William Bell orders warrant for Marcus Lundy’s arrest withdrawn
In a new development in the so-called “Brawl at City Hall” covered by news outlets around the nation, Councilman Marcus Lundy is no longer on the lam, according to information first obtained by Alabama Today. Mayor William Bell has asked Birmingham Police to withdraw a warrant from Lundy’s arrest, a day after Lundy attacked the mayor after forcibly restraining him from leaving a room just off the City Council chambers, according to a police report. “Having been informed by the complainant that he desires the warrant to be, withdrawn it is hereby removed from active status immediately,” the order simply reads. “We are concerned about the overall good of the city and keeping up the positive momentum that we have seen over the past sever years. With that in mind, I have withdrawn my complaint,” explained Bell late Wednesday evening. Lundy had been charged with third-degree assault. The fight reportedly started after Lundy’s use of a city-owned car was revoked by the City. Lundy also charged Bell may have called Lundy’s employer, Regions Bank, and demanded his dismissal. Bell denies doing so.
UAB President Dr. Ray Watts to lead Birmingham Business Alliance in 2016
University of Alabama at Birmingham‘s President, Dr. Ray Watts has been elected Chairman of the Board of the Birmingham Business Alliance for 2016. A Birmingham native and graduate of West End High School, Dr. Watts earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering at UAB in 1976. He succeeds Mark Crosswhite, CEO of Alabama Power Co. “I am excited and honored to be serving as Chairman of the BBA in 2016,” said Dr. Watts. “We will build on the momentum our region has seen in recent years with strategic planning and investment and I think the result will be a powerhouse of innovation and economic development throughout our region and known around the globe. The BBA and UAB will continue to work closely throughout the year with our elected leaders and economic development allies to capitalize on our strongest assets and take our region to the next level.” “I also want to thank Mark Crosswhite for his strong support of our community and his leadership of the BBA in 2015, which has been exemplary,” Watts continued. “He has lent his wisdom and time to numerous complex regional issues and has worked hard behind the scenes to move our community forward in very positive ways.” Also elected were members of the BBA’s 2016 Executive Committee and Board of Directors. Each serves a one-year term. The 2015 officers are as follows: Dr. Ray Watts of UAB, BBA Chairman Lee Smith Jr. of BBVA Compass, BBA Chairman-Elect Fred McCallum of AT&T Alabama, Vice Chairman of Public Policy Craft O’Neal of O’Neal Industries, Vice Chairman of Finance Mark Crosswhite of Alabama Power Co., Immediate Past Chairman Brian Hilson is President and CEO of the BBA Bing Edwards of Balch & Bingham, Corporate Secretary
Daniel Sutter: Economic freedom in Alabama: no advance or retreat
The Fraser Institute this week released the 2015 edition of the Economic Freedom of North America, and Alabama’s economic freedom score remained unchanged. Like the proverbial partially filled glass of water, this could be viewed positively (at least we haven’t lost ground) or negatively. Economic freedom ratings try to measure how closely we approach a pure market economy, where people are free to order their economic lives as they wish. A market economy allows people to use their talents and knowledge to improve their lives, which generates prosperity. Two decades of research demonstrates that economically freer nations have higher levels of income, faster economic growth, lower unemployment, better environmental quality, and longer life expectancy. The differences in freedom due to state policies across the U.S. affect income growth, entrepreneurship, and business starts. The Fraser Institute scores range from 0 to 10 (most freedom), and the new scores are based on data from 2013. The freest state, New Hampshire, has a score of 8.2, while New York is last at 5.6. Alabama’s score remains at 6.9, the national average, and we rank 23rd, right in the middle of the pack. Over the past 15 years, Alabama’s score has closely tracked the national average. Our state’s score might surprise people who think that Alabama is a bastion of small government conservatism. A closer look indicates why this