The 1999 Birmingham, Alabama mayoral election was held on November 2, 1999, following a primary election on October 12, 1999, to elect the mayor of Birmingham, Alabama. Mayor Richard Arrington Jr. announced that he would not seek another term, and resigned from office on July 19, 1999, elevating City Council President William A. Bell as interim Mayor.
Bell ran for re-election with Arrington's endorsement, and faced a crowded field of opponents, including City Councilmen Bill Johnson and Bernard Kincaid, State Representative George Perdue, and former County Commissioner Reuben Davis. In the primary election, Bell fell just short of an outright majority, winning 49 percent of the vote, and proceeded to a runoff election with Kincaid, who placed second with 27 percent. Despite Bell's advantages in the election, Kincaid ultimately defeated him by a narrow margin in the runoff election, receiving 51 percent of the vote to Bell's 49 percent.
Primary election Candidates William A. Bell, interim Mayor Bernard Kincaid, City Councilman Bill Johnson, City Councilman Horace Huntley, University of Alabama at Birmingham history professor George Perdue, State Representative Pat Bell, public relations consultant Chief Red Feather, retired U.S. Navy SEAL Renda Williams, city worker Reuben Davis, former Jefferson County Commissioner Noel Leonard, county government employee Lester Cobb, roofing contractor Phillip Love, car salesman Ardella Y. Bland Ford, sheet metal worker Wayne Sowell, perennial candidate
Declined Earl Hilliard Sr., U.S. Representative from Larry Langford, Mayor of Fairfield, former Birmingham City Councilman, 1979 candidate for Mayor Carole Smitherman, former Circuit Judge
Results
Runoff election Results
References