Who is Allen Treadaway, the new Birmingham Assistant Chief of Police?
On Monday, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin announced LAPD-veteran Patrick Smith is the city’s new Chief of Police. He also announced State Rep. Allen Treadaway would be the new Assistant Chief of Police. In the past 24 hours there’s been a lot of talk about who Smith is, but not so much about Treadaway. Which is why Alabama Today wanted to take a closer look at the new Assistant Chief of Police. Background in law enforcement Treadaway attended Jefferson State Community College before attending the Birmingham Police Academy where he received his Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission. Since graduating, he’s served on the Birmingham Police Department since 1989. He is a past president of the Birmingham Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 1. In 1992, he was recognized as the Officer of the Year by the City of Birmingham and was named the Most Outstanding Member of the Year by the Alabama State Fraternal Order of Police for 2004-2005. Until his new appointment, Treadaway served a Birmingham Police Captain, in command of the East Precinct, which includes the Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport. There, he worked with approximately 170 officers. Prior to that, he served as Captain of the Crimes against Poverty unit, Lieutenant of the Burglary and Auto Theft units and Sergeant of the Auto Theft unit and South Precinct. Politics Treadaway was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in November 2006 to represent House District 51. He won his party’s nomination in the Republican primary in a runoff against Vicki Self Bailey and was unopposed in the November general elections. He’s maintained the position eve since. He often uses his first-hand experience in law enforcement to sponsor and co-sponsor legislation involving law enforcement issues. House Speaker Mac McCutcheon named Treadaway chairman of the State House Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security in Dec. 2016. Personal life He is a past director of Toys for Tots and a current Board member of the Birmingham Retirement and Relief System. Treadaway and his wife Susan live in Morris, Ala. with their four children: Erin, Tyler, Ally and Cody. His family made headlines earlier this year when they tragically lost their fifth child, a daughter, Kelsey Marie Treadaway — 31, the volleyball coach at Mortimer Jordan High School — in a car accident. They are members of Enon Baptist Church.
Birmingham mayor Randall Woodfin taps Patrick Smith as new police chief
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin named Patrick Smith, a former Commander in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), as the new chief of police for the city during a press conference Monday afternoon. Smith, a Tuscaloosa-native, has more than 27 years law enforcement experience. He began working for the LAPD in 1990 as as officer. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 20017, and in 2010 was promoted to Captain. Most recently in 2015 he was promoted to Commander of the Police Sciences and Training Bureau where he oversaw all aspects of police training for the LAPD from recruit training to in-service training for tenured officers Shortly after the announcement, the Birmingham Police Department tweeted their welcome to the new chief. “Welcome aboard Chief Patrick D. Smith. We look forward to your leadership!” the department tweeted. Welcome aboard Chief Patrick D. Smith. We look forward to your leadership! pic.twitter.com/ScAgdF1SxU — Birmingham Police (@BhamPolice) June 4, 2018 The search for the Magic City’s new police chief began back in February with the city collecting applications from Feb. 1 to March 9. More than 50 candidates – both locally and across the nation – applied for the position. Those applicants were winnowed down to 11 finalists were invited to take part in an assessment process on March 19. There, participants were asked to handle a series of realistic leadership situations. Once those candidates completed the assessment process, a detailed review of their performance was conducted and the three finalists were selected, which Woodfin interviewed himself last month. Shortly State Rep. Allen Treadway, a veteran of the Birmingham Police Department, was named assistant chief. Watch Woodfin’s announcement below:
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn may bid to buy Birmingham’s Energen
There’s buzz around the Magic City that billionaire investor Carl Icahn is considering a bid to buy Birmingham-based oil and gas producer Energen Corp. Outlets across the country have begun to speculate as well. “Activist investor Keith Meister on Monday reunited with billionaire investor Carl Icahn and said in a regulatory filing that they may try to buy oil and gas producer Energen Corp,” wrote Svea Herbst-Bayliss for Reuters. “The announcement comes roughly two months after the Birmingham, Alabama-based company settled a long-simmering fight with Meister’s New York-based hedge fund Corvex Management by agreeing to review its businesses and adding two members to the board.” The Reuters’ piece continued, “Now Meister and Icahn have laid out a path where they might step into the strategic review process and prepare to take over the company themselves.” Cara Lombardo and Allison Prang at the Wall Street Journal back up the considerations. “Activist investors Corvex Management LP and Carl Icahn say they are potentially interested in buying oil-and-gas company