[MAPS Victory Committee] There can be no doubt that some people in Birmingham badly want MAPS to be adopted. The existence of the "MAPS Victory Committee" certainly indicates this: The committee received $1 million in contributions and employs a full-time staff of six. About $400,000 of its budget is committed to "media buys" between July 7 and August 4, the date of the ballot. The MAPS media blitz started with a half-hour "infomercial" on all Birmingham network TV stations.
The pro-MAPS team has also hired Hank Sheinkopf, a New York-based political consultant with experience in President Clinton's 1996 re-election campaign.
[Strategy] Despite the resources at their disposal, the pro-MAPS forces have a difficult task. Their job is to sell a tax increase that will pay for a domed stadium complex. But they already know that if you simply ask Birmingham and Jefferson County citizens whether they want a big, new stadium, they will say no. [See MAPS poll results.]
So in order to win, the pro-MAPS team has to make it seem as if MAPS is about something more - something nice, but vague and hard to pin down. Something like "a dream for the future" . . . "a ticket to the future" . . . "vision, guts, leadership and success."
The Future Can't Wait is the slogan that appears on pro-MAPS yard signs. This is an effective line because it keys into people's hopes, as well as their frustration with the relative lack of progress in our city and state. It implies that MAPS is "for" the future, and that if someone is against MAPS, they are "against the future."
The MAPS infomercial used many emotional appeals, urging viewers to trust the business leaders who put together the MAPS package. Bart Starr put in a brief appearance, along with some nice local folks and well-regarded local leaders (Larry Langford, for example, but not Richard Arrington or Richard Scrushy).
[MAPS Steering Committee] This group consists of members of the Citizens for the Future of Jefferson County Inc. Their purpose is to guide the MAPS plan to what they hope will be a "yes" vote on August 4. Some of these committee members will also serve on the Jefferson County Progress Authority board if MAPS is approved. (Progress Authority board members will not be compensated, according to the MAPS law.)
Mary Buckelew, chairman of the Jefferson County Commission, resigned from the MAPS Steering Committee in April, saying she would vote against the MAPS proposal - but that she would not campaign against it in the meantime. She was replaced by Donald Hess. Because of her position as Jefferson County's chief executive, Buckelew will still serve on the board of directors of the Jefferson County Progress Authority if MAPS passes.
[Citizens for the Future of Jefferson County, Inc.] This non-profit corporation has been given a quasi-official role by the MAPS law: If MAPS is approved on August 4, this group will receive the authority nominate four of the 12 members of the MAPS governing board, the Jefferson County Progress Authority.
The CFJC's core membership is largely identical with that of the MAPS Steering Committee; however, its members also include:
Howard, Langford, LeMaster, and Porter joined the Citizens for the Future of Jefferson County in April.
What is RAPS?
Expressing your views
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The Progress Authority will be a self-governing corporation with a board of 12 directors:
Some supporters, such as the Metropolitan Arts Council, are semi-official or dependent on municipal funding and appointments. Others, such as Greater Birmingham Ministries, have become reluctant MAPS supporters because of the pressing need for public transportation in Jefferson County.
The list is expanded from one published in the Birmingham News on August 4, MAPS Election Day.
[Supporters] Alabama Basketball Foundation, Alabama Sports Foundation, Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, Alabama Zoological Society, Alpha Phi Alpha, Birmingham Business Journal, Birmingham Business Resource Center, Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, Birmingham Citywide Local Development Co., Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Birmingham Environmental Clearinghouse, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Landmarks Inc., Birmingham Metropolitan Development Board, Birmingham Park & Recreation Board, Birmingham Summerfest, Birmingham Urban League, Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Board, Clergy That Care, Citizens Advisory Board, Citizens for the Future of Jefferson County Inc., Citizens for Transit Coalition, Community Committee for MAPS, Delta Sigma Theta, Friends of Rickwood, Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau, Greater Birmingham Ministries, Junior Achievement of Greater Birmingham, M-Set, Mayors Alligned for Progress, Metropolitan Arts Council, North Birmingham Economic Revitalization Corp., Operation New Birmingham, Police Chiefs Association of Jefferson County, Southern Aquatics Foundation, Urban Link, Vulcan Kiwanis Club, Young Men in Business Conference.
Industry groups: Associated Builders and Contractors, Birmingham Automobile Dealers Association, Birmingham Construction Industry Authority, Greater Birmingham Association of Homebuilders, Greater Birmingham Lodging Association, Professional Convention Management Association, Sales and Marketing Executives of Birmingham
Businesses [MAPS campaign donors in green type]: Alabama Business Furnishings; Alabama Limousine Inc.; American Cadastre Inc.; Bodine Inc.; Burr & Forman; Cater, Reddington, Staub Inc.; Hatcher Design Associates; John H. Lanier Co. Inc.; Lane, Bishop, York & Delahay Inc.; Myers & Traylor law firm; Marlin, Bridges & Associates; Nimrod Long & Associates; Riteway Service; Sherman International Corp.; Sims Architectural Studio Inc.; Spaulding Protocol; Thrifty Car Rental
List of MAPS donors
[Opponents] Alabama Grocers Association, Adamsville City Council, Citizens for Better Schools, Hueytown City Council, Jefferson County Progressive Democratic Council, Jefferson County Republican Party executive committee, Mid-Alabama Republican Club, Pleasant Grove City Council, Project L.E.A.P., RAPS (Real Accountability, Progress, and Solutions), Trussville City Council.
What is RAPS?
Most cities avoid stand on MAPS
The donors include contractors, developers, equipment providers, beverage suppliers and others who might have an interest in bidding on MAPS project contracts. Donald Hess, chairman of the MAPS Victory Committee, assured the press that "there will be no preferences in bids for the companies contributing."
The largest donors, at $100,000 each, were Alabama Power, BellSouth, HealthSouth Corp., AmSouth Bank and SouthTrust Bank.
Citizens for the Future of Jefferson County Inc. is the organization behind the MAPS Victory Committee, and it will appoint one-third of Jefferson County Progress Authority directors if MAPS is approved.
Birmingham News coverage
NBC-13 coverage
Complete list of donors
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Edited by Rob Collins
