Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin officially kicked off his campaign for a third term during an event held Saturday morning at Iron City, saying the city has come too far to turn back.

“Some folks have got amnesia,” he said to the crowd. “We’ve got to remind them of what we’ve done.”

Those achievements, he said, include:

• $11 million over five years for Birmingham Promise, which has given 1,600 students scholarships or paid internship opportunities.
• More than $60 million in street paving.
• $15 million for a family fun center in the west end of the city.

The mayor also said that during his time in office, the city experienced a reduction in six of the seven types of violent crime. However, he acknowledged that the homicide rate, which hit a record high in 2024, is “one that’s in our face, that’s impacted families, not just mine, but many in this community.”

To address that, Woodfin said, city leaders recently passed a $16 million police recruitment and retention program. He added that the city has also invested more than $8 million in youth programs such as conflict resolution, mental health resources and financial literacy courses.

Woodfin also touted the city’s success in supporting education through programs such as the Page Pals literacy program. Because of that support, he said, the Birmingham City School recently saw the percentage of third graders who read at proficiency climb from 54% to 81%.

Woodfin asked the crowd at Iron City to commit to working with him so that Birmingham could “keep building and keep rising.”

“We’re facing challenges that demand bold leadership,” he said. “I think it’s fair to say that Birmingham is at a crossroads, and I want to define that crossroads as follows: We can either keep pushing forward, fighting for good jobs, safer neighborhoods and real opportunity for every single family, or let outside forces and old ways of thinking hold us back. This campaign is about one thing. It’s about building a city that works for all of our residents.”

Woodfin ran for and won the mayor’s office for the first time in 2017. He said then that he intended to serve only two terms. But as his time began to wind down, he reconsidered. In the fall he told Birmingham Times in a text message: “There is much more work to do for neighborhoods and infrastructure. If the people of Birmingham will have me I’m more than willing to continue to serve.”

To date, two candidates have said publicly that they’re running against Woodfin: state Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, and community activist Kamau Afrika.