2 Candidates to Challenge Incumbent Tuscaloosa City Councilman

The race to represent West Tuscaloosa on the city council got crowded Monday as a second challenger announced a campaign to unseat incumbent Matthew Wilson, who told the Thread he would seek re-election.

The council represents seven city districts, and District 1 includes the West End, the Tuscaloosa National Airport and the industrial spaces surrounding it.

Wilson won the office in the last round of municipal elections in 2021 after former councilwoman Phyllis Odom decided not to run for office at the end of her term.

Now, after a first term in office defined by growth in his District, Wilson said he will seek a second term when Tuscaloosa voters go to the polls in early March with a campaign focused on Moving Forward Together.

"I have had the opportunity to sit in your homes, at your dinner tables, console families at shooting crime scenes, Stillman Apartments, Snow Hinton Park, and County Club apartments TOGETHER, we have shared at funerals with you and your family members," Wilson wrote in a post published Monday. "After prayerful consideration to the Lord, I want to humbly announce to you that I am seeking re-election."

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Wilson isn't running by himself though - community activist Que Chandler launched a campaign in October and is looking for a different result after she narrowly lost the 2021 runoff election to Wilson.

Chandler works as a Regional Organizer with the Alabama African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium and has long been an advocate for west Tuscaloosa and the city's underserved populations.

Her 2025 platform is headlined Que Listens, Que Cares, Que Works.

“District 1 deserves a leader who not only hears your concerns but works with you to find solutions. I’m running to ensure our voices are not just heard but acted upon,” Chandler said. “This campaign is about more than me—it’s about empowering our community to be the change we seek.”

Former local basketball star Joe Eatmon, who was also a longtime coach at Shelton State Community College, has also thrown a hat into the ring and announced a campaign for the District 1 seat Monday.

Eatmon, now the Dean of Community Relations at Shelton State, said he is running on a platform of job creation, public safety and educational improvements.

“Our district deserves a leader who fights for what matters to the people,” Eatmon said. “I will be a leader who shows up every day, in every room, for everyone.”

The coach and leader highlighted his extensive community involvement and board memberships with the Blackburn Institute at the University of Alabama, the City of Tuscaloosa's Zoning Board of Adjustments, the Benjamin Barnes YMCA and more.

Tuscaloosa municipal elections are scheduled for March 4th, 2025, and the Thread will cover each race extensively. Stay connected for updates, interviews and more when campaign season kicks off in force next year.