Year in Preview: Election season

Mayor Niven chooses not to seek re-election:

Chelsea Mayor Earl Niven, the only mayor the city has had since it was incorporated in 1996, is not running for re-election this year.

That could mean a lot of changes among elected officials.

“It’s going to be very, very different,” Chelsea City Clerk Becky Landers said.

As of press time, Councilmen Dale Neuendorf and Tony Picklesimer both had announced their intention to run for mayor, which means their council seats will be open for newcomers.

Candidates can qualify to run for City Council or mayor beginning July 5, and the last day to qualify is July 19. Election day is Aug. 23, and the polls will be open at Chelsea City Hall from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Any needed runoff elections will occur on Oct. 4.

Landers said she expects there to be a good turnout at this year’s election because Niven is not running for re-election.

Prior to the election, the Chelsea Business Alliance plans to hold a debate for both mayoral candidates and City Council candidates. Landers suggested community members attend the debate and a few City Council meetings before the election. “Know what’s going on in your city,” she said.

Chelsea residents should also make sure their voter information is up to date. For more information about absentee ballots and voter information, contact Landers at Chelsea City Hall.

3 positions on Shelby commission contested

All Shelby County Commission positions are up for election this year, but only three of the commission seats are contested.

Just one of the contested seats covers the U.S. 280 area. Robbie Hayes, the incumbent representing Commission District 9, faces competition in the Republican primary from Chris Dunn. Their district includes a large portion of the central part of the county that includes Chelsea and Westover.

Luke Lombardo qualified to run in the Republican primary against Commissioner Lindsey Allison in District 7, which includes Meadow Brook, Indian Springs Village and other areas roughly between Interstate 65 and U.S. 280, and Valleydale Road and Shelby County 11. However, Lumbardo since has dropped out of the race.

The Rev. Kenneth Dukes, president of the NAACP’s Shelby County chapter, is the only Democrat in the race as of press time. He is running for District 2, which includes portions of south Shelby County such as Calera and Montevallo, against Republican incumbent Tommy Edwards.

The only open seat on the commission is the District 4 spot. After 23 years on the commission, Commissioner Dan Acker has decided to not seek re-election. Acker suffered a stroke three years ago and cited health issues as a factor in his decision to not run for another term.

Three individuals have announced their candidacy for the District 4 spot, which covers portions of Pelham and Alabaster from Valleydale Road to Alabama 119 and along U.S. 31. The candidates are Gene Rowley, Ward Williams and Ron Griggs, all of whom are Alabaster residents.

All three candidates attended the Oct. 26 meeting, introducing themselves to the commission. Rowley is one of the founders of non-profit radio station APH (Alabaster, Pelham and Helena) Radio; Williams founded Vineyard Family Services, a faith-based agency that works to help children and families where a father is absent and to promote responsible fatherhood; and Griggs has held several positions in the Shelby County school system since moving to the area in 1971.

Commission Chairman Rick Shepherd said most of the time, commissioners face contested elections when things are not going well in the county. Shelby County, however, is not facing any major issues at the time, so he is not surprised most commissioners are not contested.

“Shelby County is one of the best run counties in the state of Alabama,” Shepherd said. “We’re financially sound. We have a very high bond rating, and we’re expecting an increase in revenue.”

Shepherd said he expects a decent turnout in this year’s primary in March and on Election Day in November because it is a presidential election. He also believes more Republicans will turn out to vote because this election follows a two-term Democratic president.

The primary election is March 1, and the deadline to apply for absentee ballots is Feb. 25. The general election is Nov. 8.

Hoover gears up for August city election

Hoover residents return to the polls this summer to elect a mayor and City Council, if the incumbents indeed have opposition.

Four years ago, no one qualified to run against Mayor Gary Ivey and three of the seven council members — Jack Natter, Gene Smith and Jack Wright.

So far, no one has announced publicly to run against Ivey, but at least two people have announced campaigns for Hoover City Council seats.

Bluff Park resident Curt Posey announced he is running for Council Place 1, currently held by Joe Rives, and Ross Bridge resident Casey Middlebrooks said he is running for City Council but did not declare a specific place number.

In Hoover, all seven council seats are elected at-large, which means all registered voters in the city can vote in each council race instead of voting in a particular district. However, candidates do have to declare which seat they want to pursue when they qualify.

Candidates cannot officially qualify until July 5 and they have until July 19 to do so. Municipal elections are scheduled for Aug. 23, and any needed runoffs will be held Oct. 4. The new term for elected officials officially begins Nov. 7.

Candidates could begin raising money for their campaigns on Aug. 23, 2015 – one year before the election. The last day to register to vote in municipal elections is Aug. 10, 2016.

Ivey, a Riverchase resident and president of Crest Cadillac, has been Hoover’s mayor since Sept. 30, 2011, when he was appointed mayor by the City Council to replace Tony Petelos, who took a job as Jefferson County’s first professional county manager.

Ivey first was elected to the Hoover City Council and chosen as its president in 2004. He was re-elected to the council without opposition in 2008, which means he hasn’t faced an opponent since he was first elected in 2004.

In the 2012 city election, councilmen John Greene, Trey Lott and Brian Skelton all won re-election over challengers, and John Lyda unseated Councilwoman Mari Morrison. 

Lott resigned from the council in January 2015 after moving to Alabaster, and the council appointed Rives, who lives on Patton Chapel Road, to fill his seat in February.