Woodfin Gets Endorsement from Woods for Oct. 3 Runoff

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Mayor William Bell is not stranger to a runoff for Birmingham mayor. He is not even a stranger to coming in second in the general election and winning a subsequent runoff. But this election just took a different twist than Bell's victory in 2010. This year, former candidates are throwing their support to Bell's opponent, including third place finisher Chris Woods.

In a press conference Wednesday at the Harbert Center downtown, Woods - who finished with 18 percent of the vote Aug. 22, - declared his support for Randall Woodfin, who received the most votes in the general election, with 41 percent. When Bell won the mayoral race in 2010, he barely forced a runoff against Patrick Cooper, but ended up winning the runoff because Bell was able to get the support of the voters who voted for candidates other than Cooper. This may not be the case this year. If all of Woods' voters vote for Woodfin, chances are good that Woodfin ends up winning the election Oct. 3. (For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Birmingham Patch morning newsletter.)

Woods official statement Wednesday pointed out that more than 60 percent of the voters voted against Bell, which indicates that most voters want a change in City Hall.

"After a great deal of prayer and consideration, I have decided to endorse Mr. Woodfin for mayor of Birmingham," Woods said on his Facebook Page. "I believe that Mr. Woodfin's integrity closely mirrors my own and I believe that in order to effectively serve this city, you must truly love the people in it, and while we are all imperfect, I am convinced that Mr. Woodfin truly loves the people in Birmingham. I have met with him and have been impressed by how prepared he is to serve effectively as Mayor from both a policy and leadership perspective."

(Photo from Randall Woodfin)