What many in Birmingham have learned  is that the metro must get its act together before seeing “real” commitment or help from those in Montgomery.

Gov. Bob Riley’s message has been clear to advocates of an on-again-off-again domed stadium: find agreement among yourselves and then the state may assist. On the matter of the Jefferson county sewer debt crisis and occupational tax debacle that threatened to shut down government, his message was often the same.

Sen. Richard Shelby  has sent the message he is in a position to land major federal investments in the region for mass transportation projects, but again…. find agreement among yourselves.

Enter the Birmingham Business Alliance and its current Blueprint Birmingham effort.

A survey conducted by Atlanta-based Market Street Services takes a targeted view at Birmingham’s “competitive realities” when placed next to cities like Louisville, Nashville and Oklahoma City. Read the summary here.

It finds a metro with a low-cost-of-living and affordable housing that also faces a high poverty rate.

The survey highlights a metro with thriving entrepreneurship, a strong bank and insurance sector and vibrant higher education opportunities.

But that same community has an aging workforce, flight from the primary county (Jefferson) and a growing educational divide between the “haves” and “have nots.”

Healthsouth CEO Jay Grinney sees those numbers and believes “if we can honestly assess both (strengths and weaknesses), we have the platform for establishing a plan to go forward.”

Grinney is part of the steering committee for BBA overseeing Blueprint Birmingham.

He’s encouraged by the new effort.

After speaking for the last year about the corruption scandals that have held the metro back, Grinney sees homegrown unity re-focusing Birmingham.

“The business community has come together to build a plan to bring prosperity to the metro.”                                         Watch Grinney’s interview here.

The project may be a key component for the promises made by the many candidates, once one of them becomes Alabama’s next governor.

Read more of Rick Journey’s blogs here.

This morning on FOX6 News Good Day Alabama, council members Jay Roberson and Kim Rafferty pointed at the growing worries about economic development in the city.

“Regionally, we’ve got to cooperate on certain projects to create jobs,” Roberson said.

“We need opportunities for investment and bringing businesses into Birmingham,” Rafferty said, “in the past, the city stagnated in developing those opportunities.” Watch the full interview here.

Concerns about stalled economic development in Birmingham have been a topic for lawmakers, too. Rep. John Rogers (D) says the governor must focus on development this year. Rogers still appears to be hurting from the decision to keep Bryce Mental Hospital and its jobs in Tuscaloosa. Since then, he has taken part in a leadership meeting to determine new projects for the city.  Rogers even threatens to stall legislation if Birmingham doesn’t get its due.

Candidates for governor have been talking up jobs creation in Birmingham, particularly Republican Tim James. Last week, he again floated his plan of opening an office in the city to have a presence and coordinate economic development. Read his plan here and watch the news conference here.

James particularly targeted life sciences and a renewed focus on UAB’s strength as a regional research university in his plan. He’s the latest in a growing list of politicians and business leaders touching on that theme.

Last week, Birmingham metro job growth received a boost from SurModics, a spin-off of Southern Research Institute. During the announcement, Gov. Bob Riley pointed to the potential, calling SurModics “a great example of a successful business model we need to see replicated.”

Rick Journey

For his fourth and often bruising campaign for mayor of Birmingham, the Jefferson County Commissioner defeated  runoff opponent Patrick Cooper to  fill the remaining 22 months of Larry Langford’s term.

Today, Bell meets with police chief A.C. Roper at the mayor-elect’s home.

Bell tells me he is securing commitments from the private sector to gather the “best financial minds” to review and advise him about the state of the city’s finances.

“Our cash flow issue is something we need to address,” Bell told me this morning on FOX6 News Good Day Alabama.

“Birmingham is on sound financial ground,” Bell insists, “we have a surplus across the board.”

Bell faces concerns however about an estimated $20 million shortfall in the current budget. It is a concern first expressed by then-interim mayor Carole Smitherman following Langford’s conviction, then interim-mayor Roderick Royal. Royal addressed the issue, short-term and long-term, in a Plan of Action released last week. Bell tells me he will review the document, but will not be “bound” by it.

Bell expects answers concerning finances to come within the next two to three months. Then, he expects to launch efforts on “Big Ticket” projects, both old and new.

By this time next year, Bell hopes to have the city’s Fair Park revitalization project accomplished.

“That can bring economic progress to the western part of the city,” he says.

Bell has told reporters he supports the project to build a “multi-purpose facility”, or domed stadium, in downtown Birmingham. That has been an on-again-off-again proposition for the city.

Bell says city finances, education and job creation will be the foundation of his work. Watch the full interview here.

As for his commission seat, Bell plans to resign once votes in the mayor’s race are certified in about a week. The vacancy raises new questions about who will replace Bell on the commission. When Larry Langford was elected to the commission in 2007, Gov. Bob Riley appointed retired general George Bowman to the position. The county’s election commission challenged his authority and called a special election. Bell, then a Birmingham city councilman, defeated Bowman easily. A legal dispute between the appointment and the election created questions for much of 2008.

