Multiple city councilors shared their resolutions for 2015. Photo by Cody Owens.
As the people of Earth collectively celebrate another successful trip around the sun, it’s customary, in many places, to make resolutions for the upcoming year and perhaps predict what lies ahead on the next orbital outing.
In Birmingham, like many places, the year 2014 leaves behind much to be proud of, and much to be desired. As the city wants to see itself on an upward trajectory towards resurgence, will 2015 be the year that Birmingham finds itself?
Weld asked some of the newsmakers and experts around town what they’d like to see happen in Birmingham in 2015 and what they resolve to do about it. Along with that, several were asked to make predictions about what might happen in the next 365 days, good or ill. Here’s what they had to say:
Resolutions:
Dr. Ray Watts, president of the University of Alabama at Birmingham:
Listen, learn, and do all I can to build consensus around all five of our mission pillars, which are aimed at keeping UAB among the most prestigious and respected universities in the world. Those pillars, and goals, are:
Education — continue to expand educational opportunities at UAB for young people in our city, as well as across Alabama and the nation.
Research — strive to discover new knowledge and technology, as well as better treatments for serious diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s.
Patient Care — continue to provide world-class care for all Alabamians and ensure that the UAB Health System remains among the best in the world.
Community Service — continue to encourage our 23,000 employees and nearly 19,000 students to have a positive and transformational impact.
Economic Development — work daily to recruit and retain the students, faculty, and staff who, along with community and business partners, will ensure that innovations developed at UAB have a positive economic impact in Birmingham and beyond.
Randall Woodfin, president of the Birmingham Board of Education:
I would like the Birmingham Board of Education to select a Superintendent for our school system that will be embraced by all of our stakeholders — employees, students, parents, faith-based, business, elected officials, all residents. I resolve to build on and strengthen closer relationships with community partners to streamline support services that are already offered to Birmingham city schools.
Also, I would like to read 52 books in 2015 (one book a week).
J.W. Carpenter, executive director of the Birmingham Education Foundation:
[I hope] our Board will select and our community will welcome a first rate superintendent worthy of the limitless potential of our students. My resolution is that every day of 2015 I do something that helps Birmingham City School students, educators, or families.
Birmingham City Councilor Kim Rafferty:
For work, be better organized, learn to delegate more effectively, and strive to let more people know what good works my office and 2nd district are involved in.
Successfully launch an infill housing initiative in South Eastlake. See the completion of Hawkins Park and Crestline Park playground equipment renovations as well as getting the last phase of the Crestwood South Walking Trail under way. Launch Eastwood, Roebuck and Eastlake Commercial district initiatives.
Reinvigorate the transportation crossroads of the south, which are found in Birmingham. Highways, railways interchange here for our state. We need to make the most of these assets.
Bring national and international development to our city. Brand our city in positive ways — change our story from one of blight to one of right. I’d like to grow our athletic, medical, and entertainment venues.
Lastly, see UAB gain fair representation and control over her own destiny and UAB sports and other peripheral programs be reinstated/re-funded.
For home, I’d like to successfully complete house training my two dogs and two cats.
Be there for my son more as he struggles through the sixth grade, and help him to be more focused and intentional with his work ethic. Find more time for peace and relaxation and not worry so much.
Successfully grow grass in my backyard and enjoy my roses more.
Birmingham City Councilor Jay Roberson:
My resolutions are personal but also holistic in its view [of] where I would like to see the Birmingham community going forward. I pray that we see a resurgence in our urban communities with revitalization of housing and a ridding of blight. A grocery store or two being announced in District 7 (Southwest Birmingham) would be a highlight for my constituents in my district.
One major economic development project, like a multi-purpose facility in Birmingham, would be the shot in the arm this city needs. I envision in-depth discussions and planning to get this project moving forward in 2015.
2015 will also be the fifth anniversary for the 100 Days of Nonviolence Campaign. With the efforts of our young people and partnerships with community organizations I pray we make it five years consecutively on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day without a young person under the age of 18 dying to a senseless violent act.