view is incorrect and where we might increase economic freedom. The rankings are based on three components: state and local government spending, taxes and tax rates, and regulation. Alabama’s spending score is average, while above and below average scores on taxes and regulation offset each other. The spending and taxes scores confirm what I call the “Spend but Don’t Tax” approach to state government. Alabama gets enough money from Washington to fund an average level of spending despite our low taxes. While this seems like a good deal, politicians seeking to take credit for government programs are unlikely to aggressively reduce the scope of government. Alabama’s scores on the components of taxes reflect our state finances. We have the highest economic freedom score for property taxes, due to the nation’s lowest state and local property tax burden. Our heavy reliance on sales taxes results in a below average score here, while we score above average on income taxes. Many policy experts, though, consider any state income tax to be a major impediment for economic growth. Regulation offers the most promising path to increased economic freedom. The minimum wage component of regulation, however, illustrates the complicated interplay between Federal policies and state economies. Even though Alabama does not have a state minimum wage, the Federal minimum of $7.25 an hour has a relatively large impact on our labor force because incomes here are below the national average. But the component which drags on our regulation score the most is government employment; Alabama has one of the nation’s largest state and local government workforces. New York and California have the least economic freedom. And yet New York City, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area are all home to industries that contribute mightily to our national prosperity and offer an excellent quality of life (if you like life in the big city). This may suggest to some readers that economists like me overrate the importance of economic freedom. The Fraser Institute scores measure freedom today. Industries like banking and finance, fashion, motion pictures, and computers developed decades ago, and reflect past economic freedom. Furthermore, economic freedom is just one of many things people value; restaurants, theater and the arts, and weather matter in addition to the ease of starting a new business. I suspect that politicians in New York and California have for years exploited these cities’ economic vibrancy and quality of life to hike taxes. We cannot recreate Manhattan or Silicon Valley in Alabama, but state politicians can increase economic freedom. Freedom will then produce new businesses, opportunities, and wealth. In time this will attract new people and improve the quality of life. Daniel Sutter is the Charles G. Koch Professor of Economics with the Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy at Troy University and host of Econversations on TrojanVision.
“Brawl at City Hall” garners national attention
The fight between Mayor William Bell and City Councilman Marcus Lundy that broke out Tuesday in City Hall – details of which were reported first by Alabama Today – has attracted the attention of the national press, as well as social media where the hashtag “#BrawlAtCityHall” amassed hundreds of Tweets. According to a police report first obtained by Alabama Today, Lundy attacked Bell in a break room adjoining the Council chambers, where a regular meeting of city of council was taking place. After forcibly stopping Bell from leaving the room by slamming the door shut, Lundy tackled Bell and “put him in a chokehold,” police said Tuesday. While both men were hospitalized with minor injuries, the report charges Lundy with one count of third-degree assault, calling him the aggressor in the confrontation. The story gained momentum nationally Tuesday afternoon and into the night, meriting reports from Reuters, ABC News, and the Associated Press. The fight broke out amid rumors that Lundy, who has often been at odds with the mayor’s office since first being elected in 2013, may try to run against Bell in a Democratic primary during the next mayoral election in 2018. Bell’s office recently revoked Lundy’s use of a city-owned car, citing a state law that may prohibit such use, and Lundy maintains Bell recently called his employer, Regions, and demanded his dismissal. Bell denies doing so.
