Mike Bolin could only play so many rounds of golf. The former Alabama Supreme Court justice says he was miserable after retiring Jan. 15 of this year. He found that he’s more like his Fairfield steelworker father than he realized. “He used to work every day,” said Bolin, who’s running for the unexpired District 5 seat on the Jefferson County Commission. “Back in those days, you didn't get paid if you didn't work." Read more.
The Jefferson County Commission District 5 seat is up for grabs in a special election Tuesday. The vote will decide whether former judge Mike Bolin or developer David Silverstein will fill the term of former Commissioner Steve Ammons, who resigned recently to become CEO of the Birmingham Business Alliance. The winner will serve in the seat until the 2026 election. The district includes parts of Hoover, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, Birmingham and Leeds. You can determine whether you’re in the district, find your polling place and check whether you’re registered to vote here. Read profiles on the candidates:
Don’t call David Silverstein a politician. Yes, the former lawyer and career developer is running for the unexpired Jefferson County Commission District 5 seat of Steve Ammons in Tuesday’s special election. But don’t call him a politician. “I don't consider myself a politician,” the Mountain Brook resident said. “I consider myself a businessman that's had his success, been part of this community since my birth, that wants to serve. I don't see myself as a politician.” Read more.
Jeff O. Wise said he was underfunded and understaffed in his bid for the District 5 seat on the Jefferson County Commission. “I’ve always been the underdog,” he said Sunday. Thursday, the underdog bowed out. Wise dropped out of the race to fill the unexpired term of Steve Ammons, who stepped down recently to take the job of CEO of the Birmingham Business Alliance. Wise’s decision to drop out leaves only Alabama Supreme Court Justice Mike Bolin and developer David Silverstein in Tuesday’s election. Read more.
Probate Judge James Naftel III used a 1971 Lipton TV commercial — Is it soup yet? — to address the ballot to fill the vacant District 5 position on the Jefferson County Commission. “It is soup. It is,” Naftel said Thursday. “We have three official candidates and one who didn't have enough signatures, so her name will not appear on the ballot. The ballots are being printed and delivered to the absentee (voting office) today.” District 5 voters will choose from recently retired Alabama Supreme Court Justice Mike Bolin, Jeff O. Wise and David Silverstein. Read more.
Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens on Tuesday broached the idea of the commission creating an economic enhancement fund. Read more.
Probate Judge James Naftel joked that he would scratch someone from his Christmas card list after a question rose during the Jefferson County Election Commission meeting. The panel had just OK’d the schedule for the election to replace Steve Ammons as District 5 commissioner to the Jefferson County Commission when Naftel was asked about write-in votes. As it turned out, there will be no place on that ballot for write-ins. “For commission seats, because of the unique way it's done, you don't qualify with parties,” Naftel said. Read more.
The Jefferson County Commission moved matters to the agenda of Thursday’s meeting that addressed an original mission of county government. But County Manager Cal Markert acknowledged that the fulfilment of a later mission is on the horizon. Markert presented resolutions using American Rescue Plan Act funds to purchase upgrades to emergency management systems in four fire departments in unincorporated Jefferson County. Read more.
The Jefferson County Commission today bid farewell to Steve Ammons, who attended his final commission meeting as a member of that body. Ammons recently announced that he’s stepping down from the commission to be the CEO of the Birmingham Business Alliance. Commissioner Lashunda Scales acknowledged that she and Ammons didn’t always get along when they began their time together. But their relationship has improved, she said. “We started being oil and water and we're ending being nothing more than balsamic vinegar,” Scales said. “Sounds just like grease,” Commissioner Joe Knight joked as Scales continued. Read more. Watch slideshow.
Bryce Stephens left the Jefferson County Courthouse a bit disappointed this morning, learning that he’ll have to wait before his vision of improving pedestrian and bicycle traffic along 21st Avenue South can come to reality. “It's complicated,” said Stephens, president of the Red Mountain Cut Foundation. “Birmingham would like to handle it a different way. I think they support the improvements on the street. I think that is no question.” Stephens had hoped that the County Commission would make the appropriate approval for the county to apply for a federal TAP grant. Read more.
