Tag Archives: homewood

Guest blogger

This Homewood millennial’s commute will surprise you!

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Mike Mahon
Mike Mahon

ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.

Today’s guest blogger is  Mike Mahon.  If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.

My name is Mike Mahon.

My wife and I live in Homewood.

I grew up in the Birmingham area, graduated from the University of Virginia, and work as an investment banker in downtown Birmingham.

I’m an ordinary guy—but a recent improvement to my day-to-day routine has been raising a surprising amount of curiosity from people. Continue reading This Homewood millennial’s commute will surprise you! →

David Sher posts, Government structure

The letter everyone in Homewood & Mountain Brook should read

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Letter to Homewood & Mountain BrookBirmingham and Atlanta were about the same size in 1950.

Have you ever wondered why Atlanta grew and Birmingham stagnated?

In 1959, the Mayor of Atlanta sent us a letter spelling out how Birmingham could be a great city.

We paid no attention.

Continue reading The letter everyone in Homewood & Mountain Brook should read →

Birmingham School System, David Sher posts, What's great about Birmingham

Birmingham: the next Homewood?

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Homewood City Hall
Homewood City Hall

The City of Birmingham could be the next Homewood.

Homewood is one of the most livable and popular cities in Alabama.

Young folks are flocking into Homewood.

Young folks also are flocking into Birmingham.

But Birmingham has a problem…
Continue reading Birmingham: the next Homewood? →

David Sher posts, Government structure

The dreaded words Mtn. Brook and Vestavia parents don’t want to hear

19 Comments
Old Mill in Mountain Brook
Old Mill in Mountain Brook

I walked into the restaurant and ran into an old Mountain Brook friend.

He greeted me with, “There’s David Sher, Mr. Birmingham–who’s always pushing for metropolitan government…

…You know when that will happen–when hell freezes over!”

Continue reading The dreaded words Mtn. Brook and Vestavia parents don’t want to hear →

Government structure, Guest blogger

Homewood kicked to the curb for trying to do the right thing

5 Comments
Peter Wright, President Pro Tem Homewood City Council
Peter Wright, President Pro Tem Homewood City Council

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 →

David Sher posts, Government structure

Sometimes you have to laugh at Homewood

8 Comments

Birmingham busWhen 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 →

Corporate community, David Sher posts, Government structure

How to extort money from City of Homewood

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Target
Homewood gave Target $10 million in incentives to open store at Brookwood Village

We have a little game us business people play in Birmingham—and we’re darn good at it.

When it’s time to renew the lease on our building—we go to our home city or surrounding cities and demand money.

And it’s so easy to do.  There are 35+ municipalities in Jefferson County and if you are large enough or important enough—some local government will throw money at you. Continue reading How to extort money from City of Homewood →

David Sher posts, Government structure

Our good friends in Homewood should fund Railroad Park

6 Comments
Railroad Park
Railroad Park

The big controversy currently is whether the City of Birmingham should fund maintenance for Railroad Park.

I love Railroad Park as do many of you.  Almost everyone agrees it has been the catalyst for just about everything good that has happened to Birmingham since it opened.

First there was Railroad Park, then Regions Field, the Rotary Trail, and a then an unending list of announced projects.  When the modern history of Birmingham is written, it will be clear that Railroad Park changed everything. Continue reading Our good friends in Homewood should fund Railroad Park →

David Sher posts, Government structure

Let’s flush 5.27 million dollars down the toilet

4 Comments

I’m sure you saw the headlines…

Birmingham considering $5.27 million in tax breaks to keep Serra Automotive in town

“Tracey Morant-Adams, the city’s economic development director, said the city faces competition from nearby suburbs, including Trussville, necessitating action from Birmingham. The proposed project agreement also notes that competition Continue reading Let’s flush 5.27 million dollars down the toilet →

Uncategorized

Let’s spend $125 million stealing from one another

8 Comments
Birmingham Steel Mills 1910-1919--Birmingham was known as the Pittsburgh of the South

Birmingham has always been known as a “steel” town.  Now we should be known as the “steal” town.

While our peer cities are recruiting companies from other regions, we steal businesses from each another. Continue reading Let’s spend $125 million stealing from one another →