Woodfin Spends $256,398 On Food & Travel Outside of Birmingham between 2019 to 2023

[TheChronicle.cc] Exposé –BIRMINGHAM - I really did not want this assignment, and told my editor in chief as much. After the Danny Carr story, I got a few gripes from a few of his elder supporters, one being my 72-year-old aunt. "He's black, we can't point out his wrongs because that's what the white folks want," she said, seemingly forgetting that all the city's leadership is now African American, and that the white people who would have once likely called out his wrongs, moved out of the city and to greener pastures a long, long time ago.

But I didn't argue with my favorite aunt. Didn't point out how blacks continue to get the short end of everything because we tend to justify incompetence and excuse corruption or misuse of funds by harking back to a time when there were no blacks in charge anywhere. And if a politician got in trouble, how we forgive his thievery or crack smoking or tricking off with city money, or whatever the transgression, when he made a big show of attending church.

I didn't tell my editor in chief all of this exactly, but in so many words. "You have a job, or better yet a duty, because you live here," my EIC said to me, followed by these magic words: "Write it in your own way, by telling the people you work for — the residents — what you're feeling."

                           Woodfin is Casually Corrupt

Mayor Randall Woodfin has come under fire once again for his extravagant spending of taxpayer money, starting with the controversial hiring of personal assistants, who are reportedly his close friends, costing taxpayers a staggering $300,000 annually. Since his election, the mayor's office budget has skyrocketed from $151,000 to a whopping $511,000.

Critics have also slammed Woodfin for his frequent absences from city duties, often making paid appearances out of town and reducing the frequency of city council meetings to just once a month. Shockingly, there have been instances where he has left these meetings early to attend personal matters out of town.

The latest scandal surrounds Woodfin's campaign expenditure filings, which have been made public. It has been revealed that in the last six months alone, he has splurged $30,000 of campaign funds meant for his 2020 mayoral race on travel expenses outside of Birmingham. Furthermore, it's been noted that nearly 70% of all contributions to his campaign account in 2016 came from outside Birmingham, and this trend has continued throughout his term, with most of his focus being on activities outside the city.

In response to mounting criticism, Woodfin has defended his actions by arguing that he has brought money to Birmingham. However, scrutiny reveals that none of the solicited funds have gone into the city's coffers; instead, they have been directed to a nonprofit organization he founded shortly after taking office - the Birmingham Foundation for Progress. Of particular concern is the $4,000,000 earmarked for the "Birmingham Scholars" program, the source of which Woodfin has refused to disclose, citing anonymity.

The Alabama Fair Political Practice Commission regulations clearly stipulate that campaign funds must be used for "political, legislative, or governmental purposes." Woodfin's extravagant travel to deliver paid speeches and solicit funds from undisclosed sources raises serious questions about the ethical use of campaign funds.

The link to the ful documents can be found here: https://public.netfile.com/Pub2/AllFilingsByFiler.aspx?id=157077384

I'm just tired, man. Tired of crooks.