William Bell

William A. Bell, Sr (born 1949 in Birmingham) represents District 1 in the Jefferson County Commission. He was a long-time Birmingham City Council representative and was appointed in 1999 to succeed Richard Arrington, Jr as interim Mayor of Birmingham.

Bell grew up in Titusville and is a graduate of John Carroll Catholic High School. He earned his Master's degree in psychology and guidance counseling from UAB and a Juris Doctorate from Miles College.

Birmingham City Council

Bell was first elected to the City Council in 1979, representing District 5. He was elected City Council president in 1985, becoming the first African-American to hold that seat. He was re-elected to that position in 1987 and again in 1997.

Early in his career, Bell was known for his outspokenness. He made headlines by openly criticizing Birmingham's support for events at the segregated Shoal Creek Golf Club in 1990.

Bell and Jefferson County Commission member Jeff Germany were jointly found to have failed to report their investments in a business that benefitted from City and County votes in which they took part. A year later, their lobbying on behalf of the Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority was determined to violate state ethics laws. Both cases were dropped.

In 1994 Bell ran for the County Commission, but his qualification to run was questioned because redistricting had left his house in College Hills outside the district in which he was running. To satisfy the residency requirement, Bell rented a room at the Pickwick Hotel and then moved into Quinlan Castle. During the campaign, which he lost to Chris McNair, Bell fractured his leg in a scuffle with a private investigator who caught him mowing the yard at his regular residence.

Mayoral election

Bell served briefly as interim Mayor of Birmingham after the retirement of Richard Arrington in 1999, and entered the 2001 Birmingham mayoral election as a decided favorite. However his move to the mayor's office left Arrington's Jefferson County Citizens Coalition without a voting majority in the Council, opening the way for opposing voices in the chambers which made Bell seem ineffective.

Bell's mayoral campaign raised over $1 million, placing him far ahead of any other candidate. He won the most votes in the general election, but was forced into a primary with Bernard Kincaid, who had 27%. In a stunning rally, however, Kincaid bested Bell 51% to 49% in the runoff.

Return to the Council

Bell returned to the position of City Council President, where he was accused of actively disrupting the mayor's ability to perform his job.

The most significant accomplishment of Bell's council tenure was his plan, dubbed the "Bell Plan", to sell the assets of the Birmingham Water Works to the Birmingham Water Works Board for $200 million in cash and the assumption of outstanding debts for water infrastructure and school construction. The plan drew mixed reactions, but ultimately passed. Funds from the sale enabled the city to embark on a program of capital improvements to Birmingham City Schools.

Bell subsequently lost his Council seat in the 2001 Birmingham City Council election to newcomer Elias Hendricks in a vote that was widely interpreted as supporting Kincaid over the incumbent council.

Return to the Council

Bell ran for mayor in 2003, finishing in third place behind Kincaid and Carole Smitherman. Remaining debts from that campaign were at the heart of a lawsuit won in 2006 by Bill Attaway, who is currently collecting monthly garnishment from Bell's salary.

Bell successfully challenged Hendricks for the District 5 Council seat in 2005 and returned to the council in the role of "elder statesman", keeping his opinions to himself except to make procedural points or to plea for more unity and decorum. The exception occurred in 2006 when he addressed fellow Councilor Roderick Royal as a "little twerp."

Bell serves on the Council's Transportation and Communication Committee and the Public Safety Committee. He claims the following accomplishments in his official biography:

• Intstrumental in implementing the council consent agenda for expediting approval of non-controversial initiatives.
• Assisted in funding development of a fitness track and mini-park at Legion Field.
• Responsible for Park Place, the first Hope VI project in downtown Birmingham.
• Generated more than $197 million for Birmingham schools and $87 million for UAB capital improvements through the "Bell Plan".

File:Bell 2007.JPG

Bell put his name in as a candidate for the 2007 Birmingham mayoral election, and earned endorsements from the Fraternal Order of Police Birmingham Lodge No. 1 and the Firefighters Association Local 117. He finished fourth in the 10-candidate field, recording 3,505 of the 52,111 votes cast (6.73%).

2008 County Commission race

Saying that his only opportunities remaining in the City Council were to serve as an "almanac", Bell decided to seek new challenges and opportunities by running for the Jefferson County Commission seat vacated by new Mayor Larry Langford. He pledged to work for senior citizens services and to protect Cooper Green Mercy Hospital from possible sale. He also said he hopes to win more regional support for transit improvements and will be able to work with the Republican majority on the Commission. He won the special election with an outright majority of votes and planned to take office as soon as the count was certified, regardless of the actions by Governor Bob Riley to fill the post by appointment. Riley's appointment of George Bowman was, however, upheld by the courts.

Bell ran for the seat again in the 2008 general election. He ran unopposed as Bowman did not secure enough signatures on a petition to appear on the ballot. He was sworn in on November 12, 2008. Under a reorganization plan drafted by Commission president Bettye Fine Collins and approved by the commission, Bell became president pro-tem and took over some committees formerly overseen by Jim Carns. Bell's vacant City Council seat will be filled by a council appointment.

Outside politics

Bell was a founding member of the Birmingham Construction Industry Authority and 100 Black Men, a mentoring group. He has served on the boards for the National League of Cities and the Metropolitan Adversity Coalition. His other memberships include the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, the Birmingham Retired Teachers Association, and Operation New Birmingham.

Bell is married to the former Sharon Carson and has two children William, Jr and Jillian, both graduates of Ramsay High School and the University of Alabama. He is a member of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church and also sings in the Sixth Avenue Baptist Church male chorus.

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Preceded by: (at large)	Birmingham City Council 1979 - 1989	Succeeded by: (at large)
Preceded by: (at large)	Birmingham City Council District 5 1989 - 2001	Succeeded by: Elias Hendricks
Preceded by: Eddie Blankenship	Birmingham City Council President 1997 - 2001	Succeeded by: Lee Loder
Preceded by: Richard Arrington	Mayor of Birmingham (interim) 1999	Succeeded by: Bernard Kincaid
Preceded by: Elias Hendricks	Birmingham City Council District 5 2005 - 2008	Succeeded by: Johnathan Austin
Preceded by: George Bowman	Jefferson County Commission District 1 2008 -	Succeeded by: -

References

• Bryant, Joseph D. (June 17, 2007) "Bell announces he'll run for mayor." Birmingham News
• Bryant, Joseph D. (September 2, 2007) "Hopefuls have just weeks to win votes." Birmingham News
• Bryant, Joseph D. (September 19, 2007) "Bell advances new image in 3rd run for mayor." Birmingham News
• Bryant, Joseph D. (September 27, 2007) "Bell accused of shirking old debt." Birmingham News
• Bryant, Joseph D. (January 29, 2008) "Bell touts his experience in seeking Jeffco commission seat." Birmingham News
• Wright, Barnett (February 6, 2008) "Birmingham City Councilman William Bell elected to Jefferson County Commission District 1 seat." Birmingham News
• Bryant, Joseph D. (November 12, 2008) "Bell, weighing legacy, moves from council to commission." Birmingham News

External links

• Bell's council bio at birminghamal.gov
• William Bell for Mayor website
• William Bell for Mayor on MySpace.com
• Bell's responses to a Birmingham News questionnaire for the 2007 mayoral election