On Tuesday, Birmingham residents will go to the polls for the city's runoff elections to decide three city council seats and three school board races. Runoffs are required when no candidate gets a 50.1% majority in the primary election.
Birmingham is one of the cities that does not follow the state's standard election calendar, which held runoff elections last month.
In the race for City Council District 4, Brian Gunn led incumbent J.T. Moore in the August 26 election. Moore was arrested for driving under the influence last year in Mobile. He was found in a city-owned vehicle. A CBS 42 report at the time said, "Police believe Moore was headed back to Birmingham. Police assert Moore had a blood alcohol content of 0.12, which is above the legal limit. Law enforcement does not know why Moore was driving a city vehicle in Mobile County."
"He did inform them he was a council member with the City of Birmingham," Creola Police Chief Shane Stringer said, according to the outlet.
For District 8, April Myers Williams led Sonja Smith in the primary to replace Councilor Carol E. Clarke, who did not seek reelection.
In District 9, incumbent LaTonya Tate led former State Rep. John Hilliard.
For the City of Birmingham school board, District 2 incumbent Neonta Williams had 642 votes, or 26.2 percent, to challenger Terri Michal, who had 1,177, or 48 percent. Michal is seeking to return to the board after being defeated by Williams in 2021.
Antwon Womack led the District 8 race after the August 26 election, over Pamela Bass.
Yamika Foy will face Eric Hall, co-founder of the Birmingham Black Lives Matter movement. Hall previously ran for city council and lost the election. Despite Birmingham's violent crime rates, he continues to make cashless bail a priority. He posted to Facebook, "Elect proven Leadership to represent our District and Push Back against corporate-backed charter school interests. Unlike others, I'm not being supported, coached, or funded by those with connections to charter…I Believe In Birmingham City Schools!"
Mayor Randall Woodfin weighed in on three races, posting his support for Sonja Smith for City Council District 8, Pamela Bass for School Board District 8 and Yamika Foy for School Board District 9.
"I've worked alongside these women. I've seen their commitment to our communities. They care deeply about our youth, our neighborhoods, and our future," Woodfin wrote in a Facebook post.
"If you believe, like I do, that Birmingham deserves leaders who put people first – then make a plan to vote," Woodfin wrote.
Polls open Tuesday at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.
According to the city's election website, new City Council members will take office on October 28.
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