ELAINE HARRIS SPEARMAN: Birmingham mayor has tough job, deserves support
Many cities across this country could be used to illustrate a tale of two cities. Certainly, I believe that the mayor of Birmingham, Alabama must feel that way sometimes.
The mayor is a lawyer whom I have high regard for. Although I have not met him personally, he has impressed me as a not-too-jovial fellow with his delivery on television. He does appear to have a strong sense of doing what is right for the city of Birmingham.
While I have heard unverified criticism of him, that comes with the territory. I do not live in Birmingham or a suburb of the town. I did not involve myself in either of his campaigns.
However it goes, Birmingham has an important place in American history, as well as world history. The name of Police Commissioner “Bull” Connor of Birmingham made Alabama have an indelible spot in the annals of world history.
We may have been in Gadsden, Alabama, but what happened in, or continues to happen, in Birmingham affects all of us, one way or the other.
Birmingham is a scant 65 miles south of Gadsden. It is generally a harrowing 58-minute drive for Gadsden residents heading there for medical care at the veterans hospital, the University of Alabama at Birmingham medical facilities, the airport, shopping, dining out, or a concert.
Small towns have good living advantages, but sometimes offerings in a larger city appeal to the human psyche.
The city of Birmingham is the most populous in the state and continues to be the recipient of federal dollars for a myriad of public improvements. The city of Birmingham has become a darling of a variety of sporting event promoters and college sporting events.
With all of these laudable things happening, the traffic, not to mention the number of accidents occurring morning, noon and night causes one to wonder if it is worth driving there, no matter the reason.
The drivers in and around Birmingham are downright scary and give you the feeling that they are in a constant state of rage. Using turn signals to change lanes does not appear to impress drivers. They will in fact, speed up. It is worthy of prayer to attempt to “get over” to another lane.
It is extremely hard to absorb the violence that seems to occur on a weekly basis in Birmingham and the surrounding areas. Many of the violent acts are shootings that appear senseless, and many times involve deaths of children and innocent drivers and bystanders.
The shootings that many times result in death puts a cloud over a city that appears to have a sincere leader with a sincere desire to improve and grow the city that he governs.
As to that mayor, I watched him on mainstream media make an earnest appeal to teachers in the Jefferson County school district. His angst and sincerity were palpable.
His appeal came on the heels of the extremely poor reading scores released for the school district.
He begged teachers who are “lazy, don’t want their jobs anymore, except for a paycheck, to please leave.” The mayor fully understands that everyone who teaches is not meant to be a teacher.
Education has become a difficult area. Amid mass school shootings, and students bringing weapons to school, it is more than a notion. School boards are beyond being what they once were. Parents want to establish the curriculum, and you have groups demanding that they ban books from libraries, school and otherwise.
Principals and superintendents come and go. There are varying opinions about whether they produced a result that was wanted, and whether any had an intended effect that matters.
School board membership is not a popularity contest, or an opportunity to only exercise personal views and desires. The future and growth of Americas greatest product, its people, are dependent upon the educational system in this country.
You cannot demand of others what you don’t do yourself. Reading and writing, which includes spelling, must be fundamental. This is seen daily in the desire of any mayor to create a workforce to attract industry.
Teleprompters cannot help a newscaster who cannot read and pronounce words. I support the position taken by the mayor of Birmingham, Alabama.
Elaine Harris Spearman, Esq., a Gadsden native, is an attorney and is the retired legal advisor to the comptroller of the City of St. Louis. The views expressed are her own.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Elaine Harris Spearman on Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin
