I may be sorry I wrote this column.
Any time I write a piece that might be perceived as negative to Irondale, I’m attacked by unhappy Irondale citizens. (I respect their pride and loyalty)
However, in this particular case, I don’t know if Irondale is the devil or an angel. Continue reading Is Irondale gouging us?
Okay, I should have titled this column, “How Trussville, Adamsville, Hueytown, and Pleasant Grove mucked up Birmingham’s future.”
I’m repeatedly surprised by the animosity between our suburbs and the City of Birmingham.
The lack of trust between our City and its suburbs continually plays havoc with our progress. Continue reading How Trussville mucked up Birmingham’s future
ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.
Today’s guest blog was written by Peter Wright as response to “Sometimes you have to laugh at Homewood.
If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
Thanks for all you do for the City of Birmingham, but as a member of Homewood City Council, I have to respond to your most recent article about “laughing” at “dumb” ‘ol Homewood for looking at a bus service of its own. Continue reading Homewood kicked to the curb for trying to do the right thing
When I first saw the headline, my instinct was to laugh.
But after a few seconds I began to weep uncontrollably.
We and our Birmingham suburbs are sometimes so dumb you might think we all graduated from “Dumb School.”
While progressive southern cities make big-picture transformative decisions, we scurry back into our municipal silos and think small.
Here’s the headline… Continue reading Sometimes you have to laugh at Homewood
Vulcan has a problem–a serious problem!
I find this distressing since I have a soft spot in my heart for this not so lovable Roman God.
I can’t imagine a Birmingham without Vulcan…and no other city in the U.S. or abroad has anything like him.
This 50-ton cast iron statue (the largest in the world) was a meaningful part of my childhood.
When I was a boy, I remember the slow/squeaky elevator ride up to the viewing platform where I was rewarded with a stunning view of Birmingham. Continue reading Does anyone give a damn about Vulcan?
ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.
Today’s guest blogger is Brad Toland. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
It’s no secret that Birmingham has radically undergone a change of identity over the last several years. New developments are happening so quickly that it can be hard to keep up with them all.
However, just like the fifteen year old that decides to attempt personal reinvention over the summer, sometimes the changes aren’t necessarily for the best in the long run, and need to be carefully considered with a focus on long term impacts. Continue reading How Birmingham can become a major player on the world stage
I love to read positive national stories about Birmingham…and there have been a lot of them lately.
So I couldn’t wait to read the article in City Lab titled, “How Birmingham thrived despite a county bankruptcy in Alabama’s largest city–a story of economic confidence in an unlikely place.”
“A story of economic confidence in an unlikely place.”
Yes, the piece bragged about Birmingham. It described how we’ve thrived since the Jefferson County’s bankruptcy.
But then the author hit us in the face with a pie… Continue reading National publication embarrasses Birmingham
Last year who would have predicted that Donald Trump might win the Republican Primary?
Last year who would have thought that Bernie Sanders would still be giving Hillary Clinton heartburn?
People have become so unhappy with the status quo that they are willing to vote for outsiders and non-traditional candidates.
It’s become totally impossible to predict elections and that may be true for Birmingham also.
ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.
Today’s guest blogger is Maury Shevin. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
There are two Birminghams.
At least two.
The historical reason for our two Birminghams is known to most of us. Our history of racial segregation and economic colonialism is pretty widely known. The result of Birmingham operating under those conditions for nearly all of its first 100 years, has left people of good intentions trying to overcome a terrible legacy–a legacy of unprincipled abuse leads to a world of fear and doubt and mistrust.
How can any white man, in a suit, be trusted? Continue reading Why a divided Birmingham can’t survive
What’s wrong with Jefferson County?
We suffered through a very public bankruptcy and then had a parade of County Commissioners convicted of crimes–with many serving jail time.
We’re now paying the price with punishing sewer rates that are projected to increase for the next 40 years.
How did we get ourselves into this mess?
Are Jefferson County politicians more corrupt than others? Continue reading How we in Jefferson County got screwed