He wants to change the way we do business in Birmingham. District 5, meet Charles Ball.
ByJHDaniel
Reading time: 4 minutes
It’s time to start paying attention to municipal election candidates, Birmingham! City council, school board and mayoral candidates will be able to officially qualify for the election beginning this Friday, June 23. Qualifying will last for two weeks, and the election will be held on August 22.
Today, let’s get to know more about Charles Ball. He’s running in District 5.
Plenty of candidates have already declared their intents to run (over 35 folks for city council), and you can check out our interviews with almost 20 city council candidates, along with a handful of mayoral candidates, so far. Please stay tuned for a post about our school board candidates, along with more interviews with city council and mayoral hopefuls.
District 5
Your current councilor is Council President Johnathan Austin. He has also declared his intent to run for city council.
Communities And Neighborhoods In District 5:
For more detailed information about your address and district boundaries, please check out this link to the City of Birmingham’s online mapping website.
Crestwood: Crestwood North and a small part of Crestwood South
East Birmingham: Most of North Avondale
East Lake: Part of Brown Springs, Gate City, East Lake and most of Wahouma
Northside: Central City (neighborhood), Druid Hills, Fountain Heights and a small part of Norwood
Smithfield: College Hills, half of Graymont and most of Smithfield
Red Mountain: Some of Forest Park-South Avondale
Southside: The Parkside District of 5 Points South and Southside
Woodlawn: East Avondale and part of Oak Ridge Park
Candidates:
Council President Johnathan Austin, Dorothea Crosby, Chris Davis, Darrell O’Quinn, Jeremy Schatz and Robert Walker have also declared their intents to run. Bham Now has interviewed Crosby, O’Quinn, Schatz and Walker. We look forward to interviewing Davis and Austin.
Candidate Interview
When did you officially announce your candidacy and where/how did you do it?
“My kickoff press conference took place on May 23rd at noon in front of Birmingham City Hall.”
What is the name of your principal campaign committee?
“Friends of Charles Ball.”
Why do you want to run for Birmingham City Council?
“In 2021, Birmingham will turn 150. I am running because there is no better time than now for us to begin righting the ship to help Birmingham become the safer, more competitive and more prosperous city our children and their children deserve.”
More Questions And Answers
What is your background, education and experience?
“I have a master’s degree in community planning from Auburn. I have spent the past 25 years helping a variety of cities become better places. I previously served on the Auburn University Board of Trustees. I currently chair the Alabama Commission on Higher Education and serve on the board of Forever Wild. I also have worked with numerous local nonprofits.”
How will you foster a healthy, working relationship between the mayor’s office and the Birmingham City Council/city hall?
“I will rely on the same skills I have used in working with scores of elected officials over the past 25 years. I’ll be a good listener and concentrate on solutions more than problems. I will fight for the needs of District 5 but also work to help the mayor and fellow councilors be successful.”
How will you accomplish transparency with the residents of Birmingham, if elected?
“During my 10 years at the Regional Planning Commission, we have delivered 10 clean audits to our board. My staff and I bent over backwards to ensure that our activities are legal, ethical and totally consistent with the best practices of our profession. Bottomline: transparency is second nature for me. I know no other way to operate.”