I’ll save the best resolution for my last one. My wife, Niva, and I will be celebrating 15 years of marital bliss on April 1. After looking back over the past 15 years and three children later, I hope this year is a special one for our family. I love you Niva and our great city of Birmingham! Let’s make 2015 a year [where] all will say this is the beginning of the next renaissance of the city of Birmingham.
Birmingham City Councilor Sheila Tyson:
I resolve to lose 15 pounds via the “Shake it Off with Sheila” community health program and to encourage my neighborhoods to monitor their health. Also, to help at least 15 District 6 residents improve their credit score by 100 points on their way to homeownership.
To personally support at least 15 young people in college and career exploration. To be an example as an honest, ethical and accountable public servant. To share words of encouragement to at least three people, every day.
Political Predictions:
Vince Gawronski, professor of political science, Birmingham-Southern College:
I predict climate change-related drought, wildfires, and extreme weather in the United States cost the country billions of dollars, again. A major hurricane strikes Cuba, and for the first time the United States assists the Cuban government in the humanitarian response. Reconstruction after the devastation provides the impetus for modernizing Cuba’s new tourist industry.
The Venezuelan economy convulses further and Nicolás Maduro is deposed in a military coup rumored to be supported by the United States.
Gawronski wasn’t the only person on our list to predict an ascendant Elizabeth Warren. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Elizabeth Warren becomes the Democratic front-runner, and Hillary pulls out all the stops. The Democratic Party finds itself in disarray. The Republican moderates cave in to the “base,” and Ted Cruz becomes the presidential front-runner.
Barack Obama vetoes at least three pieces of bad legislation. China finally has enough of North Korea and takes the country off-line permanently. Putin really starts to feel the pressure of economic sanctions and falling oil prices, so he decides to invade another former Soviet republic.
Yet another airliner goes missing. Increasing tensions between frustrated citizens and militarized police result in riots in several large U.S. urban areas. The History Channel and H2 change their names respectively to the Conjecture Channel and the Ancient Alien Theory/Pseudo-Science Channel. Giorgio A. Tsoukalos becomes a science advisor for the Republican Party.
Larry Powell, professor of communications studies, University of Alabama at Birmingham:
With the Republicans holding a super majority in the House of Representatives, the House will pass a number of symbolic items to appeal to their base of voters. However, few of those will ever become law. Even if they get through the Senate, President Obama will veto them.
Expect the future of UAB athletics (particularly football) to become an issue in the state legislature. The Jefferson County delegation is likely to push for a bill that would restore football to UAB. The question is to what extent the Board of Trustees will lobby against it or encourage Governor Bentley to veto it.
David Hooks, director of UAB School of Public Health’s Edge of Chaos Center:
Selma, the movie, will win the Oscar for best picture of the year. This along with the 50th anniversary of the crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma on March 7, 1965, will once again move Alabama into the forefront internationally as the foundation of the Civil Rights Movement.
Additionally, Birmingham will be selected to host a Democratic Presidential Debate in 2015. If Birmingham capitalizes on the global press associated around these events, 2015 should be a very good year for tourism in Birmingham, even exceeding the events of 2014.
Matt Levey, professor of history, Birmingham-Southern College:
The Republicans will pass all kinds of bills that will appeal to the rightwing base but, in prompting President Obama to veto them, they will then run in 2016 on the mythic construction of “Obama the tyrant,” weak-kneed though he is. Not only are facts of no consequence (because there is always a number of them to cherry pick into a pre-determined narrative) to the right, but, as I’ve learned this year, logical consistency (Obama is a tyrant but not the decisive Putin-type) is equally inconsequential to the right.
What they say today, and only today, is all that matters. So, my prediction is that they will trot out the canard of Obama the tyrant, then, if a Republican is elected president, they will return to their high regard for the Cheney-Rumsfeld support for the unlimited power of the ‘unitary executive,’ which Republicans promptly stopped publicly supporting the first week of November 2008.
Educated Guesses — The following predictions came from the University of Alabama:
Beijing to Become First to Host both Summer, Winter Games
Beijing will be named in 2015 as the host of the 2022 Winter Olympics, becoming the first city to host both a Summer and Winter Games, predicts Dr. Andrew Billings, director of the Alabama Program in Sports Communication at UA and the Ronald Reagan Chair of Broadcasting in UA’s department of telecommunication and film.
