City deadlocked on mayor, pro tem spots

By Grace Lovins

Birmingham City Commissioners remain deadlocked over the selection of a new mayor and mayor pro tem after two rounds of voting during the Monday, November 9, meeting resulted in 3-3 ties, leaving the city’s current leadership in place.

Prior to the start of the regular meeting, commissioners held a workshop to discuss the election process and their interest in serving in either position. City attorney Mary Kucharek explained that four votes would be required to elect a candidate, but in the event of a tie, they would continue with the existing leadership until a majority is reached.

During the workshop, mayor Clinton Baller said he would be seeking reelection for another year, noting that building relationships with city staff and regional organizations takes time. “An experienced mayor, one who has settled into the position, brings strength to the commission and therefore brings strength to the community,” he said.

Commissioner Brad Host also sought a term as mayor arguing that he would bring more transparency to the commission and its operations. As discussions took place during the workshop, Host and commissioner Andrew Haig took jabs at Baller, with Host claiming he had “bad manners” and Haig arguing Baller talked too much. Baller was also criticized by two residents during the regular commission meeting after the workshop.

When it came to mayor pro tem, commissioners Kevin Kozlowski and Bill Kolb each expressed their interest in taking over for temporary mayor pro tem Therese Longe. Kozlowski emphasized his background in technology and finance, noting that his experience would be beneficial to some of the city’s existing and future challenges.

Kolb argued he would be a good fit given he feels he offers a different perspective from other commissioners. He said he feels the commission frequently gets caught up in discussions at the expense of execution.

At the regular commission meeting after the workshop, two votes were called for both positions following the nominations of Baller and Host for mayor and Kozlowski and Kolb for mayor pro tem. The commission remained divided, with both candidates receiving three votes in favor and three votes against. Kolb, Haig and Host voted in favor of Host and Kolb for mayor and mayor pro tem respectively, and Baller, Longe and Kozlowski voted in favor of Baller and Kozlowski for mayor and mayor pro tem respectively.

Until a majority can be reached, Baller will remain mayor and Longe will continue to serve as mayor pro tem.