Category Archives: David Sher posts

David Sher posts, Uncategorized

Nashville spits on Birmingham

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Up until a few years ago, our Chamber of Commerce (currently BBA), organized a trip of community leaders and politicians to visit other cities.  They were called the “BIG Trips,” and the purpose was to learn what works in other communities.

The Chamber over a seven year period visited St. Louis (2002), Baltimore (2003), Charlotte (2004), Nashville (2005), Pittsburgh (2006), Denver (2007, and Austin (2008).

We found these trips to be fascinating.  We heard about successes and we heard about failures, but it opened our eyes to the possibilities. Continue reading Nashville spits on Birmingham →

David Sher posts, Government structure

Let’s move to the suburbs and attack the City of Birmingham

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Do you listen to talk radio or read comments on al.com?

It‘s a steady stream of condemnation of the City of Birmingham by the folks who live in the suburbs.

Think about it…

A large number of our most educated and financially able citizens abandon Birmingham and then blame our City for being stupid and broke. Continue reading Let’s move to the suburbs and attack the City of Birmingham →

David Sher posts, Government structure

How can one document create so much havoc?

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My good friend, Michael Calvert, likes to remind me the Alabama Constitution is the only one in the world that contains the words “pick up truck.”

And it has a lot more words—340,136 to be exact—12 times longer than the average state constitution, 40 times longer than the U.S. Constitution.

About 90 percent of the document’s length, as of 2011, comes from its 854 amendments. About 70 percent of the amendments cover only a single county or city, and some deal with salaries of specific officials.* Continue reading How can one document create so much havoc? →

David Sher posts, Government structure, Uncategorized

Government structure is killing us

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3rd Ave N. looking east from 18th street; courtesy of the Birmingham Historical Society

 

After World War II, Birmingham and New Orleans were the top two leading cities in the South.  Now they’re at the bottom. New Orleans had Katrina.  What’s Birmingham’s excuse?

Birmingham’s centrally located in the South, is absolutely gorgeous, and has very smart, likeable people–as do other Southern cities.  Why have we performed so poorly?  Is there something in the water? Continue reading Government structure is killing us →

David Sher posts, Population

Can our suburbs survive if Birmingham is a donut hole?

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I live in Vestavia Hills—I don’t really want to live around a donut hole.

The numbers are frightening.

Birmingham’s population fell…