This weekend current Birmingham City Councilor and former interim mayor William Bell announced his plans to run for mayor. The announcement was made in the Sunday edition of The Birmingham News.

We reported earlier this month that a website was “parked” by Bell and that signs had already begun appearing throughout the city. As of 9:15 a.m. this morning, the site was now not available for viewing at all, a sure sign that it will be operational in the coming days after content is added. We will update you when we are aware of its launch.

While still not formally an announced candidate, another mayoral hopeful used the crowds at City Stages to quietly begin making her intentions known.

People who attempted to enter the festival grounds near the Park Place entrance were met with people asking you to “Elect Valerie Abbott mayor”. While Abbott has not formally announced that she would seek the office, she has gone on the record saying that she intended to.

Bell’s announcement now formally places three prominent figures in the mayor’s race: Bell, attorney Patrick Cooper and County Commissioner Larry Langford, who made his announcement on June 4.