1. I’m not involved with Cooper’s campaign (unless you consider my membership in his Facebook group a strong connection).

2. I do; however, believe you are involved, in some capacity, with Bell’s camp. Your posts smack of political rhetoric and is tinged with quirky catchphrases that illicit thoughts of cheesy campaign commercials (e.g. “vote for William Bell…for the good of the city…” I rest my case).

3. What do I think about Cooper’s voting apathy? Absolutely nothing. Why? He openly acknowledged it and, while I don’t particularly agree with the philosophy, I can certainly understand how he (and thousands of fellow citizens) could become disenchanted with the entire political process when, for the past few years, the choice for mayor has been between Barney Fife and Gomer Pyle.

4. I don’t care that Cooper missed the forum. Why? Because, I’m willing to bet that every major candidate has missed at least one mayoral related forum/function/event at one point or another during their campaign. And your case about Cooper not wanting to be around “regular folk” is unbelievably weak. Cooper stayed one week in a housing project around, what I believe you would call, “regular folk.” Not to mention, some would argue that those who attended the Botanical Gardens forum where Cooper’s base since the location is surrounded by Mountain Brook, Homewood, and upscale portion’s of Birmingham. Hardly what you’d describe as “regular folk.” And in case you’re still wondering, NO, Cooper has not purchased my vote. I don’t even reside in Birmingham proper!

5. And who gives a d-mn about his divorce? You’re speculating and making baseless accusations and, quite frankly, I find it appalling. I don’t care if they divorced because he misplaced the vacuum cleaner — it’s their business and they chose to keep it private. End of story. And let us not pretend that Bell has a perfect slate as well. I won’t bring up any of his previous “issues” since I’m not in the mud slinging business, but for future reference, please use a little more ethical behavior when discussing the qualifications of a candidate. I prefer to deal with facts and sound reasoning, not hearsay and innuendos.

what do you think about Cooper not voting in the past 5 years or so? This type of apathy truly concerns me and I imagine that you should be considered as well. How can someone, who hasnt taken time to participated in past elections, decide that he can change the city as mayor? Seems like there is an ulterior motive to his actions. Moreover, shouldn’t mayoral candidates be required to have a history of participating in the democratic process prior to becoming mayor? If Cooper becomes mayor, will he only participate in voting for issues when they are only of interest to him? I just hope he can remember to vote this time since he has not been to his polling place in 5 years.

Another question, what do you think about Cooper missing the Forum at the Botanical Gardens? I guess he does not have time for the “regular folks” in Brimingham? Some say that Cooper has already bought these votes anyway…has he brought your vote too?

And why is Cooper’s divorce “closed to the public?” What do you think about this? This is clearly not a normal practice. Look at it simplified…Cooper gets divorced and less than one year later Cooper’s ex-wife is remarried. Why this quick turnaround? His ex-wife obviously noticed a flaw in Cooper…maybe this is something we should all know about as well. Maybe Cooper lied too much, or cheated, or just was not a trustworthy person…these are all common causes of divorce. I understand that a divorce is a personal issue, but are these qualities of a person who will move Birmingham forward? And does Cooper may have more to hide? I guess only time will tell. Maybe next interview we will learn more about the motives of Cooper for mayor.

So if you still want to help Cooper (since you’re so closely involved with his campaign anyway)…Google directions from his house to his polling place.

Ron

Ron, 2 points.
Performance based bonuses are not illegal, but generally do require a renegotiation of the relevant union contract-and this isn’t usually a hard-sale :)

The more interesting issue you raise is a criticism of where certain ideas come from. I find this interesting because I think one of the key problems affecting the leadership in Bham is “terminal uniqueness”, the idea that we’re so special others lessons just don’t apply here. Because really, who has a truly original idea anyway? Scholarships? Domes? Mass Transit? Crime problems? Nothing there plenty of other cities haven’t faced and dealt, successfully or unsuccessfully.

Finally, I can’t tell you how many people have made that same remark about how great William Bell sounded….but.

Cooper is yet to come up with an original idea in this campaign. It appears that he has taken ideas from New York, Atlanta, and even ideas from Mobile, AL, in an attempt to compile his “master plan” for the city of Birmingham. While theoretically this is a great idea, in reality, this plan is flawed. It is one built on a weak foundation. What will Copper do when a problem arises in Birmingham and there is no example to copy from other cities? Or when there are no other outside financial sponsors (i.e. Charles Barkley) to spark economical development?