Top 7 Twitter memes from Birmingham’s #BrawlAtCityHall
Things got a little physical Tuesday during a Birmingham City Council meeting between Mayor William Bell and Councilman Marcus Lundy. A fight over a consultant landed them both in the hospital and has garnered the Magic City unwanted much national attention. Being dubbed #BrawlAtCityHall, the hashtag referencing the fight has been used 561 times across the country, on Twitter alone, since the the fight broke out, according to data from Twitter analytics firm Keyhole. For the past 24 hours, Alabama Today has watched the Twitter reactions and we’ve seen some pretty epic 140-character Tweets. Here’s our top 7: 7. Tonight on RAW! The Mayor, William Bell vs Councilman, Marcus Lundy #BrawlatCityHall – https://t.co/nIQlBdSmdP pic.twitter.com/qSABGQFsCZ — Michael Tunnell (@MichaelTunnell) December 16, 2015 6. #BrawlAtCityHall Mayor Bell was in there like pic.twitter.com/PrNu9tVWZE — Aaron H (@alafishinwizard) December 16, 2015 5. #BrawlAtCityHall #Alabama #BirminghamPolitics #Birmingham pic.twitter.com/B3UK0qG1yI — René (@Naybug82) December 15, 2015 4. I’m gonna need a beer.. #BrawlAtCityHall pic.twitter.com/kmEiETVBQZ — Vulcan’s Beard (@VulcanB) December 15, 2015 3. This is what your face looks like when your bosses start fighting #BrawlAtCityHall pic.twitter.com/Om8Ywh9D6s — Madison Underwood (@MadisonU) December 15, 2015 2. #BrawlAtCityHall ????????? ?????? ? ? — Drew (@scog) December 15, 2015 1. #BrawlAtCityHall pic.twitter.com/iCdLQxABct — Matthew Churnock (@mattchurnock) December 16, 2015 This list has been updated.
Jeb Bush says Donald Trump ‘doesn’t have a plan’
Republican presidential candidate and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush says frontrunner Donald Trump didn’t come off as a strong leader on national security issues during Tuesday night’s debate. Bush appeared via satellite link on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program on Wednesday morning. The candidates participated in the fifth GOP debate, hosted by CNN, in Las Vegas. “We got to talk about substantive issues, about the future of our country and how we can keep our country safe and secure, and it was a commander-in-chief debate in many ways,” Bush said. “I don’t know if the front-running candidate fared that well in that kind of context. “You need a leader that can listen to people and draw people together to be able to create a strategy to keep us safe,” he added. “And his policies, what he’s advocated, just won’t do it. And I was pleased to be able to point that out and we had some exchanges that I think I won.” Host Joe Scarborough asked Bush where he thought he scored the most points. “Well, the simple fact is he doesn’t have a plan; he’s not a serious candidate,” Bush said. “…His policies aren’t serious proposals, and he didn’t offer anything compelling in response to that. And I offered, as did other candidates, significant, detailed proposals to protect the homeland.” But Bush still trails in fifth place in the polls with 5 percent, compared to Trump’s 38 percent, according to the latest Huffington Post survey average. He noted that Iowa voters are “latched on to a particular candidate today but by February 1st when the caucuses start they could easily vote for somebody else.” “Similarly, in New Hampshire, the exact same phenomenon takes place,” he said. “This is a wide open race … If you go campaign hard in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, you can move the needle and that’s exactly what I intend to do. “I want to make the case that I am ready from day one to be President of the United States and that I will keep our country safe, and that I have the detailed policies to make sure that’s the case,” Bush said. “As people get a sense of my determination to do that, I think I’m going to move up in the polls.” Trump, appearing last night on MSNBC’s Hardball, continued to rule out an independent run and said he would support the GOP nominee if he loses. “I would do that, with enthusiasm,” Trump told host Chris Matthews. “I mean, I’ve gotten to know most of them pretty well. I like a lot of them. I can’t say I love everybody but I like a lot of them. And I respect quite a few of them.”
