Jefferson County Commission District 4 J.T. Smallwood Party: Democrat Age: 52 Residence: Trussville Political experience: Elected to three terms as Jefferson County Tax Collector, 2002, 2008, 2014. Professional experience: 1995-99, Smallwood Law Firm; 1999-2002, Jefferson County Family Court; UAB Hockey coach: 2017-2018, assistant coach, 2018-2019, volunteer head coach. Education: UAB, bachelor’s; studied theology, Samford University;
Jefferson County Commission District 4 Joe Knight Party: Republican Age: 64 Residence: Trussville Political experience: Elected to Jefferson County Commission District 4 in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. Professional experience: Attorney in private practice, 28 years. Law Offices of T. Joe Knight, 1990 to present; general counsel to Alabama Association of Nurse Anesthetists; former certified
Jefferson County Commission District 2 Sheila Tyson Age: 57 Residence: West End Community Political experience: Birmingham City Council, District 6, 2008-present. Professional experience: After graduation from Birmingham’s West End high school, Tyson began a career in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Army Reserves and retired as a disabled veteran. Civic experience: Founder, Operation Brightside;
Office: Jefferson County Commission, District 3 Party: Republican Age: 67 Residence: Bessemer Political experience: Bessemer City Council, 2006; Jefferson County Commission, 2010-present. Professional experience: Assistant director of meat operations and director of retail development, Associated Grocers of Alabama, 1973-1977; past president, Food Centers Inc., 1990-1994; past member board of directors, Associated Grocers of Alabama, 1986-1988; past
Jefferson County commissioners and Jefferson County Tax Collector J.T. Smallwood have different ideas of who must OK contracts set up by Smallwood. Commissioner David Carrington said Thursday any contract involving Jefferson County government income and expenses must be approved by the commission. Smallwood, an elected official, said he doesn’t work for the commission. “Department heads answer to the commission. I answer to the voters of Jefferson County every six years,” Smallwood said. “We don't work for the commission. Now some of the employees in my office do. I guess that's a little different story.” Smallwood is running against Joe Knight to represent District 4 on the commission on the Nov. 6 general election ballot. Read more.
Jimmie Stephens went to the ends of the earth in pursuit of development opportunities for the county. The Jefferson County Commission president returned from a recent trip to Japan with a cold and some hot leads toward reeling an international business development into the county. Stephens said his trip Oct. 18-20 to Tokyo for the 41st annual joint meeting of the Japan-U.S. Southeast and Southeast U.S./Japan Associations was all about relationships. Read more.
So far, the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative in Jefferson County has generated more questions than answers. The biggest question: How did 3,876 sexual assault kits not get submitted to the Department of Forensic Sciences for testing? “There's no way for me to know that yet,” said Michele Yarbrough, general counsel and business manager for the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office. The district attorney’s office was awarded a $1.5 million grant in October 2016 for the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, an inventory of sexual assault kits in all 27 law enforcement jurisdictions in Jefferson County. That inventory yielded a finding that out of 4,999 kits, 3,876 were identified as having not been submitted for testing. “I would be lying if I said it did not set off every alarm bell in my system,” Yarbrough said. “As someone who is a woman and lives here in Jefferson County, it was extremely alarming to me.” Read more.
Jefferson County commissioners gave the go-ahead Thursday for the county manager to begin negotiations with UAB Health System to establish a joint healthcare authority. The authority would manage indigent healthcare in the county. Commissioners passed the measure without discussion after talking about it in a meeting Tuesday. At that time, county manager Tony Petelos said the only difference patients should see if the authority is established would be a more efficient operation.
Alex Flachsbart’s business cards were hot properties at the Jefferson County Courthouse Tuesday after his presentation to the County Commission about opportunity zones in the area. The founder and CEO of the nonprofit Opportunity Alabama briefed the commission on his group’s work with Opportunity Zones, which encourage investment in low-income areas. “Our goal is to rally the ecosystem here in the state of Alabama around opportunism,” he said. Flachsbart, a former tax attorney, said the zones were created with the passage of the tax bill in December. The idea is to give tax breaks to investors who put their money into a fund that then invests in businesses and real estate projects in low-income areas. The incentives grow the longer the money stays invested, he said. “(It goes) all the way to the point where if you’re an investor who keeps their money in a fund that’s invested in the local community for 10 years or longer, you don’t pay any tax at all on the appreciation of your investment,” he said. “If I make a good bet on a place like Ensley, or a place like East Lake or a place like Fultondale, the good news (is) that, if my investment substantially improves, I get to walk away tax-free after 10 years.” Read more.
Jefferson County is moving closer to establishing a healthcare authority to manage indigent healthcare in the county. During their committee meeting Tuesday, commissioners moved a resolution to the agenda of Thursday’s commission meeting that would direct county manager Tony Petelos to begin detailed discussions with UAB Health System to establish University Health Authority. Petelos said the only difference patients should see is a more efficient operation. “Is Cooper Green going away? No. Is UAB absorbing Cooper Green? No,” Petelos said. “This is going to be a separate healthcare authority and the Jefferson County Commission will be a part of that process. But the healthcare authority will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of Cooper Green Health Services.” Read more.
