Bolin, Silverstein face off for Jefferson County Commission seat

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And then there were two.

A race for the District 5 seat on the Jefferson County Commission that had four announced candidates at different times heads to the finish line Tuesday as district voters go to the polls.

After two Republicans dropped out of the race, Retired Alabama Supreme Court Justice Mike Bolin and developer David Silverstein are the last men standing in this mid-summer election. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

The district includes parts of Hoover, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, Birmingham and Leeds.

The race to fill the unexpired term of Steve Ammons, who resigned recently to become CEO of the Birmingham Business Alliance, is nonpartisan.

Bolin, 74, has always run as a Republican in his judicial campaigns; Silverstein, 67, said he is a nonpartisan candidate.

“I have supported Democrats when I didn't think that Republican fit the criteria and have supported Republicans when I didn't think the Democrat,” the developer said. “And I supported a job well done.”

State campaign finance records show Silverstein has given money to both Democratic and Republican candidates’ campaigns, though more frequently to Democrats and also to the Jefferson County Democratic Executive Committee. Silverstein also voted in Democratic primaries in at least 2020, 2018 and 2017, Jefferson County voting lists show.

District 5 polling places are largely unchanged from regular elections, but five were changed. 

The Hoover Senior Center is under renovation, so people who normally vote there will vote at the Hoover Recreation Center, which is basically next door. Fullness Christian Fellowship and Bluff Park United Methodist Church are hosting Vacation Bible Schools, so their voters will cast ballots at Shades Mountain Community Church.

Mountain Brook Community Church is also having Vacation Bible School. People who normally vote there will vote at Cahaba Heights Baptist Church. Edgewood Elementary School in Homewood is undergoing renovations this summer, so voters from that area will vote at the Homewood Public Library. 

Each voter affected by the above changes was mailed a card from the Board of Registrars, telling them where to vote in the special election.

Urologist Brian Christine announced his intention to run for the commission seat in early May but dropped out before the ballot was set, throwing his support behind Bolin.

Developer Jeff Wise joined Bolin and Silverstein on the ballot but last week announced he too was dropping out. Like Christine, he pledged his support to Bolin.

Bolin, who lives in Vestavia Hills, was elected as the Jefferson County probate judge in 1988 and re-elected to that position in 1994 and 2000. In 2004, he was elected statewide as an associate justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and served three terms.

Bolin has said his goals are for Jefferson County to be a leader in education and workforce development, to provide safe roads and infrastructure, to create a business-friendly environment that enables businesses to grow and succeed and support the creation of good-paying jobs, to improve the quality of life for all residents, to keep residents safe from crime and to improve the county courthouse.

Silverstein, who lives in Mountain Brook, is the founder of The FiveStone Group, a commercial real estate firm based in Birmingham, specializing in the development of mixed-use projects. Prior to forming The FiveStone Group, he was an operating principal at Bayer Properties. His development projects include The Summit, Cahaba Village and the preservation and redevelopment of the Pizitz building in downtown Birmingham. 

Silverstein has said he wants to put his professional experience to work for the residents of Jefferson County to ensure the county continues to be a great place to live, work and raise a family.