Tag: Birmingham mayor
Woodfin Announces His Executive Leadership Team
Nov. 14, 2017 — Birmingham Mayor-elect Randall Woodfin named members of his administration’s executive leadership team Tuesday morning.
Almost all of the appointees previously worked in some capacity with Birmingham city government. Two worked on the campaign of Bernie Sanders, the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate who endorsed Woodfin shortly before his election.
Standing at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in front of a black banner with the words “How Does It Help All 99 Birmingham Neighborhoods?” emblazoned on it, Woodfin said he plans to “hit the reset button at City Hall as relates to certain leadership having a sense of urgency with helping people and putting people first.” The question on the banner behind him serves as “our why,” he said, the guiding principle behind every decision his administration makes.
“When we wake up every single day over the next four years, every decision we make, every issue we face, anything on the solutions end of the problems we have, we will always ask this question,” he said. Read more.
BIRMINGHAM VOTES 2017
Randall Woodfin will be sworn in as Birmingham’s new mayor during his inauguration Nov. 28. BirminghamWatch interviewed him, new council members and departing council members before the passing of the baton:
First? Look at the Books: A Q&A With Birmingham’s Next Mayor
Newly Elected Birmingham City Councilor Hunter Williams Calls for Broad Coordination to Move the City Forward
For Newly Elected Birmingham City Councilor Darrell O’Quinn, the Neighborhood is Still the Thing
New Birmingham Councilor John Hilliard Says He Can’t Do It Alone, Residents Must Share Responsibility for the District
Transparency, Neighborhoods and One Uber Battle: Three Former Birmingham Councilors Talk About Their Time at City Hall
READ COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE BIRMINGHAM CITY ELECTION.
Woodfin: Bell’s Fundraising Allegations Are ‘False and Misleading’
Birmingham Mayoral candidate Randall Woodfin called Mayor William Bell’s criticisms of his out-of-state fundraising “false and misleading.”
Bell has called out Woodfin for getting money from out-of-state donors and being supported by a national liberal agenda. Woodfin says some of that is true, but he had to go farther afield for some of his contributors because Bell during his long government career has had the backing of virtually every corporate interest. He also said there’s a fear of retribution that has to be overcome when the opponent is a long-serving, influential official. Read more.
Contributions to Bell and Woodfin Highlight Campaign Differences
Birmingham’s two remaining mayoral candidates have reported the contributions their campaigns have received since the Aug. 22 election, revealing stark contrasts between the candidates’ fundraising tactics.
Filings submitted last week show that incumbent candidate William Bell has raised $137,000 since the election, more than triple the $42,356 that challenger Randall Woodfin has raised.
But Woodfin surpasses Bell in the sheer number of individual contributors. He’s collected contributions from 327 donors since Aug. 22, with an average donation of $130, while Bell has received contributions from 59 sources, averaging $2,331 per donation.
Read more.
Bell, Woodfin Advance to Runoff in Birmingham Mayor’s Race
Birmingham Mayor William Bell may be in for the fight of his political life.
Bell failed to win a majority of votes cast in the Aug. 22 mayoral election — in fact, he wasn’t even the leading vote-getter — and now will go head-to-head against Birmingham Board of Education member Randall Woodfin in a runoff Oct. 3.
Woodfin took the top spot in the returns with 15,656 votes; at 40.84 percent, he was well short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff. Bell trailed Woodfin by a wide margin in early returns but closed the gap as the night wore on and finished with 14,011 votes, or 36.55 percent.
Woodfin attracted a diverse following in his campaign, and Bell ended the night vowing to focus in on his base before the next round of voting. Read more.
Winners in Tuesday’s Birmingham city election and candidates headed for runoffs:
Top Mayoral Candidates Talk Transportation, Education, Redevelopment and Government Efficiency in Debate
Both challengers involved in a recent mayoral election debate targeted what they said were shortcomings in Mayor William Bell’s administration, while Bell fired back with attacks on their records, or lack thereof.
Birmingham Election Voter Guide
More than a quarter of Birmingham voters turned out Tuesday for the first round of polling to select a mayor, city councilors and members for the city Board of Education. Runoffs in nine of those races will be Oct. 3.
88 File to Run for Office in Birmingham City Elections
The mayor’s office and every seat on the City Council and Birmingham Board of Education are up for Grabs. Read more.
