To Dow or Not to Dow: The Mayor’s Long Shadow Over the District 2 Runoff
As Ralph Buffkin and Stephen Nodine headed toward a June 2004 runoff, both raced to distance themselves from Mayor Mike Dow. A look inside four mayoral elections explains why.
‘That Ronald Reagan Smile’: A Mobile Woman’s Inaugural Ball Encounter With the 40th President
As the nation mourned Ronald Reagan in June 2004, a Mobile woman recounted how persistence, Southern charm and a sympathetic Secret Service agent let her press a medal into the…
Rainwaters Endorses Nodine, Handing Him a Bloc of Anti-Establishment Votes in the Runoff
Third-place finisher Austin Rainwaters endorsed Stephen Nodine in the 2004 Mobile County Commission District 2 runoff, saying his supporters were unanimous in rejecting Ralph Buffkin.
The Rain Came Down: How a Soggy, Sleepy Primary Reshaped the District 2 Commission Race
Rain, a holiday weekend and plain apathy held turnout to 16.2 percent in the June 1, 2004 Mobile County primary, an outcome that pushed newcomer Ralph Buffkin into a runoff…
Final Pre-Primary Filings Show a Cash Sprint in Mobile County’s Commission and School Board Races
The last campaign finance reports before the June 1, 2004 primary showed Mobile County Commission and school board candidates burning through cash, with big PAC checks and a late surge…
Money Talks: Filings Reveal the Shape of the 2004 Mobile County Commission Races
Pre-election campaign finance filings in May 2004 showed Mobile County Commission candidates raising tens of thousands of dollars from PACs, contractors, doctors and developers ahead of the June 1 primary.
Mobile Lawyers Weigh In: Bar Association Poll Picks Favorites in Judicial Races
A May 2004 Mobile Bar Association poll of members produced landslide preferences in several judicial contests, including a lopsided vote for Mobile attorney Robert H. Smith for the Alabama Supreme…
Bayou La Batre Mayor Backs Challenger, Touching Off Feud Over Block Grant Money
Bayou La Batre Mayor Stan Wright endorsed challenger Mike Burdine over incumbent Mobile County Commissioner Mike Dean in 2004, alleging the fishing village had been shortchanged on block grant funds.…
Old Press Building Emerges as Temporary Home for Mobile County Probate Court
In 2004, Mobile County officials eyed a former newspaper building on Government Street as temporary quarters for Probate Court while the old courthouse was razed and the annex expanded upward.
County Commission Hopefuls Line Up Against Onshore LNG Terminal in South Mobile County
A 2004 survey of Mobile County Commission candidates found nearly unanimous opposition to a proposed onshore liquefied natural gas terminal at Hollingers Island in south Mobile County.