Press Releases

View More In This Section

Birmingham Puts Its Money on the Table

July 29, 2014
Media Advisory
Contact:
April Odom
At the request of Mayor William Bell, the Birmingham City Council today allocated $250,000 for DNC recruitment and marketing efforts to secure the 2016 DNC convention in Birmingham.
The City Council voted unanimously to spend the $250,000 and officially pledged to spend another $5 million if Birmingham is selected. The City’s money would fulfill the DNC’s requirement that a host committee have $5 million on hand when selected. The $5 million acts as seed money for private and corporate donors that have pledged their full support for the DNC effort.
“There are times in the life of a public servant that you truly get to see your city shine. The DNC site visit was an example of that. Our City and region has come together in an unprecedented way to show our passion and love for Birmingham and her people. City employees, churches, corporate citizens, people on the street, the media and neighborhood residents all pulled together to show that Birmingham is THE city for the 2016 DNC convention. I love this City and I was never more proud of her than I was this week. We are Birmingham, a City where just a little over 50 years ago, we were segregated, unable to vote and unequally yoked to a set of laws and ordinances that bound our citizenry. Today, we are a City that has proudly embraced our past to build our future.  What happened in Birmingham during the Civil Rights Movement changed the world. The blood shed here paved the way for this generation and generations to come,” said Mayor William Bell.
“We are at a place to master our moment. We can not let this chance pass us by. We have worked hard to get here and stand ready for ‘such a time as this’,” said Council President, Johnathan Austin.
“We want to make it clear to the DNC that we are serious, we have the means to make this happen and we are ready to host in 2016,” said Mayor Bell.
The city’s $5 million would only be available when Birmingham is tapped as the location for the 2016 convention. The DNC is expected to announce its choice by the end of this year or in early 2015.
###