James Perkins Jr.

{{Short description|Mayor of Selma, Alabama}} {{About|the Alabama mayor|other people named James Perkins|James Perkins (disambiguation){{!}}James Perkins}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = James Perkins Jr. | image = James Perkins - DPLA - 63ce66e470e18271033b5087dd4e3287 (3x4a).JPG | caption = Perkins in 2004 | birth_date = 1952 or 1953 | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | office = Mayor of Selma, Alabama | term_start = 2000 | term_end = 2008 | term_start2 = 2020 | term_end2 = present | predecessor1 = Joseph Smitherman | predecessor2 = | successor2 = | party = | education = Bachelor's degree in Mathematics | alma_mater = Alabama A&M University, Auburn University at Montgomery | occupation = Businessman, Pastor, Educator | website = }} '''James Perkins Jr.''' (born 1952 or 1953) is an American politician who is the incumbent mayor of Selma, Alabama. The first African American mayor of the city, he won a runoff election in 2000 and served two terms, lost his second bid for reelection in 2008, and won a third non-consecutive term in 2020.

Perkins grew up in Selma, where his parents were an elementary school principal and a nurse, and graduated in 1971 in the first racially integrated class at Selma High School; he organized an unsuccessful effort to use the former black high school as the integrated school, rather than the former white school.<ref name=LA>{{cite news |first=Jeffrey |last=Gettleman |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-oct-22-mn-40286-story.html |title=To Mayor, It's Selma's Statue of Limitations |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=October 22, 2000 |access-date=May 12, 2017 }}</ref><ref name=XSci>{{cite news |first=Robin |last=DeMonia |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/2000/1002/p1s4.html |title=Selma steps away from its troubled past |newspaper=The Christian Science Monitor |date=October 2, 2000 |accessdate=May 12, 2017 }}</ref> He has a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Alabama A&M University and took business courses at Auburn University at Montgomery. He is a businessman and pastor and has also taught mathematics and computer science at Selma University.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.selmatimesjournal.com/2016/08/17/perkins-seeks-another-term-as-selma-mayor/ |title=Perkins seeks another term as Selma mayor |newspaper=Selma Times-Journal |date=August 17, 2016 |accessdate=May 12, 2017 }}</ref> In December 2015 he was elected presiding pastor of Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Selma, succeeding F. D. Reese.<ref>{{cite news |first=Alvin |last=Benn |url=http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/2016/01/24/selma-minister-pickets-own-church-over-presiding-pastor/79189106/ |title=Selma minister pickets own church over presiding pastor |newspaper=Montgomery Advertiser |date=January 24, 2016 |accessdate=May 12, 2017 }}</ref>

After working as a computer consultant out of state, Perkins returned to Selma as manager of Reese's unsuccessful 1980 campaign against the long-term mayor of Selma, Joe Smitherman, a former segregationist. He returned again in 1991 and ran against Smitherman himself in 1992 and 1996<ref name=LA/> before succeeding in a run-off in September 2000 in defeating Smitherman's bid for his tenth consecutive term. He was Selma's first African American mayor.<ref name=XSci/><ref name="benn">{{cite news|url=http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20120112/NEWS02/201120318/Selma-s-former-mayor-wants-his-job-back |title=Selma's former mayor wants his job back |last=Benn |first=Alvin |date=January 12, 2012 |newspaper=Montgomery Advertiser |accessdate=January 15, 2012 }}{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="cnn">{{cite news|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2000-09-12/politics/smitherman.loss_1_joe-smitherman-edmund-pettus-bridge-black-vote?_s=PM:ALLPOLITICS |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119150117/http://articles.cnn.com/2000-09-12/politics/smitherman.loss_1_joe-smitherman-edmund-pettus-bridge-black-vote?_s=PM:ALLPOLITICS |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 19, 2013 |title=After 36 years in office, Selma mayor voted out |date=September 12, 2000 |publisher=CNN |accessdate=January 15, 2012 }}</ref><ref name=ABC>{{cite news |first=Bob |last=Johnson |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=95781 |title=Selma Elects First Black Mayor |publisher=ABC news |date=September 13, 2000 |accessdate=May 12, 2017 }}</ref><ref name=Melton>{{cite news |first=Alvin |last=Benn |url=http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/local/community/2016/10/04/melton-becomes-selmas-new-mayor/91570192/ |title=Melton becomes Selma's new mayor |newspaper=Montgomery Advertiser |date=October 4, 2016 |accessdate=May 12, 2017 }}</ref> In 2008 he was elected president of the National Conference of Black Mayors.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-181897309.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127063034/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-181897309.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 27, 2018 |via=Highbeam |title=Black Mayors conference names new leader |newspaper=Jet |date=July 21, 2008 |accessdate=May 12, 2017 }}</ref>

Perkins served two terms in office; in 2008, George Evans, who was Selma's first African American City Council president, defeated his bid for reelection.<ref name="benn" /> He ran again in 2016 after Evans's second term but was defeated by State Representative Darrio Melton.<ref name=Melton/> Perkins was elected in a run-off over Miah Jackson to secure a third non-consecutive term in 2020.

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, James Jr.}} Category:African-American mayors in Alabama Category:Living people Category:Politicians from Selma, Alabama Category:Mayors of places in Alabama Category:1950s births Category:21st-century African-American people Category:20th-century African-American people Category:Year of birth missing (living people)