Fred Richardson on Donald Trump’s visit: ‘He didn’t get more coverage than the …

At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, council Vice President Fred Richardson admitted that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump “got great media coverage” when he visited Mobile last Friday for a rally at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. But Richardson, who initiated and has sometimes been ridiculed for the city of Mobile’s annual New Year’s Eve event, the MoonPie Drop – in which a giant, lighted MoonPie descends from the RSA Trustmark building during the countdown to midnight – managed to trump Trump.

“He didn’t get more coverage than the MoonPie Drop,” Richardson said, adding that the Moon Pie Drop had 24 stations covering it live, and that it’s second only in media coverage to the New York City’s crystal ball drop in Times Square.

“We pre-empted Trump. He did not pre-empt us,” Richardson said, to good-humored laughter from the other council members and the audience gathered for the meeting at Mobile Government Plaza.

In his remarks before the meeting began, Mayor Sandy Stimpson mentioned the Trump event as well. The mayor had tweeted a photo of himself and his wife with Trump, aboard his plane.

“Yes, the airplane is very nice,” Stimpson said. “I told Mr. Trump we are grateful he chose Mobile, and we hope other candidates will follow suit.”

Trump “overshadowed” a visit last week from U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx arranged by U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne, Stimpson said. After riding through Mobile’s tunnels, Foxx, a former mayor of Charlotte, N.C., “told us the (I-10) bridge is a top priority for his department and the Obama administration,” Stimpson said.

The mayor also introduced the city’s fiscal year 2016 budget, which was delivered to the City Council last Thursday.

“I believe we are standing at the doorstep of one of the most transformational moments in the history of the city of Mobile,” Stimpson said. “This budget will set into motion more capital improvements in one year than our city has collectively realized in the past decade. The city has positioned itself to finally begin to repair, replace and construct infrastructure across Mobile – infrastructure that has been neglected for way too long.”

The proposed budget can be viewed on the city’s website at cityofmobile.org.

The city’s finance committee was to meet with council members Tuesday afternoon for further discussion. The public is invited but will not be able to answer questions, said council President Gina Gregory.

One Mobilian, Ronald Hunt, addressed the council members with concerns about the performance contracts not being renewed for the Alabama School of Math and Science, the Business Innovation Center, the Christmas and Holiday Parade, the Gulf Coast Exploreum and the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce. (The chamber was actually moved to a different category, capital improvements.)

Hunt, who has volunteered at the Fort Conde Welcome Center for the past 15 years, also spoke about the need for free parking for volunteers and visitors at Fort Conde. “If we don’t have that parking, they will leave and not spend time in our city,” he said.

Stimpson mentioned that two members of the purchasing department, John Paine and Anne Foley, recently attended the National Institute of Government Purchasing annual Conference in Kansas City, Mo. “This was the first time anyone from the purchasing department has attended a national conference,” he said. “This is astounding to me. Attendance at events like this is important for the professional development of our employees and the professionalism of our city services.”

Also last week, Damarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings, who played basketball at Leflore High School, announced that he wants to help update Figures Park, the mayor said, calling it “a huge step in the right direction for our community.”

Among the mayor’s and council members’ announcements:

• Stimpson’s “Chat and Chew” series of weekly get-togethers with citizens will continue Friday at Kitchen on George at 11 a.m., followed by dessert at Cream and Sugar next door in the Oakleigh Garden District, he said.
• The next City Council meeting will be Wednesday, Sept. 2.
• There will be a public hearing on the budget on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
• Fred Richardson announced that there will be a meeting Tuesday night at 6 p.m. at the Toulminville branch of the Mobile Public Library to discuss plans for walking trails, canoeing, kayaking and fishing along Three-Mile Creek. “It’s going to be phenomenal,” he said.
• On Saturday, Sept. 5, there will be a Crichton Community Explosion Event.
• On Tuesday, Sept. 29, the Midtown community meeting will take place at Ashland Place United Methodist Church.
• District 6 residents’ council will meet on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 6:30 p.m.
• On Thursday, Oct. 1, the District 6 community meeting will take place at 6 p.m. at Connie Hudson Senior Center.
• Councilman C.J. Small attended a ribbon-cutting at the new Hobby Lobby at McGowin Park, and said Ashley Furniture Store will hold a ribbon-cutting Thursday at 10 a.m. “There’s no reason to say there’s no jobs here in Mobile, Alabama, amen,” Small said in reference to the new stores opening in the shopping center.
• Councilman John Williams encouraged people to try coaching during the fall baseball season.
• Council President Gina Gregory mentioned Village of Spring Hill’s Screen on the Green event on Thursday, Sept. 17, which will feature “Guardians of the Galaxy.”