Energen Corp.EGN 6.46% , according to a securities filing,” the duo wrote. Why Energen? Energen operates exclusively in the Permian Basin of west Texas and New Mexico and is focused on return-driven growth from the drilling and development of multiple horizontal shale formations in the Delaware and Midland basins using its Generation 3 frac design. As of July 1, 2017, the company has identified 4,116 net engineered, unrisked, potential drilling locations in the Delaware and Midland basins with an estimated 2.5 billion barrels of oil-equivalent, net, undeveloped resource potential. And the company is doing well for itself in 2018. Energen’s net income more than tripled to $118.9 million, or $1.22 per share in the first quarter of the year, from $33.4 million, or 34 cents per share, just a year ago. “In the first quarter of 2018, Energen built on the strong execution, growth, and financial strength it demonstrated in 2017,” said James McManus, Energen’s chairman and chief executive officer. “In short, we are extremely pleased with our performance in the quarter and confident that Energen is well-positioned to continue delivering strong results and creating shareholder value.”
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin endorses Walt Maddox for governor
Talk about a game-changer. Birmingham Mayor and media darling Randall Woodfin threw his support behind Tuscaloosa Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Walt Maddox in a joint press conference Thursday afternoon. “From Mobile to Muscle Shoals, from Dothan to Decatur, from Woodlawn to West End. Alabama we deserve better… It is my great privilege to offer my endorsement and my support to Walt Maddox to be the next Governor of the great state of Alabama,” said Woodfin. Maddox thanked Woodfin before taking the mic himself. “Mayor Woodfin’s election last year was an indication that Alabama is standing on the threshold of a new generation of leaders. A generation of leaders that are focused on social, economic and environmental justice. Leaders who are focused on transparency and accountability. Leaders who are focused on results and not rhetoric. Leaders who transcend petty politics and the differences who once divided us. And leaders who believe in the future,” said Maddox. “Mayor Woodfin is a leader who believe all of those things and I am honored beyond measure to have his endorsement.” Following the press conference, Maddox took to Facebook to share the news; “Extraordinarily honored to have the endorsement of Mayor Woodfin! #MaddoxMomentum,” he posted. Watch the endorsement below:
Birmingham’s Randall Woodfin takes a stand against racism in his city
In 1963, Birmingham, Ala. was a KKK stronghold. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. went so far as to describe it as America’s worst city for racism, calling it America’s most segregated city. Flash forward 55 years and the city is still a hotbed for racism in America, struggling to move beyond race-driven politics and ideologies. The issue was front and center Tuesday when Mayor Randall Woodfin decided he wasn’t going to stand for it anymore. The issue Birmingham mega-church, Church of the Highlands announced plans to move a satellite campus into an inner-city, high-crime area of the city last month. Local Pastor Michael Jordan of New Era Baptist Church on Cotton Avenue SW, didn’t approve of the church coming into “his” neighborhood. He posted a message on a sign outside of the church saying, “Black folks need to stay out of white churches” on one side. “White folks refused to be our neighbors,” read the other. “Whites left the inner city. They carried their churches with them and they moved to the suburbs. White folk have proved they don’t want to live next door to us or be our neighbors, or worship with us,” Jordan rationalized to WVTM 13. “Now they want to plant a white church in a black neighborhood under the umbrella of supposedly to fight crime. The real reason Church of the Highlands wants to put a white church in a black neighborhood is they have too many black folks at their main campus and they want them to leave and come to a church in their inner city.” At the end of the interview with WVTM 13, Jordan made a final plea to “every African American who attends a white church.” “Leave now, ” he said. “Come to your mainstream black church. Your focus is different. Our cultures are different. The white institutional church is under watch, because they elected a promiscuous, racist President that’s building walls.” Woodfin takes a stand But Mayor Woodfin didn’t appreciate Pastor Jordan’s message. He took to Twitter on Tuesday to call him out. “There is a spirit of racism and division that is over this city. It must be brought down. We have to change the conversation to what we need it to evolve into. “Darkness can not drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate can not drive out hate; only love can do that,” Woodfin tweeted. There is a spirit of racism and division that is over this city. It must be brought down. We have to change the conversation to what we need it to evolve into. “Darkness can not drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate can not drive out hate; only love can do that.” pic.twitter.com/QuNGjqYrjS — Randall Woodfin (@WoodfinForBham) May 15, 2018 Jordan’s history with controversy Jordan has found himself in the midst of controversy before. The 26-year pastor posted a sign last year saying, “Undercover racist elected Trump” (sic) read one side, and on the other, “Trump deceived poor white folks.”
