Assistant Tax Collector, Bessemer Division of Jefferson County
Eric S. Burks
Democrat
Residence: Hoover
Political experience: First campaign for elected office; unopposed in Democratic primary.
Professional experience: Chief deputy of Tax Collector’s Office for more than 10 years; over 35 years of managerial and leadership positions in engineering, business development, and state and local government.
Civic experience: Deacon and Sunday school teacher, Shady Grove Missionary Baptist Church; member, Jefferson County ADC; member, State Democratic Executive Committee; president, Concerned Citizens of the Bessemer Cut-Off.
Education: Doctoral candidate, University of Alabama at Birmingham; degrees in engineering, education and public administration from the U.S Air Force Academy, the University of Alabama and Auburn University at Montgomery.
Main issues: The assistant tax collector must ensure that staff are adequately trained and that there is an environment that lends itself to continuous process improvement. The assistant tax collector must maintain a work environment in which core values are reinforced and employees are motivated to become leaders through continuous training and development.
Top contributors: Priscilla Dunn, Bessemer, $1,251; Grover Dunn, Bessemer, $1,250; self, $1,100; FFB PAC, Bessemer, $1,000.