Press Release 

December 7th, 2022

Today, Councilor Hunter Williams, who chairs the Council's Economic Development and Tourism Committee, met with U.S. Senator Richard Shelby to present him with a resolution that the Birmingham City Council passed in November honoring his storied career and legacy. Senator Shelby has represented the people of Alabama since he was first elected in 1986.

Throughout his time in office, Senator Shelby created appropriations that have had a tremendous impact on the economic development of Birmingham and Central Alabama.

Most recently, Senator Shelby has served as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. In 2021, Senator Shelby announced he would not be seeking reelection and is now being succeeded by his former Chief of Staff, Katie Britt, who was recently elected to the seat.

Councilor Williams was joined by U.S. Congresswoman Terri Sewell to present the resolution and discuss bipartisan efforts to secure upcoming legislation that will benefit Alabama residents – such as the omnibus bill that Congress is currently negotiating.

“It’s hard to imagine what Birmingham would look like today without Senator Shelby’s vision with regards to major economic development opportunities for the state of Alabama,” Councilor Williams said. “Today’s conversation with Senator Shelby and Congresswoman Sewell proves that bipartisanship is not only possible, but a necessary function of our democracy. Alabama residents want to see results and that requires both sides of the aisle working together, and today I was encouraged by what we were able to accomplish on that front.”