Organizations cut from proposed budget, ask Birmingham City Council to reconsider
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin presented his budget plans for 2018-2019 last Tuesday, which included cutting funding for neighborhood organizations, asking them to instead partner with the city and spend money they already have in the bank. Woodfin made the cut in order to prioritize neighborhood revitalization by increasing funding for demolition and weed abatement, sidewalks and paving roads. “Over the last several years, more than $3.7 million in tax dollars have piled up in those association accounts untouched,” Woodfin told city councilors last Tuesday. “We’ve redirected this year’s allocation to directly invest in neighborhood revitalization…. We challenge the neighborhood associations to work with us, with the existing funds they have to address weed abatement, demolition and other neighborhood improvements.” On Monday, the Birmingham City Council held a public hearing allowing citizens and organizations to voice their opinions about the proposed plan. There, neighborhood association officers from across the city stood up requesting to be included back in the budget. Bettina Byrd-Giles, chair of Birmingham Sister Cities — a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering international and intercultural relationships as well as community relations in order to facilitate foreign direct investment and economic development in Birmingham — stood making such a request. “We have been defunded. Our budget has been cut in the budget that presented on Tuesday… I’m here asking that you reconsider and put us back into the budget,” Byrd-Giles said before the council. Mary Lynn Bates, vice president of Bridge Ministries — a faith-based non-profit that fights homeless and serves those in need — said the funding for their organization was also cut. “I think the city needs all the help it can get to help people who are in crisis and we have a lot of expertise on that and it’s a shame if the partnership doesn’t go forward,” said Bates. Council President Valerie Abbott said the council is not in 100% agreement with Woodfin’s proposed budget, which is why they’re holding meetings to hear from those affected by the cuts. “You want to know what regular people think and a lot of the groups that were here to bring to our attention that they had not been funded,” explained Abbott. “We’ve been hearing from a lot of their supporters and there were a lot more people in the audience than spoke, so obviously a lot of people had supporters out there.” The 2018-2019 budget will go into effect July 1. Video of the full hearing below:
Birmingham, Huntsville rank among America’s top 100 places to start a career
With graduation season upon us and employers planning to hire four percent more graduates from the Class of 2018 than they did from the Class of 2017, the personal-finance website WalletHub on Tuesday released its report on 2018’s Best & Worst Places to Start a Career. According to the report, which lists the top 182 U.S. cities to start a career, two Alabama cities made it into the top 100 places to start a career: Birmingham ranked 68th and Huntsville 76th. In order to determine the best cities in which to launch a career, WalletHub analysts compared the 182 cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across two key dimensions, “Professional Opportunities” and “Quality of Life.” Birmingham has far more professional opportunities than Huntsville, coming in 33rd place with Huntsville ranked 88. But when it comes to quality of life, Huntsville surpasses Birmingham. Ranked 77th, while Birmingham takes home an abysmal 158th. Meanwhile, Mobile, Ala. was ranked among the worst cities studied, coming in 172nd place — ranked 160th for professional opportunities and behind Birmingham on quality of life, ranked 171st. See how Birmingham and Huntsville compare to the rest of the country: Source: WalletHub
