Miriam D. Witherspoon - President Pro Tempore
Chairwoman of the Public Improvement Committee

City Councilor Miriam D. Witherspoon was the only non-incumbent candidate for Birmingham City Council to win election without a runoff in 2005.

Voters overwhelmingly elected her to represent District 7 and shortly afterwards her Council colleagues chose her as second in command. She is President Pro Tempore and presides over Council business in the absence of the Council President.

An advocate for disabled citizens, she empathizes with them because she lives their experience. Councilor Witherspoon has relied on a wheelchair since an auto accident in 1988 left her with a damaged spinal cord.

Sidelined for a short while, she eventually decided to resume an active life.

President Pro Tempore Witherspoon is an honors graduate who majored in Political Science and History at Alabama A&M University. She graduated Magna Cum Laude and second in her class from Miles Law School. She passed the bar after the first test and has been practicing law since 1990. She was the Attorney for Senior Citizens in Jefferson County.  An Elder Law Attorney for 16 years, she served as Executive Director of the Senior Citizens Services of Alabama, Inc. and is also a former law school professor. She currently has a private law office where she practices Probate Law.

Her election to the Council energized the commitment to renovating city buildings to bring them into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). However, her success reverberated far beyond Birmingham’s city limits.

The Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted into law on July 26, 1990 during the administration of President George H. W. Bush. When President Bill Clinton was in office he too strongly supported the ADA. Both men applauded President Pro Tem Witherspoon’s election and sent her personal letters of congratulations.

Birmingham is the first city in Alabama to pass a Visit-ability Ordinance. Passage of this ordinance which was introduced by President Pro Tem Witherspoon, has the potential to transform Birmingham's neighborhoods.

Generous with her intellectual and legal skills, she has received numerous accolades and commendations including the Perseverance Award form the Alabama Association of Women’s Clubs, Inc., Women’s History Award presented by the Girl Scouts of America, Award of Recognition from Miles Law School and Certificates of Appreciation from Bessemer State Technical School of Geriatric Nursing and Alabama A&M University. In March 2006, the Independent Living Center recognized her as an “exemplary role model.” She is the first African-American to be chosen Miss Wheelchair Alabama.

For more information concerning President Pro Tempore Witherspoon, contact Administrative Assistant Ernestine Williams at 254.2418.