Incumbent Mayor Kenneth Gulley and challenger Louise Alexander face each other in the Bessemer mayoral runoff Tuesday, Sept. 22, the top contest among five left undecided by the Aug. 25 municipal election. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Results confirmed Sept. 1 gave Gulley 1,809 votes and Alexander 1,644 in the four-candidate first round, with Darral Bethel receiving 466 and Brenita Lewis 91. In all, 3,800 of Bessemer’s 17,547 registered voters cast ballots Aug. 25.
“I want to thank the good people of Bessemer for entrusting me with the leadership of our great city for the past 16 years,” Gulley said. “I pledge to you I will continue working to make Bessemer a better place to live, work and raise a family.”
“Your voice and your vote matters,” Alexander said. “Return to the polls on September 22 and let your voice be heard.”
Also on the ballot are runoffs for the District 6 and District 7 City Council seats and the District 5 and District 6 Board of Education seats. In District 7, incumbent Councilman Cleo King faces Silas Baldwin; in District 6, Valerie Williams advanced to the runoff from a four-candidate field.
Voters must be registered and qualified electors of the state who have lived within Bessemer’s corporate limits for 90 days or more before the Aug. 25 election, and must vote at the polling place for the district and box where they are registered, according to the city clerk’s notice of the runoff.
Polling places are:
- District 1, Box 1: Fire Administration Building, 1111 Second Ave.;
- District 2, Box 1: Macedonia Baptist Church, 1401 26th St. N;
- District 3, Box 1: Community Center, South Bessemer Housing Project, 2501 Clarendon Ave.;
- District 4, Box 1: The Station Church, 6270 Park South Drive;
- District 4, Box 2: Parkwood Church of God, 1975 Highway 150;
- District 5, Box 1: West Hills Primary School, 710 Glenn Road;
- District 6, Box 1: Fire Station No. 4, 495 Flint Hill Road;
- District 6, Box 2: Fire Station No. 5, 1715 Long 12th St. N;
- District 7, Box 1: Thompson Manor, 1500 Exeter Ave.; and
- District 7, Box 2: Bessemer Recreation Center, 100 14th St. S.
