Fairfield mayor, Langford spoke publicly many times about his plans to run for higher office, particularly Governor of Alabama. After the bankruptcy of Visionland, Langford's political fortunes seemed to wane, and his talk of higher office diminished. After losing the county commission presidency, Langford announced on June 5, 2007, that he would run for mayor of Alabama's largest city. Langford stunned many when he emerged as a top contender in a field of 10 candidates that included incumbent mayor Bernard Kincaid. Preliminary results credited him with 26,277 of 52,111 votes cast in the election, meaning that he avoided a runoff with challenger Patrick Cooper by 170 votes. Cooper then challenged the election in court, saying that Langford was still a resident of Fairfield and did not legally reside within Birmingham's city limits. Cooper later withdrew his case after a judge declared Langford's downtown loft a legal residence. While in office Langford was a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, an anti-gun group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets and that at the time was co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Langford was long a proponent of a domed stadium for the city, intended to replace the aging Legion Field as a venue for football on the collegiate and professional levels. He previously promoted a tax hike to pay for the dome, which was soundly rejected by voters a decade earlier under then-Mayor Richard Arrington, although later analysis of votes showed an overwhelming support for the dome inside city limits. After taking office as Birmingham mayor, Langford vowed that a domed stadium would be built in the city no matter what. Controversy Church and state Langford, who converted to Catholicism in 1996, was both praised and criticized for the degree to which his Christian faith informed his political agenda. He held Bible studies for municipal workers at City Hall each week and was a frequent speaker at public prayer services and church events. On April 22, 2008, Langford issued a proclamation on city letterhead proclaiming the following Friday to be "It's Time to Pray" in the City of Birmingham. He called upon "all Bishops, Priests, Pastors, Ministers and all of our citizens of various denominations and creeds" to join him in donning burlap sacks and having their heads smeared with ashes during