Birmingham mayoral candidate Randall Woodfin said he supports the city paying for a portion of a new stadium in downtown.

"I do support the city's participation in a stadium, however, the city will not pay for it alone. I fully expect the county, UAB, and our corporate community to provide additional funding for the stadium as well as substantial community development for neighborhoods impacted by the project."

For several years, there's been talk about the need for a new stadium in downtown Birmingham that would not only serve as the home for UAB football but also attract concerts and other sporting events. Last year, the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex included a $174 million open air stadium that would hold up to 55,000 in its 20-year master plan.

Incumbent Birmingham Mayor William Bell has spoken in support of the project.

Woodfin made his comments to AL.com after speaking to a group of students at Birmingham-Southern College on Tuesday morning. The event was sponsored by the BSC Black Student Union.

Bell is set to speak in the college's Norton Center at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 25.

Woodfin and Bell will face each other in a runoff election on Oct. 3.

An outgoing member of the Birmingham Board of Education, Woodfin spoke to students about his leadership experience, his roles in church as a teenager and serving as the student government association president his senior year at Morehouse College in Atlanta. He spoke of working in Washington D.C. and learning how to manage political campaigns.

He later decided to obtain a law degree from Samford University Cumberland School of Law.

"As cliche as it sounds, I just want to make a difference," Woodfin said. "I said if I am going to practice law, I am going to do it in the public sector."

Since 2009, he has served as an assistant city attorney for the city of Birmingham.

Woodfin offered the students advice in how to make decisions on their future.

"You need to be bold in life. You need to do what I always tell people - is jump off the porch," Woodfin said. "Be bold enough to not ask for permission to do the right thing and jump off the porch."

Woodfin addressed questions on the follow topics from students and a reporter.

Taxpayer money

When asked about the Birmingham City Council approving spending up to $35,000 for its upcoming inauguration, Woodfin said the city leaders need to be careful in using taxpayer money for an event that appears to be celebrating themselves. He said the sponsors for the event should be sought.

Campaign finances

By the date of the Aug. 22 municipal election, Woodfin said his campaign had raised $360,000. Now, that total is up to $420,000. That money was raised from 3,400 donors.

"We are funded by small contributions," he said. "They are from all over the United States."

Woodfin mentioned that a lot of his support has come from his former classmates at Morehouse College.

Charter schools

As an outgoing member of the Birmingham school board, Woodfin said he doesn't support charter schools.

"I have a fundamental belief that the way the Alabama law was created, charter schools here create a separate and unequal situation as it relates to a charter school being in the city of Birmingham," he said.

A charter school will take away students and subsequently funding from Birmingham city schools, Woodfin said. This will cause city schools to cut programs such as arts and extracurricular activities.

The way the state law authorizing charter schools was written takes control away from the individual boards of education, he said. If a school system denies a charter school request, the applicant can turn to the state and have that decision overturned, Woodfin said.

School board instability

The current structure of the elected by district Birmingham Board of Education "compromises stability, period," Woodfin said. "We all know this is not working."

The board has been elected by district since 2002. Since that time, the school board has had about eight different superintendents.

At some point during their tenure, the superintendent is going "to get eaten alive," Woodfin said. When the superintendent starts making recommendations on staff changes or school closures or consolidations, board members will start turning against them.

Woodfin said there needs to be a collective community conversation on how to change the structure of the board. He said the mayor can lead that conversation.