Birmingham Clergy Declare “State of Emergency,” Endorse Lashonda Scales in Mayoral Race
Woodfin’s campaign was quick to refute the Pastor’s claims
In a striking press conference held just days before the August 26 municipal election, a group of nearly a dozen Birmingham pastors painted a dire picture of their City’s condition—and called for a change in leadership, AL.com has reported.
Standing in front of an emergency-room sign bathed in red, members of Clergy Concerned about the Community delivered a clear message: Mayor Randall Woodfin’s administration has failed to answer Birmingham’s urgent needs. They announced their endorsement of Jefferson County Commissioner Lashunda Scales for Mayor, pointing out that Woodfin had declined their invitation to be interviewed.
The Rev. Harold Bass, President of the group of local pastors, said, “This has got to stop. We need better leadership. We need new leadership.”
The Rev. Morrell Todd bemoaned the “devastation around the city,” and that “they never talk about the social devastation and the injustice. We can’t see what they are doing.”
The Rev. R.L. Patterson, who is also a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, said, “We come today with heartaches. The revenue is here, but our community is going down. Money comes from 99 communities. Out of all the 99 communities, very few are being served.”
“This is not personal,” said Rev. Guy Harris. “It’s about people.”
The Woodfin campaign swiftly responded, accusing the pastors of playing politics and “bearing false witness.” Daniel Deriso, spokesperson for Woodfin, countered their claims as inaccurate and politically driven.
He rejected the notion of bad faith, stating the Mayor had valid reasons to skip the clergy’s forum. He added that the group had sought millions in city funding without offering a plan—and even ran billboards that, he claimed, were meant to smear Woodfin’s image.
On crime, Deriso pointed to progress under Woodfin’s watch: a 50 percent drop in homicides, improved clearance rates on cases, and increased police recruitment. He described these as signs of a long-term strategy taking hold. “This problem took generations to create, and it takes sustained effort to fix. To suggest these results are ‘only because it’s an election year’ is simply wrong—and frankly, insulting,” Deriso said. He added that Woodfin and his family had personally suffered from gun violence and that he had been committed “from day one” to keeping Birmingham families safe.
Deriso also noted that Woodfin had earned endorsements from around 20 state and national leaders, including Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Tyson, State Sen. Merika Coleman, former U.S. Senator Doug Jones and sitting Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ). He made clear that the Mayor would continue partnering with clergy and neighborhood leaders serious about solving problems—not those he sees as merely scoring political points.
Besides Scales and Woodfin, the ballot features a broad field of contenders:
- Kamau Afrika
- State Representative Juandalynn Givan
- Marilyn James-Johnson
- Jerimy Littlepage
- Brian K. Rice
- David Russell
- Frank Woodson
With multiple community and faith leaders weighing in against Woodfin at the eleventh hour, the Birmingham mayoral race has suddenly become more interesting.
Notably, Woodfin has raised $1,465,890 in the race, seven times more than the second-highest fundraiser, Juandalynn Givan’s $198,650, and more than five times the amount of all the other contenders combined. This, for a position that pays only $130,123 annually—or at least it did in 2019, the last year for which the number is readily available. However, the FY2026 budget for Birmingham is $591 million, the largest in the City’s history.
A quick perusal of Woodfin’s last monthly financial filing on the Secretary of State’s website showed a large number of small donations from Birmingham—and a number of large donations from out of state.
That pattern of donations and national attention, when combined with the concerns of the members of Clergy Concerned about the Community, raises the question: where is Randall Woodfin’s focus? Is it truly on Birmingham…or something else?
