Bruce Malone says he has stopped taking his usual walking route to work. He says he has had trouble sleeping. And he says he never expected any of it, all because he agreed to appear in a campaign commercial in the middle of Mobile’s contentious mayoral race.
Malone, a familiar face downtown and in the historic district through his work at Callaghan’s Irish Social Club and SOCU, became the subject of intense social media debate last week after Mobile Municipal Judge Karlos Finley criticized his appearance in a television ad for Mayor Sandy Stimpson. Finley is one of four candidates challenging Stimpson as the mayor seeks a third term.
The controversy began after Finley posted on Facebook criticizing Stimpson’s newest campaign commercial, which touts the removal of a group of blighted houses in the Campground neighborhood that had become a gathering spot for drug activity. The ad features Malone and another man praising Stimpson’s handling of the issue and endorsing his re-election bid.
In a series of posts beneath his own Facebook update, Finley took aim at Malone directly, describing him as a restaurant server who walks to work and does not own a car. “He has no car. How he has benefitted from the Stimpson Administration, other than the paycheck he probably got for doing the commercial, I don’t know,” Finley wrote. In another post, he added that Malone and the second man in the ad were “not the kind people I’m looking to encourage,” and said the city needed “more entrepreneurs… not more servants.”
The remarks quickly drew backlash online, with critics accusing Finley of belittling Malone’s livelihood and disparaging service industry workers more broadly. Finley has defended his comments in the days since, including in a speech at a local church and in a podcast interview set to air soon. He has said his frustration stemmed from Stimpson using Malone, in his view, as a stereotype of a subservient Black man in the ad rather than featuring someone he considers more financially successful.
Malone, in an interview at his home, described a tense in-person exchange with Finley last week while walking to his job. “Karlos said there’s going to be backlash and repercussions. He repeated backlash and repercussions,” Malone said. Finley has acknowledged the conversation and confirmed he photographed Malone afterward, saying he took the picture from behind out of respect. Malone said he was unaware his photo had been taken and compared the experience to being stalked.
“It looked like he was trying to bully me,” Malone said. “I think he was mad because I’m going to vote for a white man. It looked like he was very upset.” Malone said he no longer walks past Finley’s campaign headquarters near Broad Street and Springhill Avenue on his way to work, fearing another confrontation.
Malone has been a public supporter of Stimpson for years, with a campaign sign currently displayed in his front yard, and he also appeared in a Stimpson ad four years ago. He said Finley is the only person who has ever given him trouble over his political support. “The only problem I ever had is Karlos,” he said.
The dispute over the ad is tied to a broader story in Malone’s own neighborhood. He lives across the street from what were once three blighted houses that had become known as a hub for crack cocaine activity. Malone said bullets were fired into his home at one point, forcing his family to sleep on the floor out of fear. He credits the Stimpson administration with tearing down the dilapidated structures, and said a new home now stands on the lot in a well-kept yard. He said children now ride bikes on the street and neighbors feel safer, and that most people in his neighborhood support Stimpson’s re-election.
Finley’s remarks have added another chapter to a run for mayor that has already drawn scrutiny of his public conduct. In late 2019, a man accused Finley of pulling him off a horse and punching him. Finley previously ran for a State House seat against Adline Clarke, narrowly losing after trailing in absentee ballots, and lost a 2018 race for Circuit Court judge by roughly four percentage points.
Four candidates are challenging Stimpson in the 2021 mayoral race as he seeks a third term leading Mobile. With early voting and the municipal election approaching, the exchange between Finley and Malone has become one of the more talked-about moments of the campaign so far, drawing attention on social media well beyond the candidates’ official platforms.