As contenders argued to depose the current mayor of Birmingham and put an end to the Randemic, a new word was created, with daggers sharpened and pointed at Mayor Randall Woodfin.
Woodfin and five of the nine candidates for Birmingham mayor faced off in a debate hosted by WJLD 104.1 FM at the Carver Theatre downtown on Tuesday night.
Woodfin warned the audience at the start of his presentation that they would be hearing lies about his record.
Early on, state representative Juandalynn Givan criticized Woodfin’s leadership and held him accountable for a number of local problems, such as Birmingham’s diminished power on the water works board.
She added, “I’m going to talk about a Randemic—not a pandemic, but a Randemic—that has spread quickly throughout the city.”
Woodfin denied the responsibility and blamed Givan, a former state lawmaker.
“When the water works board took over, there was only one person on this stage who had a vote,” Woodfin stated. I warned you it would be lies tonight. You just heard one.
James Williams, presenter of WJLD, posed thoughtful queries about crime, housing affordability, the city’s decline, and state involvement over Birmingham’s assets.
Under fire from opponents Givan, Brian K. Rice, preacher Frank Woodson, and Jefferson County Commissioner Lashunda Scales, Woodfin repeatedly called criticism of his leadership false.
According to Rice, there is ample responsibility for the city’s loss of control at the former Birmingham Water Works, which was recently renamed Central Alabama Water, among the present executives.
He claimed that many people have been dozing off for ten years and that many of them are sleeping behind the wheel. Someone has been ignoring the legislation while it has been happening.
As all of the other candidates centered their sparring on the city’s crime rate, unmet neighborhood needs, and what they referred to as the lack of accountability at city hall, Woodfin was on his toes.
Even though Woodfin claimed that all of the assaults were false, some of the claims were true, such as the city’s declining population and its devaluation to Huntsville, which currently has the most people in the state.
I lead a business. Woodson remarked, “I don’t understand why the buck doesn’t stop somewhere.” According to Woodson, we lost the water works because of a massive leadership failure. He claimed that no one was able to unite everyone. Without placing blame, we must be able to conduct an autopsy to determine what went wrong.
Scales defended her Birmingham employment history.
When I initially became a commissioner, I recall sitting in a meeting wanting to support the city and being asked to leave a room, Scales recalled. Let’s avoid misrepresenting the facts. It’s okay if you want to punch tonight; I understand your power plan. To be clear, however, facts are reciprocal.
The tension between Woodfin and Scales was evident. Woodfin’s initial bid for mayor was originally endorsed by Scales, a former council member from Birmingham. Scales ran for and was elected to the county commission after the relationship quickly disintegrated. In 2021, she ran against Woodfin for mayor.
Scales turned to Woodfin and stated, “Now in 21 I ran because you, sir, have not made good on one promise that you made to the city.” And you’re still lying at 25. Birmingham residents and this city are aware of it.
According to Woodson, citizens’ quality of life is negatively impacted by violence and limited access to essential resources because of their zip code.
We will take care of the residents, ensure that everyone has a good night’s sleep, and prevent them from having to relocate because it is unsafe for their family, Woodson. We lose sight of the fact that our communities or the people who live there are suffering as a result of all these attacks.
According to Woodson, the city requires a responsible leader.
The mayor of Birmingham is not to blame for the murders. However, we require a leader who takes ownership of the solution. I’ll come ahead. “I’ll take the lead,” Woodson declared.
Rice mentioned that after residing out of state, he returned to Birmingham. Even though he has cinder blocks at his wall to ensure that stray bullets don’t hit him, he claimed he is still dedicated to the city and living in downtown Ensley.
I’ll concentrate on city safety. Rice declared, “I will eliminate any plans that contribute to the concentration of poverty.” My commitment is to ensure that jobs are brought to Birmingham, that buildings and communities are restored, and that opportunities are provided to those living in these neighborhoods.
In her closing remarks, Givan attacked Woodfin once more and even criticized his on-stage conduct.
It’s not a rite of passage to run for mayor. City Hall is run similarly to the SGA student government at Morehouse College. “Brighton, make it make sense,” she said. This is the work of a huge man.
Shortly after the discussion, Woodfin addressed his fans on social media.
In the video message, he stated, “What you saw tonight was two different versions of Birmingham and we made that very clear.”
The argument was described by Woodfin as trashy and a clown show.
The state of this race has truly embarrassed me, just like you,” he continued. I have been silent for a very long time, and I will remain silent.
According to Woodfin, the spectacle and degrading conduct were caused by the other candidates themselves. Some of Woodfin’s outspoken supporters have used social media as a platform to criticize his opponents directly.
Thousands of people watched online, and the downtown theater was packed with spectators.
Former Birmingham city council member Steven Hoyt, who watched the debate online, described the event as a unique chance to observe the candidates in a formal environment and hear their platforms.
He did, however, criticize the conversation for being too shallow and for missing possibilities.
Hoyt, a 16-year member of the city council, stated, “I felt they should have focused on what they had to offer instead of directing their attacks at the mayor. They got way too personal from the standpoint.”
He said that the attacks were reciprocal.
According to Hoyt, even the mayor had character problems with the other contenders. You have a record as mayor, therefore you don’t need to use it.
Additionally, according to Hoyt, Woodfin overstated his assertions of economic growth, especially in the west.
Hoyt stated that although there is a change occurring, it is not comparable and we have not made enough financial investments in that field.
According to Gary Richardson, president and CEO of the WJLD station, other mayoral candidates Kamau Afrika, Marilyn James-Johnson, Jerimy Littlepage, and David Russell were not invited to take part but would be requested to attend another debate.
Each candidate performed well – some made better points than others – but the professionalism of the event was on par, said Richardson, who is also mayor of Midfield. When all of the participants were satisfied with their performance and the result, you knew your discussion was successful. This indicates that everyone received equal treatment.
August 26 is election day in Birmingham.
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