Debate takeaways: Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio mix it up, as do Jeb Bush, Donald Trump
Nine Republican presidential candidates took the stage Tuesday night for a debate that focused almost exclusively on foreign policy. But the gathering of White House hopefuls in Las Vegas shaped up as a pair of mini-match-ups: One debate unfolded between the 44-year-old senators, Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida. And in a surprise rumble, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush went hard after billionaire real estate mogul and GOP front-runner Donald Trump. And Trump, by the way, promised anew he’d stick with the GOP. He says he’ll pass on running as a third-party or independent candidate. Here’s a look at those moments and some of the other key take-aways from the last GOP presidential debate of the year. CRUZ AND RUBIO RUMBLE The back-and-forth between Cruz and Rubio erupted at several points throughout the evening. First, the duo tangled over the federal government’s bulk collection of phone data via a program that began after the 9/11 attacks and was recently ended by Congress. Cruz defended his vote against the program, saying it gave law enforcement too much unchecked power. When Rubio responded by calling the program a necessary tool to protect the country, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul jumped in to retort that he is “completely wrong.” Cruz and Rubio also sparred over how best to combat the Islamic State. Cruz reiterated his position that the U.S. needs to use “overwhelming air power to utterly and completely destroy ISIS.” Rubio dismissed that plan by saying that doing so “is not to lead at all.” Rubio said terrorists cannot be defeated only by airstrikes, arguing a ground force primarily made up of Sunni Arabs is also needed to beat back the Islamic militants. The two also tussled over immigration, with each accusing the other of changing his tune on the contentious topic. “I understand that Marco wants to raise confusion,” Cruz charged. BUSH GOES AFTER TRUMP As the two-hour-plus debate opened, Bush said Trump’s proposal to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the U.S. is “not serious” and would make the country less safe. Then came a punch: “Donald is great at one-liners, but he’s a chaos candidate and he’d be a chaos president.” The audience “oohed” at the jab, and a visibly agitated Trump responded that Bush was only attacking him “because I’m leading and his campaign has been a total disaster and nobody cares.” The two candidates later ended up in a tense exchange that wandered far from the foreign policy questions at issue. “If you think this is tough and you’re not being treated fairly, imagine dealing with Putin,” Bush said, referring to Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Trump’s reaction was to remind Bush of the wide gulf between them in preference polls. “You started off here,” Trump said, gesturing to his place at the center of the stage where the leaders in the polls stand. “You’re moving further and further. Pretty soon you’re going to be off the end.” Bush leveled one more insult at Trump later in the debate, saying the political novice bones up on foreign policy by watching television. “Just two months ago he said that Hillary Clinton would be a great negotiator with Iran,” Bush said. “And he gets his foreign policy experience from the shows. That is not a serious kind of candidate. We need someone that thinks this through. That can lead our country to safety and security. “ OTHERS PASS ON POKING TRUMP Despite enticements from the CNN moderators, both Rubio and Cruz pointedly declined to go after Trump — even on his proposed Muslim ban. Both said they understood where he was coming from, but that the policy simply wouldn’t work. “Everyone understands why Donald has suggested what he has,” Cruz said. He promoted his own legislation as more appropriate and narrowly focused. His bill would suspend for three years welcoming refugees from countries where the Islamic State has a large footprint. Asked about recent statements they’ve made about each other, Trump and Cruz both played nice. Trump said Cruz has a “wonderful temperament,” reaching over to give him a little pat on the back. And Cruz said it’s up to voters to decide if Trump is capable to serve. TRUMP PLEDGES LOVE TO THE GOP Trump’s debate performance was like that of his first four — not particularly splashy. However, near the end of the debate, Trump delivered a series of assurances that he’s a Republican. “I’m totally committed to the Republican Party,” he said. “I’m honored to be the front-runner.” That’s a drastic change from the first debate, when Trump alone raised his hand to show that he wasn’t willing to swear off running as an independent. Even in recent days, Trump has warned that he might do so if he feels the Republican Party isn’t showing him enough respect. A third-party or independent run from Trump would be a nightmare for the GOP, providing a huge boost to the Democratic nominee in the general election. CHRISTIE REACHES FOR THE SPOTLIGHT After his relegation to the undercard debate last time out, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie sought to make the most of his return trip to the main event stage. Christie frequently addressed the cameras directly — a different strategy than most of the others. He also repeatedly referenced his time as a federal prosecutor, saying he was the only one who’d dealt with issues related to terrorism. He said New Jersey was constantly under threat of attack in the years after 9/11, and he had to make decisions about “whether to use actionable intelligence.” Christie mocked the senators running against him, and the Senate, in general, for “endless debate about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.” Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Donald Trump says he’s ‘totally committed’ to GOP
