Bessemer election primer

Next month Bessemer voters will return to the polls to elect the next mayor and city council and school board.

There is a big grumble among the masses about the local officials, and many are calling for a clean sweep, at least among the races for council and mayor.

This is not the year for incumbency. The entire Jefferson County Commission will be new. Incumbents in state and national legislative positions are in trouble.

Let's bring it on down to the local level.



There are only 4 city council members seeking re-election. Two others are trying to unseat the mayor and one is poised to become a county commissioner.

Only 2 of the 7 school board seats are being contested.

And there are 6 candidates for mayor.

The Progressive Voice of Bessemer has about decided who the best candidates are to lead us into the next decade. These will be announced shortly. In the meantime, join our new facebook group, Progressive Bessemer Coalition. After you join, start a discussion or post a comment on the wall. And invite your friends that want to see some change in our city.

Oh, and about our endorsements. They are based on a candidate's progressive platforms, their level of education, and their response to the pressing issues rather than on money given to the group, old friendships, pay backs and expectations.

And remember, candidates, especially those for mayor, these are the things that you need to be concerned about.

Candidates for council should be concerned about historic preservation and restoration of neighborhoods, ability to work with the business community, "plays well with others" (ability for the council and mayor to behave like grownups), community garden support, finding a way to build a rec center for teens and seniors, respect for retirees, and other issues.

Here are the candidates:

Mayor: Louise Alexander (current city council), Donald Ballard, Darayl Blue, Dorothy Davidson (current city council), Kenneth Gulley, Edward May (current mayor). These candidates are also known as Lu Lu, Don, D.M., Dot, Ken and Ed.

City Council District 1: Ronnie Johnson, Temike Reasor, Robert A. Thomas, David Vance

City Council District 2: Albert Grant, Chester Porter, Sherrina V. Rice

City Council District 3: Sarah Wallace Belcher (incumbent), Jessie Burrell

City Council District 4: Ralph Hodge, Donna Thigpen

City Council District 5: Ron Marshall, Albert Soles (incumbent), Robert Dale White

City Council District 6: Jesse Matthews (incumbent), Edward E. May II, Dock Scott

City Council District 7: Earl J. Cochran Sr (incumbent), LaBrenda Marshall Jones, Cleo King

Board of Education District 1: Vera M. Eades (incumbent)

Board of Education District 2: Earlean B. Cochran, Lester S. Mulligan Sr., Janet A. Ruffin

Board of Education District 3: Renna Soles Scott (incumbent)

Board of Education District 4: Samuel Morris (incumbent)

Board of Education District 5: Darlene Perkins (incumbent)

Board of Education District 6: Christine Knight (incumbent)

Board of Education District 7: Hattie J. Aikerson (incumbent), Elvira Kidd, Wanda Faye Thomas, Carolyn Wilson Hudson

I ran into current school board member Bessie Pippens (District 2) at the grocery store yesterday. Ms. Pippens has been a prominent figure around the Bessemer political scene for a long time and I believe she was the first female city councilor. She will not be running for school board this election as she has other priorities that must be tended to. I am sure the school board will miss her cool-headedness and her leadership.

New on Bessemer Opinions are the reaction buttons, and the new share buttons below. You can express your like or dislike or other reaction to each post and easily share a favorite post on facebook, twitter, or a number of other sites.

Standing in the school house door

One hundred and three students will be denied their scholarships as a result of Governor Bob Riley's raid on Greentrack earlier this month.

This information comes from The Tuscaloosa News.

The scholarships provided between $500 and $900 each semester to the students.

“This governor, in 2010, is standing in the schoolhouse door,” Rev. John Kennard said. “He is standing in the schoolhouse door to prevent 103 of our children from furthering their education, and we’re not going to take it.”

Kennard is vice president of the group, Clergy Who Care.

Several students attended a rally organized by Kennard. They seem determined, in spite of the governor's action.

Governor Riley's office issued a statement yesterday about the VictoryLand profits that actually reflect his beliefs about bingo in general, thus, also about this issue in Green County.

“The casinos mislead people into believing they’re helping charities. But the reality is, the only people who actually benefit from it are the casino bosses and their cronies.”

So, the governor does not consider these students as "people," I guess.

Governor Wallace stood in the schoolhouse door on June 11, 1963. He thought he was big stuff, but that attempt to preserve his way of life looks pretty foolish now, doesn't it.