Birmingham city council looks to expand parking meter payment options
The Birmingham City Council is looking into expanding payment options for the city’s 4,500 parking meters. Members of the Birmingham, Ala. community are very familiar with being put in a situation where they are desperately pulling together change from their purses, wallets, cars and pockets to feed the meter. But in some parts of the city, scrounging up $0.50 will only buy you 30 minutes; if the meter expires before you get back, you might find a $15 parking ticket on your windshield. That’s why Chairman of the Birmingham transportation committee and city Councilman Darrell O’Quinn is exploring new mobile payment methods to pay for parking meters. In early April, O’Quinn met with two companies to investigate new payment methods. O’Quinn met with Parkmobile LLC, a mobile app that allows users to pay for parking meters using credit cards or pre-loaded funds, and Paybyphone; another mobile app which allows users to pay using not only their mobile device, but would also allows parkers to call a 1-800 number posted on a meter, or a nearby kiosk, and respond to the payment prompts. O’Quinn told Bham Now that Parkmobile doesn’t usually charge municipalities for its service model. If you make it easier to pay for parking, more people will pay; and more payment options could mean more revenue for the city, O’Quinn told NPR. According to city officials, nearly 40 percent of parking tickets distributed don’t get paid, resulting in thousands of dollars in uncollected parking fines every year. Broken meters, another source of lost income for the city, would also be subject to the new payment methods, if instituted. O’Quinn plans to test these electronic payment options over the next few months in hopes of getting good feedback from residents before the city makes any changes.
Three of Alabama’s Big 5 cities rank in top 4% of cities with the most student debt
College graduates owe around $1.521 trillion in student loans — a depressing figure for the many graduates who leave school with debt that exceeds their income. Among those American cities with most student loan debt are three of Alabama’s Big 5 cities. According to a new study by personal finance website WalletHub, Tuscaloosa, Montgomery and Montgomery rank among the top four percent of American cities with the most student loan debt. Taking the top spot of the most student debt in the Yellowhammer State is Tuscaloosa. Ranked in the 98th percentile of cities studied (99th percentile is the highest). Following closely behind each in the 96th percentile are Birmingham and Montgomery. To determine the cities where Americans are most over-leveraged on their college-related debts, WalletHub analysts divided the median student-loan balance in 2017 by the median earnings of adults age 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree in 2,515 U.S. cities. Here’s what they found in Alabama: Student debt in Tuscaloosa (99th percentile = highest): Median student-loan balance: $25,993 Median earnings of Bachelor’s degree holders: $41,257 Ratio of student debt to median earnings of Bachelor’s degree holders: 63.00% (98th percentile) Student debt in Montgomery (99th percentile = highest): Median student-loan balance: $25,490 Median earnings of Bachelor’s degree holders: $42,964 Ratio of student debt to median earnings of Bachelor’s degree holders: 59.33% (96th percentile) Student debt in Birmingham (99th percentile = highest): Median student-loan balance: $24,514 Median earnings of Bachelor’s degree holders: $41,335 Ratio of student debt to median earnings of Bachelor’s degree holders: 59.30% (96th percentile) Other key findings 42% of students say credit card debt worries them more than student loan debt. 63% of college students say their school is not doing enough to educate them about personal finance. 1 in 3 college students think they’ll be worse off financially than their parents. 1 in 4 students say excellent credit is worth more than a college degree.
