cultures, genders, and religions. In addition, lets also recognize our troops serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and across the world. We appreciate your service and patriotism on this day of remembrance.