Birmingham Magazine April 2018 Issue

SPECIAL PROMOTION
• CITY LIFE |
What’s Wrong? What’s Right?
A City of Opportunity
Jennifer Buettner, Executive Director of the Birmingham Bar Association, on
why Birmingham is full of opportunity, community, and generosity.
Birmingham conjures up all the usual
thoughts for me when I think of my
hometown: family, friends and charm. But,
it also makes me think of opportunity.
This city always teaches me something new.
WRONG
What’s Wrong?
What’s Right?
Where do we stand? Will Lochamy
of Birmingham Mountain Radio
weighs in on what’s happening
in our city.
RIGHT
I didn’t always feel that way.
As a young adult, I knew that I wanted to go
off to college, and that’s exactly what I did.
First, I went to Mississippi to attend
Millsaps, then I made my way to the
University of Arkansas to further my
studies. I eventually found my way back to
the University of Alabama for law school.
Since I’ve been back home, Birmingham
has never ceased to amaze me with
its progressiveness.
The Magic City fits the needs and desires
of many people looking for work, from big
employers such as UAB to its smaller and
most exciting opportunities--startups.
It’s a great time for new and innovative
ideas, especially for women.
I see it through my work Momentum, an
initiative that advances women leaders in
our community and empowers them to
develop leadership skills that will further
their professional and personal lives.
There is also an undeniably rich social and
food scene.
To me, Birmingham also means giving. It’s
a very generous city and I’ve always wanted
to be a part of that.
I left private practice to focus more on a
career path that would help give back to my
surroundings. Throughout my career, I have
done that by working with organizations
such as Hand in Paw and The Literacy
Council of Central Alabama. It’s important
for me to pour back into my community
because there is a lot of need surrounding
us. We should do whatever we can to help.
I also teach my students at the Birmingham
School of Law from a service-based
perspective. My primary goal is to teach
future attorneys to put the needs of their
clients at the center of their work.
That philosophy carries over into my role
as Executive Director for the Birmingham
Bar Association. There, I work to provide
valuable and meaningful programs that
support practicing lawyers. Not only do
we aim to be a resource to them, we also
provide pro bono work to the community.
There’s an ease about this city. It manages
to maintain its small-town appeal, despite
Jennifer Buettner
how much I’ve seen Birmingham progress
throughout the years.
It’s still easy to get to know people here and
to find your place. Whether in the lofts of
downtown or the lush lawns of the suburbs,
everyone can find a space that feels
like home.
When I was in college, I never intended to
come back to Birmingham, but I’m so glad
that I did.
Rep. Patricia Todd of
Birmingham proposed a bill
that would reduce
the penalty for possession of
marijuana and help bring our
state into the 21st century.
The House Judiciary Committee
quickly voted it down 7-5,
because of course they did. -2
The Alabama State
Department of Education
gave Birmingham City Schools
a “D” on their 2018 report
card. The worst part is a “D” is
better than most expected. We
HAVE to start putting
schools first. -8
No, I don’t have a quarter!
Our parking meter system
should go the way of town hall
fisticuffs. It’s time for our city
to join most of the other major
cities in this country and
get cashless meters. -3
Because we refuse to
learn from our mistakes,
Birmingham Rep. Arnold
Mooney recently spent time
writing a bill to allow the Ten
Commandments on public
property and at public schools.
Every year… the same bill, the
same attempt to merge church
and state, and the same waste
of our time. -4
TOTAL: -17
CHANNING TATUM PHOTO BY DENIS MAKARENKO / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
We have one of the best bike-sharing
programs in the country, but it
can be like playing Frogger to get
to the park on one, thanks to our
lack of bike lanes. But wait! The
Birmingham City Council recently
passed the Complete Streets
ordinance that could include wide
sidewalks, bike lanes, bus lanes, bus
shelters, crosswalks, street trees,
landscaping, and green spaces. +7
We are home to one of the premier
Indy tracks in the world and we get
to prove it April
20th-22nd with the Honda Indy
Grand Prix at Barber. If green
grass and fast cars aren’t your
things, Alabama native Channing
Tatum will be the Grand Marshall,
so there’s something for everyone
to look at. +3
Not only did muralist Marcus
Fetch raise enough money to
repaint the three vandalized
murals (thanks to Melt restaurant
and citizens like you), but
Birmingham businesses have
shown up in droves to hire
him to paint new ones. You
lose, vandals. +6
Birmingham-Southern
College is becoming home to a
first of its kind “Geodome.” It will
feature 4k video on a floating screen,
surround sound, and will focus on
Alabama-centric films. Leave it
to the smart kids to come up with
something this cool. +5
TOTAL: +21
-10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
THIS MONTH’S RATING: +4
18 | Birmingham | APRIL 18 APRIL 18 | Birmingham | 19