MAYORAL CAMPAIGN HEATS UP WHEN FIVE LEADING CANDIDATES ANSWER YOUNG BIRMINGHAM’S TOUGH QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE CITY

Leading candidates Attorney Emory Anthony Jr., Jefferson County Commissioner William Bell and Birmingham City Councilman Steven Hoyt face off answering the tough questions December 3rd 2009 at 6:00 p.m. at The Highland Conference Center, Vulcan Conference Room, 2012 Magnolia Avenue Birmingham, AL 35205.

Candidates Attorney Emory Anthony, Jr., Jefferson County Commissioner William Bell, Sr., Attorney Patrick Cooper, Birmingham City Councilman Steven Hoyt and Interim Mayor Carol Smitherman were invited to participate in this debate.  To date, Attorney Anthony, Commissioner Bell and Councilman Hoyt have answered the call.

The city of Birmingham finds itself at a crossroads. A few weeks ago a lively debate about the future of Birmingham politics broke out at downtown’s Surin West. The result? A group of young, working Alabamians decided to make their voices heard and organize a debate of the five leading candidates.  This informal group, led by Tracie A. Todd, included young African American lawyers, grass-roots organizers, bankers, teachers, politicians, and business professionals. The group has coined itself, “The Birmingham Roundtable.”  The Roundtable, in contrast to other groups/organizations, decided to host only the five leading candidates in an effort to effectively discuss the serious issues facing the city.

The Roundtable is dedicated to engaging young adults in the political and civic communities.  The number of participants is swelling as young adults are joining The Roundtable’s grass-roots campaign to put our generation’s voice back into the debate. Now is the time to get involved.  Join us at The Highland Conference Center on December 3, 2009 at 6:00 pm and evaluate our next leader. Calling all young adults in the city! It’s our turn to ask the questions.

This event is brought to you by The Birmingham Roundtable, a group of informed young citizens. We are always looking to add new voices and perspectives. If you are interested please contact Tracie A. Todd at tracietodd9@hotmail.com.