Runoff Ahead

Voters in Birmingham went to the polls on Tuesday to elect a new mayor but a crowded field of more than a dozen candidates on the ballot resulted in a runoff to be held Jan. 19 between Patrick Cooper, an attorney who led with 40% of the ballots cast, and Jefferson County commissioner William Bell, who took 25% of votes.

More than 50% of the votes cast were needed to declare a winner outright.

The winner in the runoff election will serve former Mayor Larry Langford’s remaining two years in office. The election came about after Langford was ousted from office following his Oct. 28 federal conviction on 60 pay-to-play corruption charges related to his stint on the Jefferson County commission, where he orchestrated the refinancing of $3.2 billion of sewer debt.

It has been nearly two years since the variable- and auction-rate sewer debt got caught up in the bond market meltdown. The county still has not restructured the bonds and has defaulted on some ­payments.

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Alabama
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