Birmingham City Councilor J.T. Moore on Thursday kicked off his campaign for a second term representing the Magic City’s District 4.

“I truly believe that Birmingham is a beautiful place, but I also believe that we can only go as far as the partnerships that we have. We can only go as far as we are willing to collaborate with one another,” Moore said to the crowd at House Eleven, a café, bar and event space on First Avenue North in Woodlawn.

Moore was elected to the seat in 2021, and he said good work has been done in his four years in office. That good work has included:

• Attracting two major economic generators to the area. A 53,000-square-foot air cargo facility at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport was unveiled in June 2024; and a $330 million campus for Coca Cola United in the Kingston community was announced in May 2024.
• Having three Birmingham schools make a state most-improved list for the 2023-2024 academic year. That includes two in District 4.
• Seeing the resurgence of Police Athletics Teams, which provide mentorship to local youth. “That’s something that I put significant funding into getting started back because I wanted to see the positive relationships between young people and police officers,” Moore said.

Moore faces at least one challenger. Brian Gunn, a member of Birmingham’s Planning Commission, announced his first bid for elected office Feb. 25 at Woodlawn Theatre.

Moore said that if elected for another term, his policy goals would focus on three major areas: beautification, community involvement and growth.

According to Moore, beautification means planting more trees, commissioning more murals, maintaining community gardens, enhancing parks, increasing neighborhood signage and providing facade improvements.

He said involvement will mean working to appoint more District 4 residents onto city boards and agencies as well as having them participate in programs such as the Academy of Civic Engagement.

In terms of growth, Moore said he plans to leverage a recent state law to help develop brownfield sites in the district.

“I want to be able to highlight these brownfield areas and really get this land back into good use so that businesses can utilize them … and so we can create a safe and healthy environment for the residents who live around them,” he said.

Moore has worked as the Woodlawn coordinator for the Birmingham Volunteer Lawyers Program Inc. Previously, he was manager of community partnerships for Woodlawn United. Before that, he spent five years in several leadership roles at the A.G. Gaston Boys and Girls Club.

Moore, a Birmingham native who was raised in Ensley off Bush Boulevard, attended the University of West Alabama and Tuskegee University between 2006 and 2008 as well as UAB from 2012 to 2014.

Ending his remarks before the crowd at House Eleven Thursday night, Moore told those in the crowd that he appreciates their support and would love the opportunity to continue serving the city.

“We as a community, we as a city, need to do a better job at uplifting each other,” he said. “There are other cities that are able to move forward and progress because they understand that there’s power in the collective, and we need to value that, as well, and have that same type of mindset and that same type of culture.”