Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle Addresses The Press — Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle addresses the press at the conclusion of the 2022 Big 10 mayors meeting. (Emily Phillips / The Bama Buzz)

The mayors from Alabama’s 10 largest cities adjourned a weekend of meetings with a press conference in downtown Huntsville this morning.

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and Madison Mayor Paul Finley cohosted the group at the AC Marriott Hotel in Downtown Huntsville Sunday and Monday, where they discussed statewide issues like public safety concerns. The Big 10 represent the 10 largest cities in Alabama, including:

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin
Montgomery Mayor Stephen Reed
Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson
Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox
Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato
Dothan Mayor Mark Saliba
Auburn Mayor Ron Anders
Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling

Battle and Finley rounded out the group of 10.

1. Justice system delays

Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson relays details about plans to address delays in Alabama circuit courts in the near future. (Emily Phillips / The Bama Buzz)

Stimpson addressed a common issue in many cities across Alabama and the nation: an escalation in violent crime. Though there are several factors that have led to the problem, Stimpson said court delays that arose from COVID-19 lockdowns and closures have also contributed to the issue.

To address the delays, Stimpson and others reached out to Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Parker to develop a plan to speed up trials in Alabama circuit courts and reduce the backlog.

2. Anaiah’s Law

Auburn Mayor Ron Anders discusses the importance of Aniah’s Law. (Emily Phillips / The Bama Buzz)

Anders then took over to speak about Aniah’s Law, which would allow judges in Alabama to deny bond to violent offenders.

The law is named after Aniah Blanchard, a Homewood native who was attending Southern Union State Community College near Auburn, Alabama, when she was kidnapped and killed in October 2019.

The law was passed by Alabama House of Representatives in February 2020 and was passed by the Alabama Senate in April 2021. Before the law is added to the state constitution, Alabama residents must approve it in this November’s election.

“The Big 10 mayors agree that this is the best path and the safest path for our communities and our state going forward,” Anders said.

3. Constitutional carry

Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox addresses the potential changes to concealed carry laws in Alabama. (Emily Phillips / The Bama Buzz)

Maddox addressed potential changes coming to Alabama’s constitutional carry laws. Currently, local sheriffs’ offices handle firearm carry permits for their respective counties. Legislation has been proposed to allow concealed carry without a permit. While the Big 10 took no formal stance on the legislation, Maddox urged lawmakers to first focus on strengthening the existing system.

“We support the Sheriffs Association because they’re at the ground level,” Maddox said. “They know the people in their community. They understand the needs of their community. And they have the situational awareness that would be lost in a statewide database.”

Maddox also voiced concerns on behalf of the Big 10 that defunding local resources, like sheriff’s offices, could lead to negative public safety outcomes.

4. Public safety staffing

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin addresses public safety staffing concerns in Birmingham and throughout the state. (Emily Phillips / The Bama Buzz)

Woodfin and Finley each addressed staffing, particularly in the realm of public safety.

“There is a national issue right now as it relates to all of our abilities to fill our numbers for police officers as well as firefighters within our cities and communities,” Woodfin said. “And so with that, we’ve been talking collectively about that issue as well as best practices among us. … We will continue to have this conversation among us about how we close the gap on our current issues related to all of our cities, because public safety by far is the number one issue for all of us, to make sure our citizens are safe and we provide that service.”

Finley then addressed the challenges mayors face when seeking to recruit new talent, including the need to understand younger generations’ desires and priorities outside of work. A community with a high quality of life is important for attracting talent, Finley said, and mayors are focused on providing that.

5. Redistricting

Madison Mayor Paul Finley speaks about public safety concerns in Alabama cities. (Emily Phillips / The Bama Buzz)

Battle also briefly addressed redistricting plans, which many of the Big 10 cities passed in the last month after receiving 2020 census data. More information about the Huntsville redistricting plans can be found on the Huntsville City website.

What local issue would you like to see your city’s mayor address? Let us know on Facebook and Instagram!