Alabama Mayors Join Forces In Montgomery

This is the third time these mayors have come together.

 

Mayors from Huntsville, Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Montgomery, and Mobile gathered in the capital city. Mayor Todd Strange say there’s a lot to accomplish if they work together. 

 

“The biggest thing is for us to speak with one voice because at the end of the day it is about job creation, it’s about the education and graduation rates, it is about infrastructure. It’s about so many things that in our respective ways we have to do,” said Strange.

 

The group is very excited about the chance for Birmingham to host the Democratic National Convention in 2016.

 

The city has been pushing hard for months to bring the big event to town, and Birmingham Mayor William Bell says it would also be big for the state.

 

“You’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars coming in from around the world to the state of Alabama. You can’t pay for that kind of publicity by having the DNC come here. But it’s not just something that I’m trying to do from a democratic standpoint. It’s something collectively we’re all trying to do from putting Alabama first,” said Mayor Bell.

 

The group looked ahead to the next legislative session and working with lawmakers and the governor.

 

One thing in particular stood out for Mayor Strange. 

 

“The internet sales tax is one of those biggies. When we talk about all these things it’s about the revenue side of the equation. No one wants to raise their hand for taxes, but that’s a tax that’s already there.”