Beatrice Collins says she’s the community helper “you never see,” but you can see what she’s done.

“I’ve been helping them behind the scenes for so long,” said Collins, who has worked for several Birmingham City Council members in her career. “I’ve work for so many councilors (and) I still have relationships with people in different neighborhoods. They always call me.

“Anything they need done, I’m able to get it done because of the relationships that I have with people or basically just knowing the system.”

Collins plans to keep helping the citizens of Birmingham but not as an assistant to a council member. The 42-year-old is making her first bid for elected office, seeking the District 9 seat currently held by incumbent LaTonya Tate, for whom she was chief of staff 2022-2024.

“There’s really no excuse,” the North Birmingham resident said. “People try to utilize the Mayor-Council Act as to why they can’t get things done. That’s a false narrative because the job is to advocate and legislate. You can get it done if you put in the work to get it done.”

The former college intern of then-Councilor Jay Roberson said the work she’s done has spoken for her.

“That’s why I was asked to run by so many of the constituents in District 9,” she said. “Even when I was in District 7, they tried to get me to run.”

In those days, Collins said she was “new to the scene” and wasn’t ready to step up to a position on the City Council.

“But that’s just what I do,” she said. “I get things done and I know how to get things done.”

Among Collins’ priorities in her bid for office is community centers, which a number of neighborhoods lack.

“That’s something that I (said) to City Council members that I worked for,” Collins said. “I was like, ‘Let’s focus on trying to get community centers because we have a lot of neighborhoods that (don’t have them.)’ I grew up in a community center so that’s why I’m so passionate about community centers.”

Collins said community centers can be places residents can go to get resources.

“I wanted to be able to put a VA (Veterans Administration) representative in those community centers because a lot of our veterans don’t know how to get that 100% (of their benefits),” she said. “A lot of them are getting like 30% and 40%, 50% from their retirement.”

Community centers could also serve the younger generation in new ways, like providing a place for podcasts and gaming.

“A lot of our kids are into gaming. People don’t know that,” the candidate said. “A lot of our youth, they get paid like six, seven figures in the gaming world. A lot of the Black communities don’t know that but in the white community, those kids are making money. I’m talking about 12, 13 years old making six, seven figures, just gaming.”

Neighborhood revitalization also ranks high with Collins. That includes bringing grocery stores into the area.

“Some of our people have to go all the way to Fultondale, Gardendale to go to a grocery store,” she said.

Collins added that she wants to partner with city schools to get more programs to help “save our youth from gun violence.” And she wants greater fiscal responsibility.

“One of my things is giving all the money back to the neighborhoods,” she said. “That’s why a lot of our neighborhoods look like ghost towns. I mean, they look like a Third World country in District 9 because a lot of times the funds are not being appropriated back into the neighborhoods.

“(Funds) go into other entities where the neighborhoods are not profiting,” Collins continued. “That’s one of the things that I talk about to the constituents (and) they know I’m gonna keep my word on that.”

The candidate said she learned much of her lessons about being an effective council member from retiring Councilor Valerie Abbott, for whom she previously worked.

“That’s why her district thrives the way that it does,” Collins said, “because she don’t believe in travel. She gives all her discretionary, her capital, her surplus, her ARPA funds, all back to District 3.

“That’s what my 4-4-4 is all about,” she continued. “A vote for unity, a vote for growth, a vote for change, because all those funds will be allocated back to the taxpayers, actually where it belongs.”

Collins’ wish to help citizens goes beyond her work for the city. She is establishing a nonprofit – Help Thy Neighbor Collins Foundation.