Tuscaloosa's Raevan Howard Elected Council President After Tyner

Raevan Howard is the new president pro tempore of the Tuscaloosa City Council, stepping into the seat left empty by Kip Tyner's death this month. Her colleagues elected her in a unanimous vote on Tuesday evening, making her the first Black woman to hold the leadership position.

Howard represents District 2, which covers a wide swath of West Tuscaloosa. Her father, Bobby Howard, served on the council before her from 2005 through 2013 representing District 1.

"It's an honor to have the unanimous support of my colleagues to serve as Council President,” said Councilor Howard. “I look forward to working with the community, business owners and organizations to continue the legacy of Council President Kip Tyner and his advocacy for all of Tuscaloosa."

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Howard was born in Tuscaloosa to Bobby and Kim Howard, graduated from Central High School and earned a bachelor's degree in social work from the University of Alabama. She has five children: Hillary, Malia, Marcus and twins Kristina and Kimberly.

She has been a member of her parents' Culver Road Church since birth and sits on its board of trustees. She also serves on the boards of the Bloody Tuesday Committee and Child Abuse Prevention Services, on the Planning and Zoning Commission, and on the League of Municipalities' human development subcommittee.

On the council, Howard chairs the Public Safety Committee and is vice chair of the Community Development Committee. She also sits on the Finance Committee and serves as an alternate on Administration and Policy.

Tyner died Sept. 18 after nearly 29 years representing District 5 and Alberta.

The city held a memorial service for him Monday at Alberta Plaza, where Mayor Walt Maddox announced plans to rename the plaza and a nearby stretch of 26th Avenue East in his honor.

Howard spoke at that service, telling the crowd that Tyner's response to the 2011 tornado showed what he was made of and that he never let a Tuesday pass without something on a committee agenda for his district.

The council also faces a special election to fill Tyner's District 5 seat. Under a tentative calendar the city laid out this month, the council would call the election Oct. 6, with candidate qualifying running Oct. 13 through Oct. 27 and a Dec. 8 election date.

Besides Howard, the council includes Joseph Eatmon Sr. in District 1, Richard Henry in District 3, Lee Busby in District 4, John Faile in District 6 and Cassius Lanier in District 7.

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