Mike Bolin wins Jefferson County Commission seat
On Tuesday, voters in Jefferson County Commission District Five went to the polls and elected former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Mike Bolin to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Commissioner Steve Ammons. Bolin, a Republican, replaces Ammons, a Republican. “I’m anxious to get in there and work hard and just get it going,” said Bolin following his election victory. “I’m thrilled and feel blessed that the public has given me one more opportunity to serve them. And I will do everything I can to not drop the ball.” The Jefferson County special election primary, a Jefferson County-specific quirk in Alabama election law, is non-partisan. The five-member Jeffco commission was divided two Republicans to two Democrats, so this election had significant partisan ramifications over who controlled the Commission. It remains up to the Commission which of them will be appointed as Chairman of the County Commission. According to preliminary election returns, Bolin had 59.27% of the vote (5,728 votes) to David Silverstein’s 40.6% (3,924 votes). Jeff Wise had just 13 votes. Wise was still on the ballot, but he had dropped out of the race on Thursday and had endorsed Bolin. Bolin will serve the remainder of Ammons’s term. Mike Bolin was elected to the Alabama Supreme Court in 2004. Bolin was an attorney for 15 years before being elected Probate Judge of Jefferson County, where he served from 1988 to 2004. Justice Bolin received the National “Angels of Adoption” award in 2000 for his service to adoptive families. Justice Bolin has stayed active within the Alabama Probate Judges Association, his community, and his church. He is married to his wife, Rosemary. They have one daughter. Bolin had the official support and endorsement of the Jefferson County Republican Party. Silverstein was running as non-partisan, but he had the backing of key Jefferson County Democratic groups, and Republicans made issue of that as well as his past generous donations to Democratic candidates, including Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL07) and former U.S. Senator Doug Jones. There is litigation underway by civil rights groups challenging the county commission districting in Jefferson County. While Republicans, until Ammons’s resignation, had enjoyed a 3 to 2 majority on the Commission, Democrats hold every countywide position that has voted increasingly Democratic over recent decades. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Jefferson County special election just two weeks away
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey called a special election for County Commission (District 5) on July 18th due to the resignation of Commissioner Steve Ammons. Because Jefferson County does things differently from almost every other county in the state, this special election primary is non-partisan. The District 5 commission candidates are former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Mike Bolin, developer David Silverstein, and Jeff Wise. Mike Bolin was elected to the Alabama Supreme Court in 2004. Bolin practiced as an attorney for 15 years before being elected Probate Judge of Jefferson County, where he served from 1988 to 2004. Justice Bolin received the National “Angels of Adoption” award in 2000 for his service to adoptive families. Justice Bolin has stayed active within the Alabama Probate Judges Association, his community, and his church. He is married to his wife, Rosemary. They have one daughter. Bolin has the support of the Jefferson County Republican Party. David Silverstein is the founder of The FiveStone Group, a commercial real estate firm based in Birmingham specializing in the development of mixed-use projects. Previously he was an operating principal at Bayer Properties, LLC, where he directed development efforts and managed Bayer’s relationship with governmental entities nationwide. Before joining Bayer in 1994, he was a Partner in the law firm of Berkowitz, Lefkovits, Isom, and Kushner. David is married to the former Susan Tilson, and they have five children and thirteen grandchildren. He attended Birmingham University School (B.U.S. now Altamont, 1974), Vanderbilt University (1978), and Cumberland School of Law (1981). He is a native of Mountain Brook. Republicans have called out Silverstein for his considerable donations to Democrats, but it is unknown if there is an endorsement by the Jefferson County Democratic Party. Silverstein said that he is nonpartisan. Jeff Wise is also a developer who lives in Mountain Brook. He has developed stores for CVS, Winn Dixie, Walgreens, and Rite Aid, as well as Letson Farms in McCalla. He worked for a petroleum company and Rust International and also owned a petroleum company. He is a graduate of Auburn University. He attended Jefferson State Community College and graduated from Tarrant High School. Wise has been married for 40 years to Joan Cagle Wise, they have four daughters and seven grandchildren. He is a Republican. Currently, the Jefferson County Commission is divided between two Republicans and two Democrats. The first vote that will be cast by the new Commissioner will be for which Party controls the County Commission. The North Jefferson County Democrats posted on Facebook: “Hey, Dems. We have a chance to turn The Jefferson County Commission blue with this special election! Most of NJD members live in District 4, but if you know anyone who lives in District 5, please share this post.” If no candidate can get 50% plus one, the two highest vote-getters will advance to a runoff on August 8. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
