Mayor-elect Randall Woodfin Announces Transition Leaders, Inauguration Date
Birmingham Mayor-elect Randall Woodfin began his transition into office today, echoing some of the same themes from his campaign.
The 36-year-old Woodfin defeated Mayor William Bell in a runoff on October 3rd.
“Priority one will be restoring trust in City Hall,” Woodfin said speaking at a press conference at Vulcan Park and Museum. “We will eliminate nepotism and cronyism and make sure that taxpayers dollars are spent wisely and that taxpayers can actually see how their money is spent.”
Woodfin also announced leaders for his transition team.
Former Birmingham-Southern College President General Charles Krulak, and retired Alabama Power Company executive Bobbie Knight will co-chair the transition. Ed Fields, Woodfin’s campaign manager, will be transition coordinator.
Knight, grew up in Birmingham’s Zion City community on the east side. She attended Birmingham Schools and went on to the University of Alabama and the Birmingham School of Law.
She says Birmingham is on the cusp of becoming a great American city, however, “We must first address real issues that face all of our citizens, from neighborhood revitalization to education, to reducing crime to eliminating red tape from city government, so that Birmingham is truly open for business investment.”
Krulak, a retired Marine Corps general, who moved to Birmingham several years ago to lead Birmingham-Southern College, says the city has made great strides since the 1960’s.
“It’s gone from a beacon of civil rights to a beacon of human rights, to a revitalization of our downtown that we see today. At the same time, we can’t turn a blind eye to the problems that occur and continue to exist.”
Woodfin says he looks forward to working with Knight and Krulak and that additional announcements will be made as his team develops.
Woodfin’s inauguration is November 28th and the Birmingham City Council’s inauguration is October 24th. Both dates are set by state law.
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