Tag Archives: David Sher

BBJ Readers support unified metro government–two to one

Posted on March 8, 2012 by David Sher

  I was dumbfounded when I saw the results. The Birmingham Business Journal ran a poll the week of February 29, 2012. Readers were asked, “Would you be in favor of a unified metro area government for Birmingham?” The response … Continue reading →

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Who’s the mayor of our region?

Posted on March 2, 2012 by David Sher

  We know it’s not the mayor of Birmingham. The City of Birmingham represents only 19% of the population of the metro area. And Mayor Bell, who I strongly believe understands the importance of regionalism, has said on numerous occasions, … Continue reading →

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Four unsettling comments

Posted on February 28, 2012 by David Sher

  The Birmingham News convened a panel of community leaders in April of 2011 to discuss the future of Birmingham.  Included were corporate CEO’s, non-profit professionals, and top political leaders. Each panelist made his/her remarks and then questions or comments were solicited … Continue reading →

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In Alabama, a county that fell off the financial cliff

Posted on February 20, 2012 by David Sher

February 19, 2012 Everyone from Birmingham should read this this piece from the New York Times:  “In Alabama, a County that fell off the Financial Cliff.” As the article states, government structure, as usual, created this mess.

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Let’s move to the suburbs and attack the City of Birmingham

Posted on February 11, 2012 by David Sher

  Do you listen to talk radio or read comments on al.com? It‘s a steady stream of condemnation of the City of Birmingham by the folks who live in the suburbs. Think about it… A large number of our most … Continue reading →

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How can one document create so much havoc?

Posted on February 9, 2012 by David Sher

  My good friend, Michael Calvert, likes to remind me the Alabama Constitution is the only one in the world that contains the words “pick up truck.” And it has a lot more words—340,136 to be exact—12 times longer than … Continue reading →

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There’s no way in hell we’ll ever work together

Posted on February 3, 2012 by David Sher

  Leadership Birmingham is a diverse group of Birmingham citizens who are selected each year to study Birmingham’s problems and opportunities and then go out and make a difference. I was in the class of 1992 and when I graduated … Continue reading →

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Government structure is killing us

Posted on January 10, 2012 by David Sher

  After World War II, Birmingham and New Orleans were the top two leading cities in the South.  Now they’re at the bottom. New Orleans had Katrina.  What’s Birmingham’s excuse? Birmingham’s centrally located in the South, is absolutely gorgeous, and has … Continue reading →

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Can our suburbs survive if Birmingham is a donut hole?

Posted on January 3, 2012 by David Sher

I live in Vestavia Hills—I don’t really want to live around a donut hole. The numbers are frightening. Birmingham’s population fell… 12% in the 60’s 5% in the 70’s 6% in the 80’s 9% in the 90’s 12% in the … Continue reading →

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