Mobile Judgeship Opens as the City’s 2013 Political Season Heats Up
The retirement of District Judge Charles McKnight set off a scramble for a Mobile County District Court seat as the city's mayoral race and council contests came into focus.
A Greased-Pig Chase: Making Sense of Mobile’s Slippery Budget Fight
As dueling committees, a $29 million disputed deficit and shifting council alliances collided, Mobile's budget saga looked to many residents like a greased-pig chase with the numbers impossible to pin…
Mobile County Metro Jail Hits Record 1,806 Inmates in Sweltering Summer
Warden Trey Oliver said the Mobile County Metro Jail set an all-time population record of 1,806 inmates, far above its designed capacity, as summer heat and rising numbers strained the…
Mobile Council Members Press Mayor With Questions on Youth Curfew
Three Mobile city councilors met with Mayor Sam Jones over his crime package and delivered a long list of pointed questions about the proposed youth curfew and a saggy-pants ordinance.
Council Votes 5-2 for Sales Tax Increase, Ending Six Weeks of Political Theater
Mobile's council approved a one-cent sales tax increase on a 5-2 vote. An analysis of how Mayor Sam Jones got what he wanted, what Gina Gregory extracted in return, and…
Gregory Signals Yes: Mobile Councilwoman Agrees to One-Cent Sales Tax in Deal With Jones
Councilwoman Gina Gregory announced she would supply the fifth vote for a temporary one-cent sales tax increase, in exchange for a written commitment to an efficiency study and a list…
One Vote Short: Mobile’s Sales Tax Standoff Hardens Into Political Chicken
With an $18.5 million deficit and a five-vote requirement, Mayor Sam Jones fell a single council vote short of a one-cent sales tax increase, leaving three members holding extraordinary leverage.
Mobile Finance Committee Meeting Runs Long as Budget Shortfall Fix Stalls Again
A Mobile City Council committee meant to address a lingering budget shortfall ran more than an hour behind schedule on Monday, and the session ended without a resolution after Mayor…
Sales Tax Hike Falls 3-3-1 as Mobile Council Rejects Jones, and Layoffs Loom
Buried under hundreds of angry emails and calls, Mayor Sam Jones's penny sales tax died in a 3-3-1 vote on Tax Day. As many as 300 city jobs are now…
Counting to Five: The Sales Tax Vote Rests on One Council Member
Mayor Sam Jones has made his case for a penny sales tax. The measure was laid over Tuesday, and the arithmetic on a seven-member council now points to a single…