Cooper will be forced to engage in the active process of thinking; he will have to come up with an original idea. When this happens, Copper’s foundation will begin to fall. He will have no idea what to do? Why you ask? Because he has no experience in public office.

Cooper may have to actually get help from people in the city of Birmingham. But how will he do this when he only relies on advise from other cities.

Deon, remember when you go to the polls on Oct. 9 that this is Birmingham, not Atlanta, New York, or Mobile. If you want the best for this city, you will vote for William Bell…for the good of the city.

And Deon, for the record, I am a college student, you clearly are many years my senior. Do not feel that any of these comments are personal attacks. I can also tell by your guarded comments in the previous post that you are closely connected to Cooper’s campaign therefore my efforts may fall on deaf ears, but for other non-bias readers of this site they will be more informed about our current candidates.

First, concerning Bell’s plan to fight crime, he, himself, said during the debate that he had a “one-point plan” to, and I’m paraphrasing, “run the thugs out of Birmingham.” If Bell’s plan has more meat to it – which I’m sure it does – he certainly failed to convey its details to the citizenry.

Cooper’s plan, from my understanding, is modeled after NYC’s highly successful CompStat intiative. Given the amount of information provided by both candidates concerning their crime prevention strategies, I see no other choice than to support Cooper. Also, I’m willing to believe that if Cooper’s plan was illegal, that issue would have been brought up by now.

Second, I take offense when you suggest I’m falling for Cooper’s “smoke and screens.” Without any hard evidence, statements such as these pass as nothing more than political rhetoric and only helps to water down your points and opinions. The fact that he has no experience in Birmingham politics doesn’t erode the value of his ideas and strategies. Some would even say his inexperience is a good thing.

Third, I am not blaming Bell for Kincaid’s missteps. As I said earlier, Bell has done wonderful things for this city — I am quick to acknowledge that. However, Bell, in my opinion, has not done an adequate job of conveying his thoughts for improving Birmingham’s business climate. Again, I emphasize, this is my opinion.

Cooper is the only one who seems remotely knowledgeable concerning today’s business climate. And no other candidate has even touched on the need to establish a redevelopment authority (RDA). That move alone would address a lot of the issues this city has in promoting redevelopment. The lack of an RDA is one of the primary reasons the Railroad Park is dragging along and the proposed HOPE VI development around the Civil Rights District was shelved.

Fourth, I seriously doubt money was a motivating factor concerning Williams’ decision to support Cooper instead of Bell this election. Williams supported Bell in 2003 when he, if memory serves me correctly, wasn’t the top fundraiser. Moreover, I’m not sure where the opportunity for Williams to “get paid” is. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the article in the News only stated that Williams is supporting Cooper, not working for his campaign.

With all of that said, I think Bell is a great person; however, I believe Cooper has been the most proactive in terms of getting his message heard. Regardless of who you vote for, I am pleased to see someone take an active interest in Birmingham politics. Take care, Ron and good day.

And did you know that Cooper’s plan against crime is ILLEGAL! You can’t give bonuses to the “good” police officers without giving a bonus to every police officer unless the rules and regulations have changed in the past hour and I haven’t heard about it. (Please let me know if they have, but I highly doubt this has occurred.) Don’t fall for Cooper’s smoke and screens; he does not know what he’s talking about regarding the city of Birmingham. He has no experience in public office!

And Bell has not been given a chance as mayor to improve the hostile business environment in Birmingham. Do not blame Bell for Kincaid’s mistakes as mayor. Even in these hostile conditions, look at all of ‘the many accomplishments Bell has either spearheaded or contributed to’ as you stated above. Do these not mean anything?

Finally, you mentioned that Charlie Williams is on Cooper side now. No one in Birmingham is surprised by his actions or other like him. These people will go where the money is, and where there’s an opportunity to “get paid.” If you, Deon, were a candidate in this election and had the most money to spend, Williams and “the gang” would be on your side as well.

But here is my question to you, why are you letting issues like Charlie Williams impair your ability to choose the right candidate anyway? After last night’s debate, as I stated in a previous post, there appears to be only one candidate with a legitimate plan for the city of Birmingham. I am voting Bell…for the good of the city.

Now, I am in no way attempting to undermine or call into question the many accomplishments Bell has either spearheaded or contributed to. However, given Birmingham’s precarious situation, I cannot support Bell for mayor at this time. Interestingly enough, Bell’s longtime friend and Druid Hills president, Charlie Williams, who worked on his two previous mayoral bids, agrees. Williams is supporting Cooper in this election.

Thank you!