Jefferson Co. Commissioner, breast cancer survivor Sandra Little Brown highlights local breast cancer partnerships
Three years after Jefferson County Commissioner Sandra Little Brown fought her own battle with breast cancer and won, she’s still working to help increase awareness about the life-threatening disease. On Friday, she joined forces with St. Vincent’s Health System to host a community breakfast to highlight local partnerships that are doing their part in helping improve breast cancer awareness, research and care in the Birmingham metro area. Speakers at the event included: Veronica Wehby-Upchurch | Executive Diector of Susan G. Komen North Central Alabama Dr. Bo Xu | Chair of the Oncology Department at Southern Research Beth Bradner Davis | Executive Director of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama Susan Sellers | President of St. Vincent’s Foundation Caroline McClain | Manager of Forge Breast Cancer Survivor Center Brenna Powell | Chief Strategy officer at St. Vincent’s Health System. Local partnerships The program highlighted the work of Forge Breast Cancer Survivor Center, which is a collaboration between all Birmingham area hospitals, the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, and other community partners. Forge’s creation was first announced in 2014. “This program brings together Birmingham’s wonderful healthcare resources with the goal of improving support and care for all people who have been diagnosed with breast cancer,” said Caroline McClain, manager of Forge Breast Cancer Survivor Center ahead of the event. “Forge works locally and in rural communities to remove barriers to care and gaps in service; navigate survivors and their families through diagnosis, treatment, and beyond; and support and educate healthcare professionals. Forge is constantly evolving to meet the ever-changing needs of survivors, their families, and the health systems. We are proud to provide exactly what they need, when they need it, and how they need it.” The event also highlighted two Birmingham-based entities: Southern Research and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama, that are working to advance knowledge and develop new therapies for breast cancer. Susan G. Komen’s North Central Alabama chapter discussed its work with local organizations and individuals to raise awareness about breast cancer, which is one of the most common cancers among U.S. women. Breast cancer facts The American Cancer Society estimates that 266,120 women across the country this year will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and almost 41,000 will die from the disease. The Cancer Society estimates that 3,760 of those cases and 670 of those deaths will be in Alabama. Early detection and proper treatment can reduce the risk of dying from breast cancer. Over the past 20 years, progress in treatment and early detection has led to improved survival for people of all ages, races and stages of breast cancer. But experts say work remains to be done to ensure women are aware of the importance of regular screening and have access to tests that can find breast cancer early, when the chances of survival are highest. Increasingly, attention also has been focused on the importance of continued follow-up care even after breast cancer treatment has been completed. Survivors may need ongoing emotional support, and their treatment may leave them at higher risk of other conditions, such as heart disease, that require ongoing attention. “It’s exciting to see the work being done right here in our own community to meet all the needs – from raising basic awareness, to finding new treatments, to providing the best possible care over the long term,” said Brown. “There is more work to do, but we are making progress every day.”
Gardendale’s Grayson Phillips named one of America’s top 10 youth volunteers of 2018
A senior at Essential Church School, 18 year old Grayson Phillips of Gardendale, Ala. started a nonprofit at only 15 to buy all-terrain power wheelchairs for disabled children and young adults that allow them to safely navigate the great outdoors with their peers. On Monday, Phillips efforts earned him national recognition. Selected from a field of more than 29,000 youth volunteers from across the country, Phillips has earned the title of National Honoree by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, along with a personal award of $5,000, an engraved gold medallion, a crystal trophy for his school, and a $5,000 grant from The Prudential Foundation for a nonprofit charitable organization of his choice. Phillips, who was born with spina bifida, knew all too well the frustration of not being able to easily follow his fellow Boy Scouts during campouts and other outdoor activities. “I was constantly getting stuck in the mud or in the sand in the woods and on the beach in my manual wheelchair,” Phillips said. But after raising money to buy his own Action Track chair and seeing how dramatically it changed his life, he wanted others with disabilities to experience the same freedom. Thus, he created the nonprofit. To publicize his organization and fundraising events, Phillips created a website, utilized social media, sent out press releases, and set up a booth at outdoor expos. He asked local businesses for donations, and spoke at schools to recruit volunteers. Thus far, Phillips has provided all-terrain power wheelchairs worth more than $84,000 to seven people who have a passion for the outdoors, but not the money to buy their own. They include a Mississippi girl with cerebral palsy who loves the beach, a girl in North Carolina who now can go hunting, and an Alabama boy who used his new chair to help clean up his community during a church service day. “It is important to me to help as many disabled kids as possible get outdoors because I know what it feels like to experience independence for the first