A longtime Birmingham activist and political operative doesn’t want to run for mayor – but he just might do it if the current slate ignores what he considers critical issues facing the city.

Frank Matthews criticized candidates as lacking strong voices regarding quality of life issues, including crime and economic development that impact most residents.

“Everybody’s a star,” he said. “Birmingham suffers from a bad delusional mentality. There’s no focus.”

Instead, he said the current contestants are preoccupied with social media posts.

“Anything you put out there is a laughing matter,” Matthews said. “We are controlled by an algorithm, and who gets it first and who can get the most ghost out of it and the most stars. It’s frivolous”

Mathews, 69, has previously run for mayor and city council.

Mayor Randall Woodfin is seeking a third term. Current mayoral candidates challengers are: State Rep. Juandalynn Givan, Jefferson County Commissioner Lashunda Scales, activist Kamau Afrika, pastor and non-profit executive Frank Woodson, engineer and Ensley development developer Brian K. Rice, and Jerimy Littlepage, a newcomer to politics who said he was inspired by Woodfin to seek the elected office.

Mathews lists a litany of unmet needs that he said are not at the forefront of the crowded pool of candidates.

Matthews said Birmingham leaders should also prioritize expanding the city by annexing surrounding communities such as Liscomb, Fairfield and Brighton. Talk in the past about annexing those small cities was rejected by both their citizens and leaders. Still, Matthews said the move would benefit everyone by providing needed resources to the struggling small towns while increasing Birmingham’s falling numbers.

“We need to find a way to bail them out and add another council district,” he said.

A similar move was last done in 1988 when Birmingham annexed the former town of Roosevelt City following a referendum.

Matthews calls for governments in the Birmingham area to unite to address shared issues such as flooding.

Regarding crime, Matthews called it premature to celebrate the city’s falling homicide rate compared to 2024, which was among the deadliest with 151 violent deaths.

The city ended the first half of 2025 with 37 homicides, a 51.3 percent drop from 76 during the same time period in 2024. The reduction has generated praise for Mayor Randall Woodin and new leadership at the police department.

Still, Matthews said the city should go further by establishing an office for recidivism reduction.

Under his proposal, the mayor would meet with released criminals as they reenter the city. The new office would also track first time offenders as they move through the justice system. He said the city would also offer support services to those individuals.

“Crime is a learned behavior,” he said.

Matthews, who was an ex-convict, was appointed in 1992 by then-Mayor Richard Arrington to serve as a gang liaison for the city. Matthews has long discussed his previous incarceration, life outside and mission to help other men avoid similar mistakes or recover from them.

Later, Matthews would work for Mayor Larry Langford. He was fired from that position in 2009 after a heated exchange with citizens during a public neighborhood Christmas party.

Regarding quality of life, Matthews proposes a $40 million fund to fund resident infrastructure needs. There would be caps on the grants designed to meet immediate concerns, he said.

“Those are realizable goals,” he said. “It’s time to share the economic wealth with the kind of money that is coming through here.”

Qualifying for Birmingham’s municipal elections ends July 11 at 5:00 p.m. Matthews, who has a residence in Forestdale, said he has established a home in Birmingham, just in case he tosses his hat into the contest.

“There is no perfect candidate and every candidate needs a challenger,” he said. “I strongly believe in it.”