And remember, Republican candidate for Governor Dr. Robert Bentley wants to do away with electronic Bingo too. So he would leave these students out in the cold as well.

This is not about looking for other sources of funds for each student to continue his or her education. The students are doing that, and let's hope they are successful.

No, it's about stripping away a source of college education funds that the students already had secured and on which they were depending.

It's about making things more difficult for students of color.

It plays right along with this undercurrent of racism that has swollen into a torrent over the last two days following the release of an edited video by a right wing blogger meant to further divide our nation and remind white people that they are supposed to be afraid of black people.

Rachel Maddow tells how white voters are being targeted to be afraid of black people.

Part 1, where she talks about George Wallace, and shows a comic book he used during a campaign to promote his views, and the "southern strategy" for winning political races by making white people be afraid of black people. Wallace used it in the 60's, and it is still being used today.



Here's part 2 of Rachel's segment.



How long will the real racists, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Andrew Breitbart, Fox News, who are among us be allowed to control the news in this way? How long will we (the big we...the media, the White House, the bloggers) continue to be fooled in this way?

Bessemer city council: a day late and a dollar short

The Bessemer City Council is truly a comedy of errors. It's not all the fault of the current council president, because I have witnessed this in the past (at that link I also made a reference to what I would like to do now: unseat all the current city council members).

Please set aside a Tuesday morning or evening, when the council is meeting, and come and see for yourself. For the real show be there for the "pre-council meeting," which in the distant past only took an hour, (because the real meeting was aired live on the radio, and had to start on time), but since we've been taken off the radio, can last two hours or longer, with as much bickering and infighting as one might see at a Kentucky family reunion after the Hatfield-McCoy wedding.

Yesterday was no exception. Often this council is recognized for not acting on issues of importance in a timely matter. Look how they stretched BINGO along for months. Look how they often don't introduce or approve a budget. Look how long it took to get paving started (conveniently just before an election). Look how long it took to pass the anti-smoking ordinance.

Yesterday, item number 12 on the agenda was "An Ordinance to Prohibit Electronic Messaging While Driving." The item was deleted from the agenda. A question was raised as to the origin of the ordinance; as to whether it came from the Public Safety Committee (headed by Jesse Matthews, I believe) or not. It did not, and it was decided that the item be sent to the Public Safety Committee, where it will probably languish for a while before being returned in the same form. Who knows. Let's just hope and pray that a high profile traffic accident does not occur on a Bessemer street and someone be killed because a driver was texting. No, I'm not naive enough to think an ordinance would prevent everyone from texting, but passing it would allow an educational effort from the city, and some publicity, and maybe a life would be saved.

And remember National Night Out, that oft criticised event that is supposed to bring residents onto their lit up porches and to their fences to talk with their neighbors? But that in the city of Bessemer means spending money for community events that draw people away from their homes and neighborhoods in the evening with the promise of free stuff.

Last year the council voted to give each council member $8000 to spend on their district's celebration, it seems. This year times are tough, and the amount agreed on was $2000 per district "pending identification of funds." In other words, as at least two council members mentioned, they have no idea how much money is in the general fund, so they cannot make a commitment to fund anything. Oh, and side-stepping a little bit, that includes Item 21, which was also deleted, which was to purchase "Two New (Trucks) for the Department of Public Improvements." This was dropped because, again, they did not know how much money they had or where the money would come from.

But, here is the news I wanted to report. In today's Birmingham News is an article headlined "Bessemer misses tax holiday deadline." The article explains that the deadline for a city or county to notify the department of revenue about participation was July 7, 2010.

The council yesterday, always a day late and a dollar short, passed item 22, A Resolution Authorizing a Sales Tax Holiday during the first weekend of August 7, 2010, and in Accordance with Act No. 2006-574, State of Alabama.

If course, it was not in accordance with the act because it was not filed on time.

So I called Carla Snellgrove at the Department of Revenue and asked her if the city could still participate. She told me that the city would not be able to be placed on the web site list of participating cities, and that there was a reason for the 30 day period, i.e., to allow time to do the web posting and to give retailers (who have to submit the tax payments) and consumers time to prepare and advertise and all.

If you look at the official list, you will see the dates that complying cities sent their notifications, and by "Bessemer" you will see a big blank line. Embarrassing, for a city whose residents probably need the tax break the most.