time,” explained Phillips. State honorees Also honored this week in Washington, D.C., was Katherine Huggins, 14, of Florence, Ala. who was presented a state award. Grayson and Katherine were named Alabama’s top youth volunteers in February, and were officially recognized last night at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History along with the top two youth volunteers in each other state and the District of Columbia. At that event, each of the 102 State Honorees for 2018 received $1,000 awards as well as personal congratulations from Olympic gold medalist and World Cup champion Lindsey Vonn. The honorees each also received engraved silver medallions and all-expense-paid trips with a parent to Washington, D.C., for this week’s recognition events. Huggins, a member of Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama and an eighth-grader at Wilson High School, delivered 25 clear storage containers filled with small stuffed animals to every volunteer fire department in her county so that firefighters could give them to children suffering the effects of fire, car accidents and domestic upheaval. In the past, Huggins had donated some of her own stuffed animals to local fire and police departments to send out with officers and firefighters on calls involving children. But last year, she and a friend who also loves stuffed animals decided to do more. They came up with the idea of collecting and donating new and gently-used stuffed animals for all of their county’s volunteer fire departments to deliver. “I knew the city had programs, but the county did not,” explained Huggins. “I felt it was important that the kids in the county have a comfort item.” To get local fire departments on board, Huggings met with fire officials and spoke at two meetings of the county firefighters association. Then she made flyers and posted them around town to solicit stuffed animal donations. She enlisted the help of friends and family to collect the animals, which she washed, sorted, and packed into 25 clear storage containers labeled “Tender Hearts.” The containers were then delivered to fire stations throughout the county so that officials responding to emergencies would have a furry friend to leave behind with a frightened child. The project has since led Huggings to other volunteer opportunities, including making a fire safety poster, donating stuffed animals to a library, and supervising activities for young children. Prudential Spirit of Community Awards The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards is a national youth recognition program sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). “These honorees exemplify something we’ve known for a long time – that young volunteers have the power to bring meaningful change to their communities,” said John Strangfeld, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, Inc. “These students have shown leadership and determination well beyond their years, and it’s a privilege to celebrate their service.” “Through their acts of service, these honorees drive home a powerful lesson for their peers: that one student really can make a difference,” added Daniel P. Kelley, president of NASSP. “We are honored to shine a spotlight on the compassion, drive and ingenuity of each of these young volunteers.” Phillips was among 10 national honorees.
Randall Woodfin outlines $436M budget proposal, $8M increase from 2018
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin on Wednesday outlined his plans to city council for Birmingham’s 2019 operating budget, which calls for an $8 million increase over 2018’s. “It’s a new day in Birmingham. Not just through the budget process, but with how we spend tax dollars. The budget we have created falls in line with our core values and commitment to neighborhood revitalization. It represents some difficult and responsible decisions that must be made to support our priorities,” Woodfin said to the councilors. Woodfin proposed a $436 million dollar budget, that focus on five broad areas from which to work: Personnel: Includes a one percent cost of living adjustment for city employees, as well as the continuation of longevity pay. Also eliminates 133 vacant positions, saving the $4.7 million. Operations: Establishes a Preventive Maintenance Program with a plan to address the needs of the city infrastructure. Will begin with an initial investment of half a million dollars. Overtime: Identifies opportunities to reduce overtime costs through efficiency and accountability. New standards for the funding of boards and agencies: All non-departments must submit budgets that focus more on programs and services for the residents of Birmingham and not primarily to support salaries. In addition, an internal audit process of all contracts will be put in place. Neighborhood revitalization: Creates new standards to support our absolute priority of neighborhood revitalization. Reflects demands to increase funding for demolition and weed abatement, sidewalks and paving roads. Establishes of the Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity, and a priority will be set for an increase and support in small business growth in our neighborhoods. Woodfin explained the budget review process began in January. “We held three days of departmental training, which followed with the request forms to be returned and reviewed by the Budget Office at the end of February,” the mayor explained. “Throughout this process, there were two critical messages. Each department must prioritize needs over wants. There were no sacred cows. Nothing is viewed as untouchable… the positions we have taken demand accountability from within the departments and non-departments.” Woodfin said he plans to present his budget at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, ahead of a May 20 deadline as the 2019 fiscal year begins July 1. Read a full transcript of the mayor’s plan here.
