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He’s back: former Birmingham city councilor Roderick Royal running for District 9
ByJHDaniel
Roderick Royal served as a Birmingham city councilor in District 9 from 2001 to 2013 and was elected council president in 2009. He didn’t run in 2013, but he’s qualified for the August 22, 2017 municipal election.
Royal also served served as the acting mayor from November 2009 to January 2010, until Mayor William Bell was sworn in after a special election. You can read more about Royal’s long history with the city council via his bio on the Bhamwiki website. His interview with Bham Now is featured below.
Qualifying For The Election
Potential candidates have until this Friday, July 7, to qualify for the upcoming municipal election on August 22. The qualifying fees vary. For mayoral candidates it’s $300, for city council it’s $50 and to qualify for the school board is $100. All candidates must qualify in the Jefferson County Probate Court.
District 9 In Birmingham
Your current councilor is Marcus Lundy. He is not seeking re-election.  Other District 9 candidates include: Eric Hall, John Hilliard, Wendell Majors, Reginald Swanson and James Williams. Links to the candidates we’ve interviewed so far can be found at the bottom of this post.
Communities And Neighborhoods In District 9:
For more detailed information about your address and district boundaries, please check out this link to the City of Birmingham’s online mapping website. Need some help navigating the map? Message me on the Bham Now Facebook page, (@bhamnow) and I will make sure you find your neighborhood and district.
Candidate Interview
When did you officially announce your candidacy and where/how did you do it?
“There was a formal announcement of my candidacy in March of this year at Jazzy’s.”
What is the name of your principal campaign committee?
“The name of our campaign is Roderick Royal for City Council. I am a candidate for District 9, a seat previously held by me for 12 years.”
Why do you want to run for Birmingham City Council?
“Why am I seeking office? Like you, I have watched from the sidelines as our city has set new records. The problem is that these are not records that we can be proud of: an 80 percent increase in homicides, scores of burned out buildings, little to no access to healthy food choices, struggling schools and few job opportunities. The list goes on. My campaign card features a campaign pledge to address five areas.”
How will you accomplish transparency with the residents of Birmingham, if elected?
“My previous record of educating the public about city business is well known. So, transparency has never been a problem with me.”
LINKS TO OTHER CANDIDATE INTERVIEWS
District 1
District 2
Lawrence Conaway, Kimberly Jeanty, Stephen L. Murphy, Kim Rafferty (incumbent),  Jordan Thompson, Hunter Williams and Tyrone Williams
District 3
District 4
Cory Pettway, Robin Rains, Sergio Williams
District 5
Charles Ball  , Dorothea Crosby, Darrell O’Quinn,  Jeremy Schatz,  Robert Walker
District 6
District 7
Titus Battle, Hosea Lewis, Lonnie Malone
District 8
Stay tuned!
District 9
