Randall Woodfin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Randall Woodfin
Woodfin in 2021
34th Mayor of Birmingham
Incumbent
Assumed office November 28, 2017
Preceded by	William A. Bell
Personal details
Born	(1981-05-29) May 29, 1981 (age 44) Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	Morehouse College (BA) Samford University (JD)

Randall Woodfin was born on May 29, 1981. He is an American lawyer and politician. He is currently the 34th mayor of Birmingham, Alabama. He won the election on October 3, 2017, against the previous mayor, William A. Bell. Before becoming mayor, Woodfin was the president of the Birmingham City School Board from 2013 to 2015. He also worked as a city attorney for Birmingham from 2009 to 2017.

Early Life and Education

Randall Woodfin grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. He lived in the North Birmingham and Crestwood areas. He went to North Birmingham Elementary School and Putnam Middle School. Later, he attended Shades Valley High School.

He then went to Morehouse College. There, he studied political science. He was also the president of the student government association. After college, Woodfin earned a law degree. He got his Juris Doctor from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University.

Randall Woodfin's Career Journey

Starting His Career in Public Service

Before going to law school, Woodfin worked in different public service roles. He worked for the Birmingham City Council. He also worked for the Mayor's Office Division of Youth Services. Another role was with the Jefferson County Committee on Economic Opportunity.

In 2009, Woodfin became an assistant city attorney for Birmingham. He held this job until he was elected mayor in 2017. In 2013, he successfully ran for a seat on the school board. He became the president of the board a couple of months later. He served as president until 2015 and stayed on the board until 2017.

Woodfin is involved with many community groups. ..... He also serves on the boards of Birmingham Botanical Gardens and the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama. He has been a speaker at TEDx Birmingham. In 2016, he was the Alabama state director for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.

Becoming Mayor of Birmingham

Woodfin announced he would run for mayor of Birmingham in August 2016. He was challenging the current mayor, William Bell, and 10 other candidates. In the election on August 22, 2017, Woodfin received 40% of the votes. This led to a runoff election with Bell, who came in second.

Woodfin won the runoff election on October 3 with 58.95% of the votes. He became the youngest mayor of Birmingham in over 120 years. During his campaign, Woodfin said that Bell had not improved the quality of life for Birmingham residents. He promised to focus on making the city's 99 neighborhoods better.

Woodfin received support from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Sanders recorded a message for voters, saying Woodfin would fight for better healthcare.

As Mayor: Key Actions and Challenges

Woodfin speaks at a town hall meeting in January 2019.

When Woodfin took office, he promised to review the city's finances. He conducted a performance audit to check how well city departments were working. In March 2018, his team found that the city's pension fund had not been fully funded for many years. This put the city's credit rating and employee retirement benefits at risk.

Woodfin increased funding to the pension fund. He added $2.9 million in the 2019 budget and $5.2 million in the 2020 budget. His administration stated that this fully met the city's obligation to the fund.

Improving Neighborhoods

In his first two years, Woodfin set aside money for city improvements. He budgeted $13 million for street resurfacing. He also put $2.5 million towards clearing overgrown lots. Another $6.5 million was for tearing down old, unsafe buildings. Woodfin said that dealing with urban blight was a top goal for his administration.

Birmingham's high violent crime rate was a major issue in Woodfin's campaign. His nephew was killed by gun violence in August 2017. This happened just weeks before the general election.

After Woodfin became mayor, Police Chief A.C. Roper resigned. Woodfin later appointed Patrick D. Smith, a former commander from the Los Angeles Police Department, as the new chief. In 2019, Woodfin's team launched a public service campaign called "PEACE." It featured short videos of mothers sharing their stories about losing loved ones to gun violence.

The city's homicide rate has remained similar since Woodfin took office. In 2017, there were 117 homicides. In 2022, there were 152. Woodfin has stated that overall violent crime has decreased. He points to the police department removing thousands of guns from the streets. In January 2022, Police Chief Patrick Smith resigned. Woodfin appointed Capt. Scott Thurmond as the interim chief.

Addressing Food Deserts

One of Woodfin's early campaign promises was to help areas in the city that are food deserts. These are places where it is hard for people to find fresh, healthy food.

Confederate Monuments

For many years, people in Birmingham wanted the Confederate monument in Linn Park removed. After the murder of George Floyd, people protested and tried to take the monument down themselves. The next morning, Woodfin ordered the removal of the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument. He also issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency. This order banned public gatherings for 24 hours and set a curfew for one week. The Alabama Attorney General later sued the city of Birmingham. The lawsuit claimed the city violated the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act.

National Politics

Randall Woodfin supported Joe Biden in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. This was even though he had received Bernie Sanders' support in his 2017 mayoral race. Woodfin explained that he believed Biden could help other candidates win elections. He also thought Biden could help the Democratic party gain support across the country.

Woodfin was chosen as one of seventeen speakers to give the keynote address. This happened at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

Political Views

Woodfin identifies as a political leftist. He supports policies like making the justice system fairer. ..... In a 2019 interview, Woodfin said that being a moderate does not mean staying the same. He said he supports many ideas from the left. However, he also believes it is important to win elections.

When he ran for mayor in 2017, Woodfin promised to make Birmingham a sanctuary city. This means a city that limits its cooperation with national immigration enforcement. However, in 2018, he changed this promise. Instead, he proposed to make Birmingham a "welcoming city." This means a city that welcomes immigrants and helps them settle.

Woodfin recognizes the harmful effects of climate change. In 2018, he signed the "Alabama Mayors for 100% Sustainable Energy Pledge." This was part of a campaign promise. His administration created the Mayor’s Office of Social Justice and Racial Equity. This office works to address problems caused by extreme weather events made worse by global warming.

Personal Life

Randall Woodfin grew up with three siblings. His older brother, Ralph, was killed by gun violence in 2011. His nephew, Ralph Woodfin III, was also killed in August 2017. Woodfin is married and has a daughter. He is a Christian and attends Sixth Avenue Baptist Church in Birmingham. He enjoys music from artists like Mannie Fresh, Dr. Dre, The Neptunes, and Big K.R.I.T..