Ms. Snellgrove did say that the city could still decide not to collect the tax, but that it could not be added to the list.

In doing this, the council acted irresponsibly and unfairly to our local retailers, as even if the stores are allowed skip the tax, they will certainly lose sales to other cities that are on the official list.

There was much more that I had to withhold a snicker at during yesterday's pre-council meeting. I recorded much of it, and will save it for a day when I'm feeling down. Or, maybe I will make a short highlight reel for public display.

Bessemer mayor treading on thin ice

Last Thursday I took the mayor up on his invitation, left on my gate the week before:

Mayor Edward E. May invites you to:

The Mayor's Town Hall Meeting
Canaan Baptist Church, 824 15th street North, Bessemer, AL 35020. Thursday, July 15, 2010 6:30 pm

Come and Share: What is happening? What are your concerns? What can we do to make Bessemer better?

Come, and together we can make it happen.

There was a terrific thunderstorm at 6:20 that evening, and only about 10 people showed up for the meeting. Because there are people who would like to hear what the mayor has to say, and because often it seems unusual things happen at these meetings, I took my camcorder.

Before the meeting began the mayor came and sat down across the table from me, and asked me who I was representing now. He was aware that I used to write an opinion column for his media nemesis, The Western Tribune. I told him that we had a lack of media coverage in the city, and that I was representing myself and the people of Bessemer who are unable to attend his meetings. He replied that we didn’t need any more media, in fact there is still too much media.

I began to record when the meeting began. About 10 minutes later, this dialogue occurred (emphasis mine):

Mayor: I would appreciate it if you would not record that. I would appreciate it if you would not record it.

Joe: If I would not record. If I would not record?

Mayor: Yes.

Joe: Can I ask why?

Mayor: You can, but you're recording what we're saying right now. But I would appreciate it if you would not record it. This is inviting of the public, but it’s not a public forum and quite frankly I'm concerned about your motive for being here and the intent that you have of the recording.

Joe: Ok, I'll turn it off and leave.

I was not asked to leave, but I left of my own accord because I was trying to process what I viewed as an attempt to censor the media by a public official. I remembered that the Alabama Open Meetings Act included this statement in Section 6:

" A meeting of a governmental body, except while in executive session, may be openly recorded by any person in attendance, by means of a tape recorder, or any other means of sonic, photographic, or video reproduction, provided the recording does not disrupt the conduct of the meeting."

Was this a public meeting? I went home and did some research, then composed and sent this letter to the Western Star. The letter may be printed in today’s newspaper (I haven't seen it yet).

Dear Editor:

I attended the mayor’s town hall meeting on July 15 but I only stayed for about 10 minutes. I brought my camcorder with me, and was recording the meeting so that those who were unable to attend could hear what the mayor had to say. Elections are coming up, and we have very little recorded media here in Bessemer.

After speaking for a few minutes, the mayor asked me to turn the recorder off. I asked why, and he wouldn’t answer other than to say he questioned my motives. But he did add, “(this meeting) is not a public forum.”

“Town hall meeting” is defined as “an informal public meeting” where “everyone in a community is invited to attend, voice their opinions, and hear from public figures and elected officials.”

Just a week before I had attended a town hall meeting for Terri Sewell in West End where video was recorded by a progressive blogger, a Birmingham News reporter, and a television crew. This candidate, with nothing to hide and full of confidence, welcomed the media.

The mayor questioned my motives. I question his; wanting to keep the public from hearing what he has to say. One thing we know, this candidate does not believe in openness or transparency.

Joe Openshaw

This is not the first time the mayor has shut me up. At a council meeting in 2007 I stood before the group with pictures of abused dogs that had suffered while under the care of the Bessemer Animal Shelter. (Information here) I still have the pictures, (an you can see some of them here ) if anyone wants to see.

I was reporting to the council that the actions of the shelter management were afoul of the law, and at the mention of "Rev." Eades (the department head that oversees the facility) the mayor stopped me right there and I was not allowed to speak any more.

This is typical of the mayor who operates under the premise that if the people don't know, there is no problem.

The same thing happened earlier this year when the mayor refused to accept a check for dog food from a bingo operator (story at the second link above) even though dogs were starving in the shelter. The mayor said there had never been starving dogs there (although I have documentation that there has).

Were the mayor's actions at the Town Hall meeting illegal, according to Alabama law? I don't know, but when I said in my letter that this mayor does not believe in openness and transparency, I meant it.

