Birmingham municipal election results may show birth of ‘Woodfin machine’

The Birmingham municipal election was Aug. 24 after months of campaigning from ambitious candidates.

The mayoral race was won by incumbent Randall Woodfin, giving him a second term and solidifying his position as a formidable political force in the Magic City.

Woodfin won by a large margin against his seven challengers, including Jefferson County Commissioner Lashunda Scales and former mayor William A. Bell Sr., dominating the race with 64% of the vote, the second highest being Scales with 20%.

“Woodfin’s win is not a surprise,” said Larry Powell, a political communications expert at UAB. “I assumed he would win without a runoff. He had the best campaign and best grassroots organization. Plus, he’s really well liked.”

Despite Woodfin’s colossal win, Natalie Davis, a political science professor at Birmingham-Southern College, said that she was surprised how well Scales did even though she came in second by a big margin.

“She put on a good campaign,” Davis said. “I thought that really was a good citywide effort by her.”

Davis said Woodfin reminds her of Richard Arrington Jr., the first Black mayor of Birmingham elected in the 1970s, in terms of popularity and trust.

“We used to talk about the Arrington machine and it was useful to voters because if Dr. Arrington endorsed someone, voters were confident that that person reflected Dr. Arrington’s policies, values, views, whatever,” Davis said.

“I think we can now talk about a Woodfin machine,” she said. “I think his endorsement was sought during this election, and he’s beginning to put together a very strong connection to the political process, which I think, even though he served on the school board, he was relatively new to four years ago.

“The pre-election polling had the mayor in the 60s, and my own sense of it was that it was inevitable that he’d get reelected,” Davis continued.

“He took every box in the city, but he did best in boxes that are primarily white boxes,” Davis said. “He connected with Southside, Forest Park, Crestwood, and I think that overcame a lot but he still took a little of every box. Incumbency has its advantages.”

Woodfin’s money, solid get-out-the-vote operation and numerous phone calls and mailings worked to his benefit, Davis said.

The mayor faced challenges during his reelection campaign during the summer, however.

During a press conference June 23, Woodfin had to answer tough questions about five child shooting cases that remained unsolved. “I want to remind the public that we still need your help in solving these cases,” Woodin said. “I don’t think that it is helpful or fruitful related to our ability to decrease and solve crime.”

Woodfin said during his campaign in 2017 that Birmingham needs a “poverty reduction initiative” to deter and prevent crime in the city, and he created the Mayor’s Office of Peace and Policy after he was elected. The office created and supported initiatives such as the Tuhska Lusa Initiative, which provided social support and group therapy to at-risk repeat offenders.

Despite those initiatives, many Birmingham activists felt Woodfin contradicted his promises after he and U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town created the Public Safety Task Force, a task force meant to reduce Birmingham’s violent crime rate.

The task force consists of representatives from local, state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Marshals Service, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Members and leaders of Black Lives Matter Birmingham Chapter said they were alarmed by the task force in an article publicly rescinding their endorsement of Woodfin. “As a candidate for mayor, Randall Woodfin pledged to make Birmingham work for all of its citizens,” BLM-Birmingham said.

“As mayor, he candidly talks about what progress can look like and often mentions that the phrase ‘Putting People First’ is not just a slogan but a strategy. However, his recent actions and policy shifts appear to be working for a select few and detrimental to the overall populace of Birmingham.”

One of their main concerns, BLM-Birmingham said, was the short list of “serious offenders” that have gotten attention from multiple law enforcement agencies. “The hyper-surveillance of communities of color is a problematic habit of law enforcement agencies that must be stopped,” BLM-Birmingham said.

Woodfin said that he supports BLM and understands their concerns but believes a task force is a necessary step in reducing crime in Birmingham. The task force will only arrest offenders that commit violent crimes, not innocent people, Woodfin said.

“There is an element in our city that doesn’t care about other people’s lives,” Woodfin said. “If any organization has a better way of stopping them than arresting them, show me. I will sit with them as long as needed.”

City Council

Hunter Williams (District 2), Valerie Abbott (District 3), Darrell O’Quinn (District 5), Crystal Smitherman (District 6), and Wardine Alexander (District 7) won new terms on the City Council.

Clinton Woods was unopposed in District 1.

Carol Clarke won the open seat for District 8 formerly held by long-time Councilor Steven Hoyt.

Two incumbents, Council President William Parker (District 4) and John Hilliard (District 9) will face runoffs on Oct. 5, with Parker facing J.T. Moore and Hilliard facing LaTonya Tate.

There will also be runoffs for two seats on the Birmingham Board of Education.

Sherman Collins Jr. and Douglas “Doug” Ragland will face off for a seat on the board for District 1, as well as Le’Darius Hilliard and Jason Meadows for District 9.