Alabama GOP chairman John Wahl praised former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Mike Bolin on Wednesday for his "impressive win" in District 5 of the Jefferson County Commission, which he said secured the five-person commission in favor of conservatives.
Unofficial election results from the Jefferson County Board of Registrars show Bolin victorious in Tuesday's special election for the District 5 seat on the Jefferson County Commission. Bolin won 59% of the vote to opponent David Silverstien's 41%.
Former Jefferson County commissioner Steve Ammons announced in May he would be stepping down to become the Birmingham Business Alliance CEO.
Ammons' resignation left two Republicans and two Democrats on the commission. Residents of Ammons' District 5 — comprised of Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hills, Homewood and Hoover — took to the polls on Tuesday to choose his replacement.
Unlike regular elections for the Jefferson County Commission, candidates in the special election did not have a political party by their name.
However, Bolin is a self-proclaimed conservative Republican.
Silverstein, on the other hand, branded himself a nonpartisan candidate. However, he donated over $130,000 to Democrats like former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones (D-Mountain Brook) and U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham).
Both Jones and left-wing Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin endorsed Silverstein.
"I want to congratulate Mike Bolin on his impressive win for Jefferson County Commission," Wahl said. "This was not just a decisive victory for Commissioner Bolin, but also for Republicans across Alabama. This special election was the deciding factor in Republicans maintaining control of the Jefferson County Commission, and we are proud to see a strong Republican win this seat."
"We are looking forward to seeing Mike Bolin's conservative leadership go to work for the people of Jefferson County," he continued. "He is a great public servant who will work tirelessly to protect and defend the people of his District. I also want to thank the campaign team and volunteers that went door to door, made phone calls, and helped make this victory possible."
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