This is an opinion column

I’m dumbfounded.

Dumbfounded ‘good’.

Not dumbfounded ‘bad’.

Our Birmingham region has struggled for growth and economic progress for decades, but a recent poll clearly screams that our influential community leaders have had enough and are ready for change.

Our influential community leaders have a refreshing new mindset that has the potential to MBGA.

Yes, our leaders are ready to Make Birmingham Great Again!

If you don’t think Birmingham was great at one time, then you don’t know our history.

From our founding through the end of the 1960s, Birmingham was the primary industrial center of the South.

Birmingham grew so fast from 1881 through 1920 that it earned the nicknames The Magic City and The Pittsburgh of the South.

In 1950, Birmingham’s population was 5,000 less than Atlanta’s and we were on the cusp of becoming the largest city in the South.

Then, OOPS!!!

Jefferson County splintered into 35 separate municipalities and Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte, and Austin ate our lunch.

Okay, many of you, including myself, are thankful we didn’t become Atlanta, but it would have been nice to remain competitive enough to create opportunities for ourselves and our children.

In 2017, the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham published a study that provided overwhelming evidence “that regions that speak with one voice prosper better than those that don’t.”

The study noted that Birmingham is “one of the most fragmented communities in the South which has led to economic stagnation and stunted growth.”

The report predicted that “the future does not bode well for us unless we do things differently.”

The good news

Our future and our way of thinking is being transformed right before our eyes.

Powerpoll, a monthly poll of influential community leaders, recently released a poll that flips expected Birmingham fragmentation on its head.

The report clearly shows that a majority (55%) of our community leaders surveyed think regional cooperation has improved over the past decade.

Only 4% of the respondents believe regional cooperation has gotten worse.

This is a stunning turnaround from a few years ago when very few community leaders recognized the power of collaboration.

Even more remarkable, “While acknowledging improvement, the bulk of respondents said they would support measures to further increase cooperation.

“More than 80% of respondents said they’d support the creation of at-large positions on the Jefferson County Commission that would represent the interests of the entire county.

“…77% of respondents said they would support a consolidated metro area government similar to the setup in Nashville.”

“Respondents overwhelmingly identified economic development as the biggest potential benefit of improved regional cooperation.”

Proof of our progress

Since the Community Foundation study was released in 2017, the mayors in the Jefferson County Mayors’ Association signed an agreement that they would not poach businesses from one another.

This has created a trust between the mayors that didn’t exist prior to the agreement and currently there are on-going conversations on consolidating other services and buildings such as trash removal, 911 call centers, and jails.

Then shortly after the JeffCo mayors signed their agreement, a group of City Counsellors representing municipalities throughout Jefferson County began meeting regularly to exchange ideas and discuss issues they could address together.

It’s clear a large majority of our community leaders have had enough of ‘economic stagnation and stunted growth.’

Today it’s rare to hear a local political leader give a talk without giving a thumbs up to government collaboration.

Our community leaders appear to have flipped.

That’s a good thing, because it creates a better opportunity for us to have a prosperous future.

David Sher is the founder and publisher of ComebackTown. He’s past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham (REV Birmingham), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).

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Invite David to speak for free to your group about how we can have a more prosperous metro Birmingham. [email protected].