Bell tells me the governor can appoint a replacement to the commission to serve out the remainder of his term.

All five commission seats will be on November’s ballot.

Rick Journey

Who has supporters with the “fire in the belly” to get to the polls?

The answers to those questions could provide the answer to today’s runoff vote for Birmingham’s next mayor. Right now, political observers expect a narrow margin of victory.

The December 8th frontrunner, attorney turned political activist Patrick Cooper, tells FOX6 News he is encouraged by the signs he sees today.

“People who have been coming to the polls have said the reason they are coming out is they want to see some change,” Cooper says, “they’re tired of the same faces, same names creating the same results.”

Sticking to his familiar themes, Cooper urged a vote against the “status quo.” Cooper says he will spend most of the day going from polling place to polling place, shaking voters hands and thanking them for their support.

“People get out and vote when they want to see change…we represent fresh ideas and a fresh approach to the city.”

William Bell sees it differently.

“You can’t be mayor if you are talking the city down,” Bell says, taking a shot at Cooper’s rhetoric.

“We are talking the city up and not only that, but talking about what we are going to do in the future,” the veteran Birmingham politician says.

Bell appeared with his wife this morning at the Legion Field polling site. He plans to spend the day “knocking on doors” and urging voters to support him.

Plenty of people expect a larger turnout than the December vote (24%). So far, campaign workers say turnout seems very similar to that December vote. Numbers dwindled as rain moved in late in the day then. With clear weather, the campaigns expect turnout to hold steady.

Birmingham Southern College political science professor Natalie Davis says “this will be close.” Watch her interview on Good Day Alabama this morning here.

Just don’t expect him to give a “shout out” to that candidate.

This morning on FOX6 News Good Day Alabama, Mayor Royal detailed recommendations listed in his Plan of Action for the next mayor.

Jefferson County Commissioner William Bell and attorney-turned-community-activist Patrick Cooper will be on the ballot in Tuesday’s runoff.

“I obviously have my personal choice fixed already in my mind,” Royal tells me.

“I think it will be best to just  say we will work with whomever the voters ultimately send to City Hall. I think that’s a responsible thing. I think that’s an accountable thing.” Watch those comments at 3:57 here.

As for his Plan of Action, the candidates obviously are too busy with the final days of this campaign to talk with the man residing in the Mayor’s Office.

Royal has not heard from either one.

He expects a meeting once the runoff is decided.

*A reminder: you can watch Bell and Cooper debate live, online tonight at 9pm on FoxAlabamaLive.com

Rick Journey

That’s what I imagine Jefferson County Commission President Bettye Fine Collins thought as the stroke of midnight took us from 2009 into 2010. Tough year 2009 proved for the commission.

Collins told the Birmingham News “the fire still burns…. but it’s just time for the torch to pass.”

Collins, who was first elected to the commission in 1994, points to talk radio and bloggers for creating a climate that prompted her to decide not to seek re-election this year. Few political observers gave her a strong chance at re-election.

“Good riddance” those very same talk radio commentators and bloggers may be saying right now with the departure of Collins. She, perhaps more than any other current commissioner, has received the brunt of criticism for handling (critics would argue mishandling) of the sewer debt crisis and occupational tax crisis.

“Relief” may be the word spoken quietly in Republican circles following the commissioner’s announcement.

“I think many in the party are expressing a sigh of relief,” says one GOP lawmaker who does not want to be identified speaking about the critism surrounding a fellow Republican.

This politician says no one can argue the fact that  “she has provided service and dedication to the party” for many years, but points out a re-election campaign would have been “very ugly” in the Republican primary.

Former Jefferson county GOP chairman David Wheeler tells Fox6 News reporter Jonathan Hardison that Collins faced at least three challengers in the June primary.

Wheeler dismissed criticism of Collins inside the party ranks, “this is not the time to discuss those type of things. I think Ms. Collins has had a long and distinguished career as a public servant for Jefferson county.”

Collins has served as a National Republican Committeewoman and a lead voice of GOP causes in Alabama. A Republican who often called for party unity to weaken Alabama Democrats (she was critical, though gently, of Winton Blount’s 1994 challenge of incumbent governor Fob James), Collins found herself briefly “off the reservation” as one party official put it when she broke ranks with Republicans Jim Carns and Bobby Humphryes on the commission. That move to form an alliance with Commissioners Sheila Smoot and George Bowman first, then William Bell when he replaced Bowman, prompted Commissioner Carns to declare a “new Democratic majority on the commission.”

In the News story today, Collins considers future causes that may include education.

The Republican lawmaker who says fellow party members are relieved also points out Collins has a very loyal group of supporters who have worked for her and with her over the years. There are no signs those backers have left her.

It is the broader audience that has shown signs that it may be time to step down.

As she leaves this year, how much say she’ll have about the person who fills her commission seat may be a bit complicated.

Rick Journey