Alice Speake
From Ballotpedia
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Alice Speake ran for election to the Birmingham City Council to represent District 3 in Alabama. She lost in the general election on August 24, 2021.
Speake completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Alice Speake was born in Auburn, Alabama. Her professional experience includes working as an assistant librarian. Speake has been affiliated with CellA65.[1]
Elections
2021
See also: City elections in Birmingham, Alabama (2021)
General election
General election for Birmingham City Council District 3
Incumbent Valerie Abbott defeated Alice Speake, Joseph Casper Baker III, and Wil Jones in the general election for Birmingham City Council District 3 on August 24, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Valerie Abbott (Nonpartisan) | 52.8 | 2,102 |
 | Alice Speake (Nonpartisan)  | 28.7 | 1,144 | |
 | Joseph Casper Baker III (Nonpartisan) | 12.5 | 499 | |
| Wil Jones (Nonpartisan) | 6.0 | 239 | ||
| Total votes: 3,984 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Campaign themes
2021
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Alice Speake completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Speake's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I come from a family of wildlife conservationists in Auburn, AL. I chose Birmingham as my home and have lived many different experiences here which inform my decisions about government, social justice, and accessibility. As a networking coordinator for CellA65 I am invested in bridging divides and creating ethical partnerships with other advocates, businesses, and grassroots organizations. I have a son and a husband in the Glen Iris neighborhood.
- We can change this city for the better
- We will fight for Participatory Budgeting
- We the people know what is best for ourselves
I am concerned about the lack of drive toward fighting climate change and pollution. I am dedicated to making the city ADA compliant for all people and redirecting funding to services like public libraries. Housing inequality is a major issue in many areas of the city, so I support rent control ordinances and prospective businesses giving more than the minimum to the residents so they can build their lives here. I will fight for ordinances and proposals with full cooperation and authentic representation from the constituents, who know what is best for themselves.
A City Council is a legislative body that can draft policy under the law which then must be carried out by the executive office of the Mayor and their administration. The city can push the state legislation, but due to Alabama having the "Homerule" law, the city is limited in how much it can change the city's actions like raising the minimum wage. I believe that the City Council can find other solutions to raising the minimum wage for all that can't be challenged in court by the capitol.
I look up to the local activists of Birmingham, organizations like Margins, The Free Store, Magic City Acceptance Center, AIDs Alabama, GASP, and more. Currently I look to trailblazers like AOC in Congress who reflect back to us what we want to see in our present and our future. We can mitigate the effects of climate change before it destroys more of our homes and land but it must be a concerted effort. That is why I support grassroots organizers that approach the immediate needs of the people and also legislative leaders like AOC and Elizabeth Warren in office.
I will not stop until all my questions and concerns are answered in order to make the best decision going forward.
Most historical events in the 1990s did not make much of an impression. I remember when Princess Di was killed, I remember pop culture events and TV, vaguely remember George W. Bush and Clinton. Then the Columbine Massacre took place and the world felt much more fragile.
What really made an impact was the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I was 14 in high school and we were able to watch it live on the TVs installed in the band room. Immediately after I saw country boys chomping at the bit to go kill anyone in the Middle East, because how dare "they" attack "us." I heard whispers about fellow kids possibly being a terrorist. I learned later just how much the racist violence had spiked right after the attack and it made me ashamed of the USA's war for oil and of it's racist legacy.
What really made an impact was the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I was 14 in high school and we were able to watch it live on the TVs installed in the band room. Immediately after I saw country boys chomping at the bit to go kill anyone in the Middle East, because how dare "they" attack "us." I heard whispers about fellow kids possibly being a terrorist. I learned later just how much the racist violence had spiked right after the attack and it made me ashamed of the USA's war for oil and of it's racist legacy.
I worked as a drive-thru attendant at Zaxby's. It opened my eyes to how demanding a restaurant job could be and how the wage did not fairly reflect the hard work people had to put in. It dispelled for me the "myth" the these are low-skilled jobs.
This City Council is bound by the Mayoral-Council Act, or the MCA. It means the council is uniquely limited to needing approval by the mayor for amendments to items like a city budget proposal. It is therefore absurd that any amendments brought forth, which must be executed by the Mayor's office, must also meet the Mayor's approval before it is passed. If the Council passes something, the Mayor's role is to carry it out. With the MCA, a lot of the legislative power is rendered toothless if the Mayor disagrees. Instead the Council can vote no on legislation if the Council and the Mayor did not reach an authentic agreement. This is leverage that can be wielded to reign power back to the Council.
It is of course beneficial, but it is often tainted by connections to the most powerful and the exploiters. I believe that most politicians do not know the struggle of the people nor do they abide by their expertise when it comes to drafting policy. Often an elected official has more experience with private companies than they do with a bulk of the labor force, and this inexperience is reflected in policy and their priorities.
Communication skills and resiliency must be some of the most helpful skills for holding office. A municipal position is practiced with parliamentary rules, which are available for anyone who wishes to educate themselves. It takes time to understand the law and the routine of the council, so they basic requirement should be that there is government involvement but without biased connections to organizations that have not adequately provided benefits to the people.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2021 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 15, 2021
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