Bessemer Downtown south getting a facelift

There are some good things going on around Bessemer, not the least of which is our upcoming elections. Here's hope for a clean slate of elected officials. Hey, Jefferson County is going to start afresh, why can't Bessemer?

Elections are August 24. Just a few weeks of skirting this issue and grandstanding on that issue, for those already in office and seeking re-election. I ran into some of that recently.

In the meantime, on the southern edge of downtown:

New Health Care Reform provisions being unveiled.

Support for Health Care Reform is increasing, as provisions of the act begin to become reality for people and they see improvements in their own health care situation and yet the world has not collapsed around them.

In the news today is that the Obama administration unveiled new rules about preventive services, which will be free. This means cancer screenings, counseling for overweight kids, diabetes and cholesterol screening, mammograms, flu shots and more.

But did you know that there are many more provisions of Health Care Reform being implemented this year?


Here are the provisons of the Affordable Health Care Act that are being enacted in 2010.


Prohibiting Denying Coverage of Children Based on Pre-Existing Conditions. The new law includes new rules to prevent insurance companies from denying coverage to children under the age of 19 due to a pre-existing condition. Effective for health plan years beginning on or after September 23, 2010 for new plans and existing group plans.

Prohibiting Insurance Companies from Rescinding Coverage. In the past, insurance companies could search for an error, or other technical mistake, on a customer’s application and use this error to deny payment for services when he or she got sick. The new law makes this illegal. After media reports cited incidents of breast cancer patients losing coverage, insurance companies agreed to end this practice immediately. Effective for health plan years beginning on or after September 23, 2010.

Eliminating Lifetime Limits on Insurance Coverage. Under the new law, insurance companies will be prohibited from imposing lifetime dollar limits on essential benefits, like hospital stays. Effective for health plan years beginning on or after September 23, 2010.

Regulating Annual Limits on Insurance Coverage. Under the new law, insurance companies’ use of annual dollar limits on the amount of insurance coverage a patient may receive will be restricted for new plans in the individual market and all group plans. In 2014, the use of annual dollar limits on essential benefits like hospital stays will be banned for new plans in the individual market and all group plans. Effective for health plan years beginning on or after September 23, 2010.

Appealing Insurance Company Decisions. The law provides consumers with a way to appeal coverage determinations or claims to their insurance company, and establishes an external review process. Effective for new plans beginning on or after September 23, 2010.

Putting Information for Consumers Online. The law provides for an easy-to-use website where consumers can compare health insurance coverage options and pick the coverage that works for them. Effective July 1, 2010.

(New on Bessemer Opinions is the "Read More" feature. Just click on "Read More" to see the rest of the article, which in this case reveals many more Health Care provisions.)

Bessemer politics move toward city elections

Politics never ends. Last night we celebrated a huge victory for the people of the 7th Congressional District and today we are right back at it beginning our coverage of the Bessemer municipal elections. Voting will take place August 24, as we select a mayor and council and school board members.

But first, a big congratulations to Terri Sewell. Terri won 8 of the 12 counties in the district, including Jefferson, where she trailed in the June 1 primary election.

Congratulations also to Lawrence McAdory who won another term as State House 56 representative, and to Annetta Verin who beat Dan King in the Circuit Court 12 race.

A call for leadership in Bessemer

In one of the more recent Birmingham mayoral elections (and there have been several) the Birmingham News published an editorial describing the characteristics their next mayor should have.

Let’s suppose that any mayor of any town should have those characteristics, and thus apply them to Bessemer.

1. We need a mayor who understands city finances and how to take control of the budget.

Bessemer’s finances are a mystery. For years there have been calls for an audit that would reveal where the tax money that the citizens of Bessemer fund the city with actually goes. The next mayor must not be shy. He or she must agree to a forensic audit. He or she should also present the budget to the council in a timely manner each year.

In 2008 the city council requested an audit. Then again, in 2009 the city council again requested an audit.

Time and time again, after such requests, nothing has happened.

Let’s just be blunt. The people do not trust the current administration, and it acts as though it has something to hide. Usually when someone acts as if there is something to hide, there is.

Usually.

An audit of the city finances in 2002 showed that the city was $600,000 in the red at the end of the fiscal year. By 2006, according to these articles, the city’s debt had mushroomed to $2.7 million. The citizens wonder what the financial situation is now.