Birmingham Mayor Bernard Kincaid announced today that he would run for re-election. Surrounded in his office by his trademark green campaign signs, Kincaid made the announcement to the media after the Tuesday city council meeting.

Now that he is campaigning, Kincaid said he would more aggressively take credit for the things that have happened during his last eight years in office.

“It is now very important that I speak in first person singular, so that it is understood that a lot of the developments that happen in the city start in the mayor’s office,” Kincaid said.

The mayor compared his record against his opponents’ promises as a story of the “tortoise and the hare.” The green campaign signs displayed his new campaign slogan: “Moving Forward Honestly.”

The mayoral election will be held on Oct. 2, eight weeks from Tuesday. The mayor faces opposition from Council President Carole Smitherman, Councilor William Bell, Councilor Valerie Abbott, Jefferson County Commissioner Larry Langford and Birmingham attorney Patrick Cooper.

— Kyle Whitmire