Darrell O’Quinn elected Birmingham Council President, after revote

Reviewed by: Nathan Watson
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Birmingham
Birmingham City Council Pro-tem Wardine Alexander and newly elected Council President Darrell O’Quinn (Birmingham City Council Facebook page)

The Birmingham City Council elected Darrell O’Quinn today President of the Council on a divided 5-3 vote with one abstention.

The Council held a special meeting on Friday to retake the vote for Council President after the initial vote on Tuesday was deemed invalid due to a procedural error, according to the city clerk and city attorney. 

In order to win, a potential Council President must receive five votes from a total of nine city council members. During the vote on Tuesday, O’Quinn received four votes—the most of the three candidates—but not the majority of the council. 

The Friday revote was taken to meet the majority rule. 

The vote for Council President was then conducted with Councilors J.T Moore, Carol Clark, Hunter Williams and Valerie Abbott, joining O’Quinn. Former President Wardine Alexander received votes from Clinton Woods and LaTonya Tate. Crystal Smitherman abstained. 

O’Quinn expressed thanks

After the election O’Quinn expressed thanks and vowed to work closely with his fellow councilors and the Mayor.

“I am extremely honored to be selected by colleagues to serve as President of the Council. I look forward to working with Pro Tem Alexander to deliver on the objectives that our fellow Councilors are seeking to grow unity amongst the Council and make it more effective in providing solid guidance to the Mayor informed by our close and embedded relationship with the neighborhoods we serve. My hope is that the next two years can be a period of growth for the Council which in turn accelerates the growth of the City. Birmingham truly has more. As Council President I aspire to make sure that the Council is hitting on all cylinders to power our city forward.”

Darrell O’Quinn, newly elected President of the Birmingham City Council

Former City Council President  Wardine Alexander was elected to the Pro-tem position.

Both O’Quinn and Alexander’s term lasts till fall of 2025.

Interested in the activities of the Birmingham City Council? Follow Bham Now and tell us what you think about their actions and programs by tagging us on social media @bhamnow

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Pat Byington
Pat Byington

Longtime conservationist. Former Executive Director at the Alabama Environmental Council and Wild South. Publisher of the Bama Environmental News for more than 18 years. Career highlights include playing an active role in the creation of Alabama's Forever Wild program, Little River Canyon National Preserve, Dugger Mountain Wilderness, preservation of special places throughout the East through the Wilderness Society and the strengthening (making more stringent) the state of Alabama's cancer risk and mercury standards.

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