Thoughts on Sandy Stimpson vs Karlos Finley (Mobile: place, annexation)

[natedoggbry]

Originally Posted by Surge0001

EXACTLY, Mobile could annex all of West Mobile tomorrow and be perfectly okay, it would also bring in so much revenue and with all the subdivisions being built on the western edges, Mobile would naturally grow for the first time in generations until we fix the issues in East Mobile

No one has brought it up, not the news, city council, mayor, or anyone here, but Mobile is the smallest city land wise in Alabama out of the largest 4. If Montgomery can provide city services to 160 square miles of land, how in the world can Mobile not exceed the 140 square miles we have now? If we had as much land as Huntsville had, we’d be over 250k in population, easily, and we’d be growing due to all the growth happening in west Mobile that would offset losses in the eastern half. Detroit has lost population for 70 straight years, Birmingham has for 60. We’ve lost population for the last 20, but what’s stopping us from losing population for the next 40 when you look at other cities that started to have population loss? I’m sure no one in 1950s St. Louis pictured the city would still be losing population 70 years later

[Surge0001]

Originally Posted by natedoggbry

No one has brought it up, not the news, city council, mayor, or anyone here, but Mobile is the smallest city land wise in Alabama out of the largest 4. If Montgomery can provide city services to 160 square miles of land, how in the world can Mobile not exceed the 140 square miles we have now? If we had as much land as Huntsville had, we’d be over 250k in population, easily, and we’d be growing due to all the growth happening in west Mobile that would offset losses in the eastern half. Detroit has lost population for 70 straight years, Birmingham has for 60. We’ve lost population for the last 20, but what’s stopping us from losing population for the next 40 when you look at other cities that started to have population loss? I’m sure no one in 1950s St. Louis pictured the city would still be losing population 70 years later

For real, so much potential that the city leaders are squandering. The area should've been annexed eons ago

[natedoggbry]

Mayor Joseph Langan in 1955 pushed through the annexation of Toulminville, Spring Hill, and Cottage Hill, including Wheelerville later on. This took the population from 129k to just over 200k. Included in that was where bel air mall and Springdale malls would be built and south Alabama which was created in 1963. Without the annexations happening, Mobile would’ve likely been Balkanized like Birmingham when white flight started. When white flight hit Mobile in the 60s, those people moved to a western section of the city instead of somewhere that was its own city because of that annexation in 1955. If we aren’t aggressive like that, then we’ll surely be boxed in as time goes on.

[Surge0001]

Originally Posted by natedoggbry

Mayor Joseph Langan in 1955 pushed through the annexation of Toulminville, Spring Hill, and Cottage Hill, including Wheelerville later on. This took the population from 129k to just over 200k. Included in that was where bel air mall and Springdale malls would be built and south Alabama which was created in 1963. Without the annexations happening, Mobile would’ve likely been Balkanized like Birmingham when white flight started. When white flight hit Mobile in the 60s, those people moved to a western section of the city instead of somewhere that was its own city because of that annexation in 1955. If we aren’t aggressive like that, then we’ll surely be boxed in as time goes on.

Personally I think Mobile should be continuously pushing west until it reaches the County Line. Mobile's version of Manifest Destiny if you will. Quite a few places already consider Tanner Williams and West Mobile as a part of Mobile proper, Zillow is the first one that comes. Even the city police does in their reports

[natedoggbry]

Originally Posted by Surge0001

Personally I think Mobile should be continuously pushing west until it reaches the County Line. Mobile's version of Manifest Destiny if you will. Quite a few places already consider Tanner Williams and West Mobile as a part of Mobile proper, Zillow is the first one that comes. Even the city police does in their reports

If we annexed all the land to snow/McFarland from cottage hill road to Howell’s ferry road, we’d gain less than 20 square miles and we’d still be just short of Montgomery in land size. We’d add about 22k people from that if the census tracts are to be believed. I don’t know if all those people want to be in the city, but it’s just to give an idea that it Montgomery can manage 160 sq miles and 200k population then we should easily be able to do the same

[Surge0001]

Originally Posted by natedoggbry

If we annexed all the land to snow/McFarland from cottage hill road to Howell’s ferry road, we’d gain less than 20 square miles and we’d still be just short of Montgomery in land size. We’d add about 22k people from that if the census tracts are to be believed. I don’t know if all those people want to be in the city, but it’s just to give an idea that it Montgomery can manage 160 sq miles and 200k population then we should easily be able to do the same

From what I can gather it seems like more and more people want to join the city. Although frankly, the city could just bullying the rest into doing it by cutting off services like fire and police. Even just the threat scares a lot of West Mobilians. Remember seeing a story like a year ago saying that the city is thinking about reducing its fire and police protection and it freaked a lot of people out

[Surge0001]

You know, not gonna lie I'm slightly worried that Stimpson might somehow not get reelected and the city would be stuck with either Richardson or Finley. I'm certain that the will just revert back to 2012 in a matter of weeks with either of those 2

[evlb401]

Yeah, Same here. I know it would revert back to 2012 with Finley. His ideas would keep Mobile in a no-growth limbo for years. For Fred, I have no idea. I think it would be worst. Mobile might have a hard time recovering from a Fred tenure.

Wife and I are voting after work. Fingers Crossed he gets it without a runoff.

[P_Mac]

Originally Posted by Surge0001

You know, not gonna lie I'm slightly worried that Stimpson might somehow not get reelected and the city would be stuck with either Richardson or Finley. I'm certain that the will just revert back to 2012 in a matter of weeks with either of those 2

Why are you worried? Honestly Stimpson has done a great job and is well know and like through most demographics. There are no political parties for people to side with and I think Finley will poach a certain amount of Richardsons vote.

Hope I'm right because Stimpson is the right man for the job.

[Southsky]

I think it is just election day jitters.