Category Archives: Government structure

Birmingham is dying—a rebuttal to an editorial attacking black elected officials

PHOTO BY CHRISTINE PRICHARD--Donald Watkins, a lawyer for Richard Scrushy, in this file photo talks on his cell phone as he approaches the Hugo Black Federal Courthouse.
PHOTO BY CHRISTINE PRICHARD–Donald Watkins, a lawyer for Richard Scrushy, in this file photo talks on his cell phone as he approaches the Hugo Black Federal Courthouse.

By David Sher

On November 18, Donald Watkins published a column on his website entitled, “Birmingham is Dying.”

I immediately began getting e-mails from ComebackTown readers looking for my reaction. Continue reading Birmingham is dying—a rebuttal to an editorial attacking black elected officials

Can Birmingham put Humpty Dumpty back together again?

Brenda Starnes
Brenda Starnes

Brenda Starnes is guest columnist today.

I have the unique experience of having lived and worked in Nashville, Charlotte, and Birmingham.

I love Birmingham—that’s why I moved back—but Nashville and Charlotte have one big advantage over Birmingham. Continue reading Can Birmingham put Humpty Dumpty back together again?

How to turn around a shrinking Jefferson County

Jefferson County

A graph of Jefferson County’s population over the past 50 years looks eerily like the EKG of a dead man.

It’s a straight line that goes neither up nor down. It lays dormant like a dead body.

Unfortunately that flat line now appears to represent the good ‘ole’ days. Continue reading How to turn around a shrinking Jefferson County

Jeffrey Bayer—Time to rethink Birmingham

Jeffrey Bayer
Jeffrey Bayer

Today’s guest columnist is Jeffrey Bayer.

If you’d like to be a guest columnist, please click here.

Our new COVID-19 world!

What do we worry about first?

…our personal health?

…our financial survival?

…the huge deficits being created by our federal government?

But there’s one additional worry specific to our Birmingham region. Continue reading Jeffrey Bayer—Time to rethink Birmingham

Birmingham mayors prove to the world we’re not bonkers

BonkersPaying attention to feedback from others with a broader point of view often offers insight.

That’s particularly true when it’s The Economist, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Brookings Institution, and the Milken Institute. Continue reading Birmingham mayors prove to the world we’re not bonkers

Gardendale, Irondale, & Fultondale: The devil made us do it!

The devil
Drawing by Adam Stermer

The national media continue to beat us up–First The New York Times and now The Wall Street Journal.

In December of last year, The New York Times wrote a piece subtitled, “Nashville and others are thriving…while cities like Birmingham, Ala., fall behind.”

Continue reading Gardendale, Irondale, & Fultondale: The devil made us do it!

Could be the biggest day in modern Birmingham history

Jefferson County population 1970-2017
Jefferson County population 1970-2017

April 3, 2019 could be the biggest day in Birmingham history.

This is not an exaggeration.

Our region has historically been plagued with distrust and dysfunction. Continue reading Could be the biggest day in modern Birmingham history