Photo courtesy of Jeff Wise
Developer Jeff Wise
Citing an “uphill battle,” developer Jeff Wise today dropped out of the three-way race to fill the vacant District 5 seat on the Jefferson County Commission.
“I am getting out of the race and going to support Mike Bolin,” the 65-year-old Wise said. “I was fighting an uphill battle there to some degree. With three candidates in the race, I didn’t want to diminish the Republican vote.”
Wise’s decision to drop out leaves retired Alabama Supreme Court Justice Mike Bolin and developer David Silverstein as the only two candidates in the race. The special election is set for Tuesday, July 18.
The winner will replace Steve Ammons, who resigned his seat on the Jefferson County Commission on May 31 to take a new job as CEO of the Birmingham Business Alliance.
Jefferson County Commission District 5 includes parts of Hoover, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, Birmingham and Leeds.
Wise, who didn’t announce his candidacy until late June, said he was late getting out of the gate on his campaign. “We got a late start because I was out of the country,” he said.
Though candidates did not have to declare a party affiliation for this election, Bolin’s prior runs for office have always been as a Republican.
Silverstein's campaign has described him as a nonpartisan candidate.
“He's supported Republicans as well as Democrats in the past and believes in electing the best person for the job,” campaign spokeswoman Claire Brickson said.
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.
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.
Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on July 18.
