New Faces, Tight Races: Birmingham Runoff Elections Decide City Council Seats

Birmingham voters settled a number of key municipal contests in runoff elections on Tuesday, leading to one upset, one re-election and one new face on the city council.

Unofficial results, per WVTM-13 Monday afternoon, (with between 93%-95% of precincts reporting) show:

• In District 4, challenger Brian Gunn defeated incumbent J.T. Moore, earning 67.7 percent of the vote to Moore’s 32.3 percent.
• In District 8, Sonja Smith prevailed over April Myers Williams, with 55.6 percent of the vote.
• In District 9, LaTonya Tate, the current Public Safety Chair, held off John Hilliard in a rematch from 2021 to take 55.6 percent of the vote.
• Sonja Smith joins Brian Gunn in reshaping the council’s lineup, while LaTonya Tate retains her seat.

Gunn’s victory is the only instance in this cycle where an incumbent was unseated.

At his watch party in Woodlawn, Gunn credited his ground campaign for the win:

“We’ve knocked on 7,000 doors from February through October. We made more than 5,000 phone calls … I think that personal touch has made all the difference.”

Looking ahead, Gunn said he would focus on addressing vacant lots and spurring local economic development in District 4 neighborhoods, such as East Birmingham, Roebuck, Woodlawn and others.

Smith, parlaying endorsements from local leaders and organizations, praised her supporters:

“I am humbled and honored by the trust District 8 has placed in me … I’m ready to get to work — investing in youth opportunities, empowering neighborhoods, and supporting small businesses.”

Tate emphasized continuity and her bid to remain grounded with voters:

“My style never changed, the work never changed … the work never changed … I stayed on doors, stayed on the ground and just engaged the voters.”

On public safety and violence prevention, Tate cited gains under her oversight of programs including “One Hood,” which she said brings trained “violence interrupters” into the community.

She also noted that homicide rates in Birmingham have declined nearly 50 percent from last year’s record highs.

The new council will be seated on October 28, with the full roster being:
Clinton Woods (District 1); Hunter Williams (District 2); Josh Vasa (District 3); Brian Gunn (4); Darrell O’Quinn (5); Crystal Smitherman (6); Wardine Alexander (7); Sonja Smith (8); and LaTonya Tate (9).

In addition to the council races, three School Board runoffs were decided (as reported by The Birmingham Times):

• Neonta Williams held her seat in District 2 (53 percent)
• Antwon Womack narrowly won in District 8 (50.8 percent)
• Yamika Foy secured District 9 with 69 percent of the vote

Of these races, only Womack’s victory appears close enough to be uncertain at this time.

All of the results are preliminary, pending official certification of the vote.