Three-Square Meals Go Belly-Up
Despite Pinterest and food delivery companies further inspiring Millennials to cook at home with fresh, organic ingredients, the concept of three square meals a day will dissipate in 2015 as more people will dine on the go or choose options like green smoothies or snacks, predicts Sheena Quizon Gregg, a registered dietician and assistant director in UA’s department of health promotion and wellness.
Controversy Surrounding ACA to Show Signs of Slowing in 2015
Implementation of the Affordable Care Act will further increase demand for primary care doctors in 2015, and the controversy surrounding it will begin waning as people see the benefits, predicts Dr. Richard Streiffer, dean of the UA College of Community Health Sciences.
‘70s to Dominate Spring Fashion Trends
Spring fashion trends will include a return to the past as popular styles from the 1970s, including longer silhouettes, suede fabrics, fringe, tie dye, patchwork and a fuller volume pant leg will become new again in the coming year, says Brian Taylor, instructor in the department of clothing, textiles and interior design in UA’s College of Human Environmental Sciences.
Economy to grow by 2.6 percent in 2015
The U.S. economy is forecast to grow by about 2.6 percent in 2015 and will be led, in part, by growth in transportation equipment manufacturing, says Ahmad Ijaz, associate director of the Center for Business and Economic Research in UA’s Culverhouse College of Commerce.
Commissioner’s Authority to Punish NFL Players to be Curbed
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s role in determining the punishment for player crimes and misbehavior will be significantly lessened, as a consensus forms that this power serves no one well, Billings predicts.
New Cars Become Smart Phones on Wheels
In 2015, cars will become more connected to the Internet with a seamless integration between smart phones, computers and vehicles, according to Dr. Bharat Balasubramanian, a former Daimler vice president and a UA professor with joint appointments in mechanical engineering and electrical and computer engineering.
Yik Yak, Snapchat Users to Trend Younger, Facebook Older
Grandparents following the exploits of their kids and grandkids will be among those causing the age of the typical Facebook user to trend older while the typical Yik Yak and Snapchat user trends even younger in 2015, says Susan Fant, instructor of marketing at Culverhouse College of Commerce.
NASA to Cite Additional Evidence of Water on Mars
During 2015, NASA will announce that one of its Mars rovers has revealed the most concrete evidence to date of water on the Red Planet, but evidence of the existence of previous life on the planet will remain elusive, predicts Dr. William Keel, professor of astronomy in the UA College of Arts & Sciences.
Cheap Natural Gas Prices Continue Move Away From Coal
With or without new environmental regulations on emissions, electric utilities will continue the trend of using natural gas to replace coal-fired power generation as the price for natural gas remains cheap, predicts Dr. Jason Bara, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering in UA’s College of Engineering.
Softer, Cooler Colors among Interior Design Trends
Nature-inspired neutrals will be paired with softer, cooler colors in the coming year’s interior designs, putting us at peace within our fast-paced lives that seem consumed with technology, says Stephanie Sickler, assistant professor in the department of clothing, textiles and interior design in College of Human Environmental Sciences.
Warren May Get Democratic Nomination Over Clinton, UA Analyst Predicts
Elizabeth Warren may have a real shot at the Democratic nomination over Hillary Clinton; although Warren has said she won’t run for president in 2016, the party may see her as a fresh alternative to the polarizing Clinton, says Dr. George Hawley, assistant professor of political science in the College of Arts & Sciences.
Small Businesses to Expand Social Media’s Growth
More employees with social media skills will join small businesses in the coming year, leading to an increased presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, while viral marketing will provide unpredictable but massive growth in brand awareness, Fant predicts.
Lower Gas Prices Will Only Negate Some Impacts of Higher Groceries
Lower gas prices will add about .4 percent to real gross domestic product, but this will only negate some of the economic impacts of higher grocery prices, Ijaz estimates.
Effective Challenges to Common Core More Likely From State Level
If any large-scale changes to the Common Core Standards occur in 2015, those will likely come from state-wide efforts and not from the federal level, predicts Dr. Jeremy Zelkowski, professor of math education in UA College of Education.