Former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Mike Bolin was sworn into the Jefferson County Commission on Monday morning after winning a special election for the final seat on July 18.
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. Ammons represented District 5, comprised of Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hills, Homewood and Hoover.
Unlike regular elections for the Jefferson County Commission, candidates in the special election did not have a political party by their name.
Nevertheless, Bolin told 1819 News he was a conservative Republican.
Unofficial results showed Bolin winning 59% of the vote to opponent David Silverstein's 41%.
Bolin was born and raised in Jefferson County. He graduated from Shades Valley High School in Irondale, attended Samford University in Homewood and received his Juris Doctorate from Samford's Cumberland Law School.
After receiving his law degree, Bolin worked as a trial attorney for 15 years before he became a probate judge in Jefferson County, a position he held for three terms. He then won an election to the Alabama Supreme Court and served three terms there before retiring at the beginning of this year.
Bolin told 1819 News earlier this month that his priorities were to support both economic development and law enforcement in Jefferson County.
Jefferson County is home to some of the most dangerous cities in the United States but also some of the safest. Cities like Birmingham and Bessemer have extremely high violent crime rates per capita. In contrast, cities like Mountain Brook and Vestavia have some of the lowest in the state and even the country.
Jefferson County Commission president Jimmie Stephens, a fellow Republican, spoke positively about Bolin joining him on the commission.
"It will be a great benefit to Jefferson County citizens to have Mike Bolin on board," Stephens told 1819 News on Monday. "Mike brings a level of expertise and a skill set to the commission, which is much needed. We on the commission look forward to serving with Mike Bolin."
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email will.blakely@1819news.com or find him on Twitter and Facebook.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
