Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin has apparently taken offense to a column published in 1819 News by Phil Williams, former state senator and current host of Rightside Radio, heard daily on WVNN in north Alabama.
In Williams’ regular Monday column, he questioned the leadership of mayors and a governor who “flagrantly” ignore certain laws.
“What about Mayor Randall Woodfin of Birmingham, who has determined on his own that municipal court drug possession charges should not be prosecuted?” Williams wrote. “Woodfin went so far as to issue blanket exonerations of prior convictions in April of 2021, calling it his ‘Pardon’s for Progress’ program.”
Woodfin took to twitter (@randallwoodfin) to say, “I will not be lectured on the rights and wrongs of pardoning people for marijuana possession by Former State Sen. Phil Williams whose major ‘accomplishments’ include voting to lower unemployment benefits, protect racist monuments, and build more prisons.”
Williams, a retired Army Colonel, combat veteran, and a practicing Attorney, responded, “I find it interesting that a public figure doesn’t want to be questioned on their policies. Especially given that the policies in question relate to someone entrusted with enforcing the laws – a Mayor in this case – simply choosing of his own volition to provide a blanket excuse to ignore those laws. Liberal policies such as those enacted by Mayor Woodfin are destroying lives in liberal cities all over the nation. I encourage Mayor Randall Woodfin to come on Rightside Radio and explain to the people of this state why he should not be questioned.”
In his column, Williams was also critical of Springville mayor Dave Thomas, who announced his candidacy for governor and that he “smokes pot’’ (marijuana), as well as Alabama Governor Kay Ivey’s position on gambling.
Woodfin has taken the position that marijuana needs to be de-criminalized and referring to “the harm that the criminalization of marijuana has brought to communities all across our country, and especially the black community. It's way past time that our nation decriminalizes and legalizes marijuana.”
The Birmingham Mayor went on to say, “Until then, Birmingham will continue to do what we can to right these wrongs and continue our Pardons for Progress initiative which has led to the pardons of over 15,000 people convicted of minor marijuana possession between 1990-2020.”
