Illustration by Melanie Veiring
Photo courtesy of Kristin Williams for Homewood campaign
Kristin Williams is running to represent Homewood's Ward 4 in the 2025 municipal election.
Kristin Williams, a Homewood native and active community volunteer, is running for the Ward 4 seat on the Homewood City Council. She works in client development at SouthOak Title and Closing Services and has been involved in numerous civic and youth-focused organizations, including the Homewood Lacrosse Board, Homewood Team Sports, and the Junior League of Birmingham.
Williams is campaigning on a platform that prioritizes smart, responsible neighborhood growth, enhanced investment in youth and recreational opportunities, and deeper community engagement across all areas of the city. With lifelong ties to Homewood and a passion for family-centered leadership, she aims to foster collaborative decision-making and preserve the city’s welcoming, connected character while preparing for its continued growth and future challenges through thoughtful and transparent leadership.
Ahead of this year’s election, Williams shared her views on key issues with The Homewood Star.
Q: What motivated you to run for office in Homewood’s 2025 election?
I decided to run for city council because I have raised my three boys here and I love this city. Loving Homewood is not just a day for our family. It is a way of life. We have seen great decisions made over the 32 years we have lived here, and we have seen some not great decisions. I have also witnessed activity that is cause for concern, so I decided to jump in the race. I want to lay a solid foundation for this new government and for Homewood moving forward into the next one hundred years.
Q: How do you plan to improve communication between city leadership and residents?
I believe in transparency in our city government and plan to hold town hall meetings and office hours. I also plan to publicize the upcoming council, planning, and zoning committee meetings so citizens have a better chance to plan and prepare.
Q: You would be taking office during a period of significant transition. How do you view that responsibility?
We have a new form of government, a new city manager, and a new council coming into city hall. With that comes new systems and procedures that will need to be implemented to ensure the city moves forward as planned. Also, the pending financial audit and the implications for that will also have to be navigated by this new council. With my experience in nonprofits and previous job experience, I will be able to set up new systems as well as help implement those procedures. So, this is not a tough transition for me.
Q: What is your vision for Homewood’s long-term future, particularly as the city approaches its 100-year anniversary?
My vision for Homewood is to have leaders like me roll up their sleeves and work for a citizen-led government. We need to meet our citizens where they are regarding concerns and needs. My vision is to achieve a balance between small businesses and community growth. We need tax revenue from our valuable merchants and retailers and that drives the city and our education system. Being a top ranked education system is a priority for our children and our community’s future.
Q: How do you plan to guide development and manage growth — especially in areas adjacent to Samford University?
Samford is a vital part of our city. We need to be good neighbors and allow their growth, while minimizing the impact on the rest of our city. Samford is in Ward Four, so it is of great concern to my constituents. We need to hold townhall meetings with homeowners, students, the President of Samford and all the stakeholders. I would encourage active, organic communication regarding the needs of Samford and the citizens of Homewood.
Q: What is your vision for Brookwood Village, and what role should the city council play in shaping its future?
I am excited about the possibilities of the Brookwood mall property. Andrews is a world-class surgery practice and will bring patients and families to our city and into Ward Four. Ward Four residents are interested and concerned about what that will look like, so I look forward to reviewing the Andrews Project. We also share that mall space with Mtn Brook. We need to make sure we continue to share civic and safety responsibilities with our city neighbors.
Q: How closely should Homewood collaborate with neighboring cities on regional challenges like infrastructure and business development?
Mayoral meetings are happening already. We need more collaboration with all municipalities for a greater community. I look forward to collaborating with other city leaders.
Q: What are your priorities for addressing stormwater management and local flooding concerns?
Stormwater management is a regional issue. With more than 28,000 residents, we still depend on parts of stormwater infrastructure designed and built for less than 10,000 residents 80 to 100 years ago. We need to continue to invest in expanding and upgrading the aging infrastructure and work closely with residents, businesses and other stakeholders as we move forward to make sure proposed solutions are feasible and will allow our city to continue to be one of the best communities to live in in America.
Q: How do you plan to support Homewood City Schools during your term?
We can all agree our school system is our highest priority. My three sons have all gone through the Homewood system from Shades Cahaba through Homewood High School. Each was more than prepared for the college experience because of the fantastic job of leadership from our superintendent all the way through every coach and teacher. The impact each of these special Homewood educators had on my children’s lives has been invaluable. So much so that my sons choose to give back to the school system they love by returning to coach alongside the coaches that shaped their lives. One coaches HMS cross country, one coaches basketball, and one served HHS football as the QB coach last year. The job of the city council is to nominate outstanding people to the Board of Education. I would welcome the opportunity to interview and support strong advocates for Homewood City Schools. Educators know how they educate best. Let us give them the tools and support they need to maintain the excellence we have had the privilege to experience and lay a solid path for the future of our system and our students.
The best way to support schools is to make sure our tax base remains strong. We cannot take small businesses for granted. We must listen to their concerns and frustrations as well as their triumphs and praises. Investing in our merchants through a marketing campaign for our city would be one way I would love to show that support.
Q: In light of the recent police shooting that resulted in the death of 18-year-old Jabari Peoples, how would you approach issues of public safety and community trust?
Our police force does an excellent job keeping our citizens safe, but in tragic issues like this, we need to be as transparent as possible. We need to allow the process to play out. This current situation is out of the hands of Homewood leadership and lies with the state. We need to let the legal process work and continue to pray for all involved.
Williams is facing Winslow Armstead for the Ward 4 council seat, and elections are Aug. 26. To see Williams' views on key issues, click here.
