Birmingham, meet mayoral candidate Lanny Jackson
ByJHDaniel
Reading time: 4 minutes
Lanny Jackson has qualified to run as a candidate for mayor of Birmingham. What do you know about him?
Get Out There And Vote
The upcoming Birmingham municipal elections will be held August 22.
Want to know more about what each mayoral candidate has to say? The second mayoral debate of the season will take place this Friday, July 14, at 5:30 PM.
The debate being hosted by the nonprofit group I Believe In Birmingham and Woodlawn United Methodist Church (where the debate is taking place). For more information, here is the link to the event.
You can also check out the first mayoral debate via this post I wrote on it back in April. Just note that the first debate was held before the election was officially called, and the lineup of candidates has changed a bit.
Candidate Interview
When did you officially announce your candidacy and where/how did you do it?
“Unofficially May 15 and officially June 23.”
What is the name of your principal campaign committee?
“Don’t have a campaign committee.”
Why do you want to run for mayor of Birmingham?
“I spent 21 years in the U.S. Army, traveling the world and across the United States. I observed how many cities transform and compete globally before global became a household name. These cities met the needs of their citizens by forecasting economic planning and business modeling and mass transit 20 to 30 years out.
“The key points of my platform include:
“Global economic development through an inclusive and diverse workforce for the City of Birmingham to meet its future goals, to reinvent the image of the City of Birmingham, the metro area and the seven-county region.
“A state-of-the-art regional transportation system, transforming the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth Airport into a multi-cultural international airport, which it seems to still operate like a municipal airport.
“To develop a strong partnership with state and federal agencies and colleges and universities to strengthen our local workforce and unions, support small businesses for innovation research, work-opportunity tax credits and long-term strategic planning.
“To rehabilitate abandoned homes for low-income families and promote regional cooperation.”
What is your background, education and experience?
“Born in Birmingham raised out in Bessemer, I graduated from J.S. Abrams High School in 1972 and entered the U.S. Army shortly after.
“I am school trained in both leadership and management fields. I have a bachelor’s degree from Miles College in political science.
I bring 42 years in leadership and management at all levels, from supervisory to department director, managing budgets, productivity and manpower.
“As a retired senior non-commission officer with the U.S. Army and current supervisor at UAB, I developed and maintain relationships with a diverse group of people who were creative in helping me achieve forward progress at every assignment in the Army, carrying that experience to civilian life of 24 years.”
What are the top three issues Birmingham is facing as a community, and how do you intend to address them?
“The Birmingham City School Board needs to revert back to an appointed school board, placed under the Birmingham City Council for better accountability. The school board is in need of members with graduate level degrees in the fields of education and administration.
“Gun violence and crime need to be fixed in order for the city to prosper. A city needs to create a plan for safe and constitutional gun control without violating the peoples’ rights.”
LINKS TO OTHER CANDIDATE INTERVIEWS
Mayoral Candidate Interviews
Patricia Bell, Randy Davis, Philemon Hill, Randall Woodfin, Chris Woods
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
Dorothea Crosby, Darrell O’Quinn, Jeremy Schatz, Robert Walker
District 6
District 7
Titus Battle, Hosea Lewis, Lonnie Malone
District 8
District 9
Eric Hall, John Hilliard, Wendell Major, Roderick Royal, Reginald Swanson, James Williams
