By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Tuesday, November 28, 2017, Birmingham Mayor-elect Randall Woodfin will be sworn in as Mayor in Linn Park.
“We want to instill a renewed belief in public service to our city” Woodfin said. “That goes beyond city hall. It means each of us supporting our neighbors, friends, family members and those who simply need a helping hand. We want this to be a time when our citizens can come together and celebrate this special time but also work together as a community.”
The Woodfin Administration officially begins today with swearing-in ceremonies at Linn Park from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. A green-carpet community reception will be held that evening from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Birmingham Museum of Art. This event will be held in conjunction with the Birmingham City Council.
Mayor-elect Randall Woodfin has already announced the members of his executive leadership team, which includes current city department heads as well as leaders from the private and education sectors in Birmingham.
Wooden said, “Our administration will focus on building our community through servant leadership and make sure we always put our citizens first. We have a special opportunity to transform Birmingham, and that starts with putting together an experienced team that can listen to the citizens and bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the table. Our executive team combines years of experience in Birmingham city government as well as private-sector and education experience. Our core values will be customer service, transparency, effectiveness, efficiency and accountability. Each day when we face an issue, we will ask the question about how it affects all 99 neighborhoods.”
Cedric D. Sparks Sr. will be chief of staff in the Woodfin administration. A native of Birmingham, Sparks is a graduate of West End High School and the University of Alabama and has a law degree from Miles Law School. Since 2002, Sparks has been executive director of the city’s Department of Youth Services.
Kevin W. Moore will serve as chief operating officer. Moore has worked for the City of Birmingham for the past 22 years, most recently as the director of the Birmingham Park and Recreation Department. Moore also served as director of the Birmingham CrossPlex as well as other positions in city government. Moore is a 1992 graduate of Samford University, where he earned a degree in accounting and was a member of the basketball team.
Ed Fields will serve as senior adviser and chief strategist. Fields has a long history in Birmingham as a local businessman and civic activist. Most recently, Fields led the Woodfin for Mayor campaign and has been serving as coordinator for the Woodfin Transition Committee. Fields received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Alabama State University and his MBA from the University of Alabama’s Manderson School of Business.
Kelvin Datcher will serve as director of intergovernmental affairs. A native of Vincent, Datcher graduated from Gettysburg College, where he was awarded a Presidential Scholarship and named an Eisenhower Scholar. His career has included tenures with the Southern Poverty Law Center, Alabama State University, Birmingham City Council staff and REV Birmingham. Datcher has been active in Birmingham’s economic development initiatives.
Nicole E. King will serve as city attorney. King is a native of Birmingham and graduate of Ramsay High School, the University of Alabama and Texas Southern University Law School. She began her legal career with the City of Birmingham Law Department in 2006 and was selected by the city attorney and mayor as the Law Department’s employee of the year in 2013. She has served as a prosecutor in municipal court and as a litigator in the Civil Division handling both state and federal matters. She has successfully handled cases before the Alabama Supreme Court, Alabama Court of Civil Appeals and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.
Sylvia Bowen will serve as executive administrator. A native of Birmingham, Bowen has served as the Birmingham City Council District 8 chief of staff, as executive assistant to the dean of academic affairs and as an instructor at Lawson State Community College. She has been helping lead the Woodfin Transition Team. She is a graduate of Tuskegee University and holds a MBA from Johnson and Wales University.
“I could not be more proud of the team we are putting together to help transform our city,” Woodfin said. “Each of these men and women are true public servants. They reflect my core beliefs in integrity, efficiency and concern for each resident of Birmingham.”
“Inauguration day is the culmination of more than a year of hard work by many, many people across our city who joined together to win this important election,” Woodfin said. “Whether they knocked on doors, made phone calls or just went out to vote, they made a difference in the outcome of the election, and now it is up to us to honor their support with an administration that is focused on improving all of our neighborhoods, education system, public safety and other issues important to our great city.”
Woodfin said. “Along with the Birmingham City Council, we are hosting a green-carpet community reception to recognize all of the thousands of people who worked at the grassroots level to make our election a reality. We want this to be a festive evening for all of Birmingham to celebrate.”
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama with an estimated 214,227 residents.
