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Photos by Sarah Finnegan.
A man enters the Horizon Church polling location in Vestavia Hills on June 5 for the primary election.
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Photos by Sarah Finnegan.
Campaign signs dot the entryway of Horizon Church on June 5. Several local and state contests advanced to run-offs, scheduled for July 17.
Former Vestavia Hills Councilman Steve Ammons will be representing an entire county this fall, when he assumes his seat on the Jefferson County Commission.
Ammons won his primary race for the Commission Place 5 seat against opponent Jack Williams on June 5, walking away with 62.3 percent of the vote. After the primary election, Ammons said he was glad he and Williams “kept it all above board” during the campaign.
When he spoke with Williams after results were tallied, Ammons said Williams was “very gracious and complimented me quite a bit on the campaign and how it was run.”
There was no Democratic candidate for the Place 5 seat, which means Ammons does not have to compete in the November general election. He will take his seat on the commission Nov. 13.
Between now and November, Ammons said he will be spending time “getting my feet wet, getting a better understanding of process” by learning how the commission operates and getting to know staff, developers and other key people.
His time on the Vestavia City Council has given him an understanding of state laws and municipal process, which he said will help ease the transition to his new role. Ammons said he recalled advice from Vestavia Hills city attorney Pat Boone: lean on your lawyer.
“When in doubt, ask the question. Get a legal opinion to keep yourself out of trouble,” Ammons said.
Major priorities for Ammons include economic development in the county and prosperity that continues after he’s out of office, as well as looking at reviving a project to redesign part of Grants Mill Road to ease some traffic on U.S. 280 and potentially bring additional businesses to the area.
“I really want to understand the other districts and what their issues are because it’s not just being a commissioner for District 5 — it’s being a commissioner for the entire county,” Ammons said.
Along with Ammons, a number of other local elections were decided in the primary, with candidates from only one party, and other races will have a run-off this month. See those results and the races that will be on the ballot in the November general election below.
Races decided in the June 5 primary election
(No candidates from other party)
► Jefferson County Commission, Place 5, Republican: Steve Ammons
► Jefferson County District Court Judge, Place 6, Democrat: Katrina Ross (I)
► Jefferson County District Court Judge, Place 8, Democrat: Alan Summers (I)
► Jefferson County District Court Judge, Place 12, Democrat: Lorraine Williams-Pringle (I)
► Jefferson County 10th Circuit Court Judge, Place 1, Democrat: Joseph L. Boohaker (I)
► Jefferson County 10th Circuit Court Judge, Place 5, Democrat: David Carpenter (I)
► Jefferson County 10th Circuit Court Judge, Place 6, Democrat: Don Blankenship (I)
► Jefferson County 10th Circuit Court Judge, Place 7, Democrat: Tracie A. Todd (I)
► Jefferson County 10th Circuit Court Judge, Place 9, Democrat: Jim Hughey, III (I)
► Jefferson County 10th Circuit Court Judge, Place 13, Democrat: Carole C. Smitherman (I)
► Jefferson County 10th Circuit Court Judge, Place 15, Democrat: Patricia Ann Stephens
► Jefferson County 10th Circuit Court Judge, Place 18, Democrat: Janine Hunt-Hilliard
► Jefferson County Probate Judge, Place 2, Democrat: Sherri Coleman Friday
► Jefferson County Deputy Circuit Clerk, Democrat: Karen Dunn Berks (I)
Races in July 17 runoff
► Jefferson County Sheriff Democratic Primary:
○ Wilson Hale
○ Mark Pettway
► Jefferson County District Court Judge, Place 3, Democratic Primary:
○ Pamela Wilson Cousins
○ Lashunta White-Boler
► Jefferson County District Court Judge, Place 9, Democratic Primary:
○ Kechia Davis
○ Debra Weston-Pickens
► Jefferson County Circuit Clerk, Democratic Primary:
○ Jackie Anderson-Smith
○ Eyrika Parker
► Lieutenant Governor, Republican Primary:
○ Twinkle Cavanaugh
○ Will Ainsworth
► Attorney General, Republican Primary:
○ Steve Marshall (I)
○ Troy King
Races in Nov. 6
general election
► Jefferson County Sheriff:
○ Republican: Mike Hale (I)
○ Democrat: Runoff winner (either Wilson Hale or Mark Pettway)
► Jefferson County District Court Judge, Place 3:
○ Republican: Davis Lawley
○ Democrat: Runoff winner (either Pamela Wilson Cousins or Lashunta White-Boler)
► Jefferson County District Court Judge, Place 11:
○ Republican: Jill Ganus (I)
○ Democrat: Thomas Thrash
► Jefferson County 10th Circuit Court Judge, Place 8:
○ Republican: Tracey Crisan McDonald
○ Democrat: Marshell Jackson Hatcher
► Jefferson County 10th Circuit Court Judge, Place 16:
○ Republican: Teresa T. Pulliam (I)
○ Democrat: Linda Hall
► Jefferson County 10th Circuit Court Judge, Place 27:
○ Republican: Leslie Schiffman Moore
○ Democrat: Alaric May
► Jefferson County District Attorney - Circuit 10:
○ Republican: Mike Anderton (I)
○ Democrat: Danny Carr
► Jefferson County Probate Judge, Place 1:
○ Republican: John Tindle
○ Democrat: Alan King (I)
► Jefferson County Circuit Clerk:
○ Republican: Philip Brown
○ Democrat: Runoff winner (either Jackie Anderson-Smith or Eyrika Parker)
► State House of Representatives,District 43:
○ Republican: Arnold Mooney
○ Democrat: Carin Mayo
► State House of Representatives,District 46:
○ Republican: David Faulkner
○ Democrat: Felicia Stewart
► State House of Representatives,District 47:
○ Republican: David Wheeler
○ Democrat: Jim Toomey
► State House of Representatives,District 48:
○ Republican: Jim Carns (I)
○ Democrat: Alli Summerford
► State Senate, District 15:
○ Republican: Dan Roberts
○ Democrat: Laura Casey
► State Senate, District 16:
○ Republican: Jabo Waggoner (I)
○ Democrat: Lindsey Deckard
► Governor:
○ Republican: Kay Ivey (I)
○ Democrat: Walter Maddox
► Lieutenant Governor:
○ Republican: Runoff winner (either Twinkle Cavanaugh or Will Ainsworth)
○ Democrat: Will Boyd
► Attorney General:
○ Republican: Runoff winner (either Steve Marshall or Troy King)
○ Democrat: Joseph Siegelman
► Secretary of State:
○ Republican: John Merrill (I)
○ Democrat: Heather Milam
►Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice:
○ Republican: Tom Parker
○ Democrat: Robert S. Vance
► U.S. House of Representatives,District 6:
○ Republican: Gary Palmer (I)
○ Democrat: Danner Kline