Donald Trump says he’s now ‘‘totally committed to the Republican party’’ and won’t run as an independent if he’s not the GOP nominee. Trump was responding to concerns that he would stay in the race as an independent if another Republican wins the nomination, and send Hillary Clinton to the White House by splitting the conservative vote. The business mogul says he’s gained great respect for the people he’s met during his candidacy and is honored to be the front-runner. He says he’d ‘‘do everything in my power to beat Hillary Clinton.’’ Trump famously refused to rule out an independent run during the first Republican primary debate in August. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Conservative group calls for tax reform in City of Mobile
A pro-business group called Ad Hoc Committee on Growth and Growth Analysis has issued a call for tax reform in Mobile. Conservative writer and activist Quin Hillyer presented the group’s platform to the City of Mobile Tuesday, saying the city’s “grossly imbalanced” tax structure is slowing down growth in The Port City. The committee faults the city for relying too much on broad sales taxes, which experts say are regressive, and not enough on more predictable property taxes. According to a report prepared by the group, “sales taxes (when combining local, county, and state) are… effectively tied for the highest in the nation… while its combined property taxes are among the lowest 9 percent in the country.” “Broad-based sales taxes are at least marginally more deterrent to growth than property taxes and other common taxes,” the report reads. Mobile sales taxes are even more regressive than in most states, according to the group, because unlike many other jurisdictions groceries and other necessities are not exempted, which means those who spend a greater percentage of their income on those items carry more of a burden. Cutting the sales tax and replacing it with marginally higher property taxes would give average Alabamians a little more breathing room while not gutting city coffers, who may even stand to gain net revenues from such a shift. “A 2003 study by the Beacon Hill Institute, specifically focused on Mobile, found that cutting a penny of sales or gross-receipts tax would, within four years, result in extra economic growth strong enough that city government would recoup 28 percent of the revenue originally ‘lost’ by the cut. In other words, a penny tax is such a deterrent to the economy growth that (extrapolating for today’s numbers) cutting the penny would result in a ‘loss’ to city coffers not of approximately $30 million, but only as little as $22 million,” said the report. Towards that end, the Ad Hoc Committee put forth two recommendations: to cut the city’s sales tax by half a penny and replace those revenues with a fee for garbage collection, and cut another half-penny and replace that “(and provide an extra $4 million) with a ten-mill property tax, upon a vote of the public, with the money dedicated (and guaranteed public-infrastructure fund divided equally among the seven Council districts.” The group proffered a public referendum on the change to help enact those changes. The language they proposed is as follow: The City of Mobile is hereby authorized to hold a public referendum, at the earliest available opportunity, to the following effect: Shall the city be permitted to levy an additional 10 mills of ad valorem tax, its proceeds allowed and only allowed for the purposes of public infrastructure spending divided equally among the seven City Council districts, and renewable once every four years upon approval in a subsequent public referendum each time, with each subsequent referendum held automatically without further action by the state Legislature – – Provided that, the first time the millage is approved, the city shall be prohibited from charging a local sales tax of more than 4 percent for the duration of the first millage; – Further provided that, upon each subsequent, automatic referendum for this purpose, the Mobile City Council may or may not, at its discretion and upon approval of five of its seven members, attach a sales tax limitation provision of any kind. Pursuing their logic even further, the group is in favor of a constitutional amendment to effect similar changes at the state level, though they are careful to say such a move should be in addition to, rather than instead of, the municipal changes outlined above. That proposed language, called “The City of Mobile Home-Rule Amendment,” is as follows: This amendment shall be styled “The City of Mobile Home-Rule Amendment.” Shall the city of Mobile, notwithstanding any other provision of the state Constitution in effect before 2015, be allowed through the year 2030, as a local “laboratory of democracy,” to exercise authority to adjust or create any revenue measure approved by five members of its City Council and approved by its Mayor, without petition to or approval by the state Legislature; – Provided that any increase in the total local ad valorem assessment, above that existing at the time of the adoption of this amendment, shall automatically be subject to a referendum among those citizens within the jurisdiction of the millage, at the next regularly scheduled election, or at a special-election called by the Council and Mayor within 18 months of Council approval of the millage?
