Birmingham’s mayor made the front pages of two of the area’s print publications, though not necessarily for good reasons. The stories result from both The Birmingham News and Birmingham Weekly obtaining copies (warning – it’s a big file) of what has been identified as Larry Langford’s June 2007 testimony to the SEC (no, the other one).
The Birmingham News ran their coverage below the fold of this morning’s paper. Their story focused on the then county commission president’s testimony that he regularly asked recipients of county contracts to give to charities that he was associated with and controlled.
Kyle Whitmire follows up two teases on the Weekly’s blog (here’s the latest one) with a War on Dumb filing (we’ll link when it gets posted) that digs a little deeper into the mayor’s testimony, contrasting it with comments made during the mayor’s inaugural address.
Definitely an interesting time for these stories to break, especially considering some of the heated discussion that took place at Tuesday’s marathon council meeting.
Which leads us to ask: What do you think?
Click on the question to let us know…
Mayor Langford is inviting all African American males in Birmingham, Alabama to attend a crime summit tomorrow evening beginning at 6 p.m. at Fair Park Arena. Two inmates from the St. Clair Correctional Facility will be on hand as well as a presentation of Plan 10/30 Why Am I Dying?/Do You Care?, an effort to reach out to this particular group and “change their mindset.”
The seven councilors present at Thursday’s Committee of the Whole meeting questioned how the city could shift earmarked bond funds to pay for the park concept, when the previous administration told them shifting funds wasn’t possible. Nevertheless, they unanimously agreed that Langford could hire an architect and begin the process of bringing to life an Olympic-style sports, entertainment, retail and residential complex on the 40-acre site.
The First 100: Around the Magic City after 80 days
Birmingham mayor Larry Langford. Bob Farley/f8photo
If you’re counting actual calendar days, it’s day 80 of the Langford era in Birmingham, Alabama. Some would call it a little whirlwind-like, especially after Tuesday’s $90 million proposal announced for the Alabama State Fairgrounds on the city’s west side. We’re curious about what you think about how it’s going so far…
We’re hoping that you’re actually willing to share your thoughts. We’d really love it if you clicked on the following link and posted your comments to the Great Room thread (with a tip of the hat to former New York mayor Ed Koch):
How’s he doing after 80 days?
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Posted in Commentary, The First 100
Tagged Alabama, Birmingham, Commentary, Larry Langford, mayor, opinion, The First 100