Birmingham mayor William Bell endorses Hillary Clinton in 2016

Birmingham Mayor William Bell was among 50 African-American city leaders to endorse the Democratic presidential bid of Hillary Rodham Clinton ahead of next year’s elections.

Tuskegee Mayor Johnny Ford and James Perkins Jr., the former mayor of Selma, also endorsed Clinton. Both are Democrats, as is Mayor Bell.

The endorsements come following Clinton’s visit to Birmingham on Saturday, to speak at the Alabama Democratic Conference‘s semi-annual convention in Hoover.

“Hillary Clinton is the most experienced and most respected presidential candidate bar none,” former mayor Perkins said. “In 2016, America has the chance to elect a candidate in Hillary Clinton who has been putting people over special interests throughout her entire career and I’m proud to throw my support behind her.”

“I am honored to have earned the endorsement of more than 50 African-American mayors across the country,” Clinton said, returning the favor in a statement. “Mayors are on the front lines of many of our country’s toughest battles.  They’re fighting to create jobs, rebuild our infrastructure, stop gun violence, and eliminate the inequities that tear communities apart.

“From the biggest cities to the smallest towns, what happens at the local level often leads to national change. Mayors make that happen. As president, I’ll always be a friend to America’s mayors.”

Bell, a longtime Birmingham pol first elected to the City Council in 1979, also endorsed President Barack Obama during his re-election campaign in 2012 and lined up beside him on policy initiatives throughout his administration.

Bell also appeared with the Rev. Jesse Jackson when the latter came to Alabama to denounce the announcement from Gov. Robert Bentley and the Legislature that cuts to that state budget would lead to the closure of several auxiliary DMV locations around rural parts of the state.