2008 Shelby County municipal elections

2008 Shelby County municipal elections were held August 26, 2008 in several Shelby County cities and towns. On the day of the election remnants of the weather system that made landfall as Tropical Storm Fay were lingering over the region.

To see other Birmingham-area municipalities participating in the state-wide elections, see 2008 municipal elections.

Alabaster

• Mayor: Incumbent David Frings earned 1,826 votes (56%) to keep his seat in a race against three challengers. Marty Handlon finished second with 1,352 votes (41%). Kevin Giles (57 votes) and Larry Martin (43 votes) rounded out the field.

• Council:
  • Ward 1: Sophie Martin (280 votes) defeated incumbent Jerry Workman (228 votes).
  • Ward 2: Incumbent Bob Hicks ran unopposed.
  • Ward 3: Adam Moseley ran unopposed.
  • Ward 4: Incumbent Rick Watters ran unopposed.
  • Ward 5: Incumbent Jim McClain (375 votes) held off challenger Don Botta (230 votes).
  • Ward 6: Scott Brakefield (303 votes) defeated Barbara Gore (136 votes).
  • Ward 7: Incumbent Tommy Ryals ran unopposed.

Calera

The 2008 results for Calera were not approved by the U.S. Justice Department because the city had redrawn its districts without proper approval. A new election was finally held for mayor and six, at-large council seats on November 10, 2009.

• Mayor: In the race to replace retiring mayor Roy George, Jon Graham (793 votes) and Bobby Joe Phillips (532 votes) advanced to a runoff. Hank Lucas (272 votes) and Joey Widman (174) votes were the also-rans. George endorsed Phillips in the race. In the runoff, Graham beat Phillips 925 to 618.

• Council:
  • District 1: Chris Bunn (242 votes) defeated incumbent Jerry Davis (143 votes).
  • District 2: Incumbent Eric Snyder (169 votes) appears to have narrowly defeated challenger Ernest Montgomery (167 votes).
  • District 3: Brian Latham ran unopposed.
  • District 4: Incumbent David Bradshaw (199 votes) and Brad Frasure (121 votes) advanced to a run-off ahead of Susan Alexander and Darrell Fixler. Bradshaw won the runoff 279 to 156.
  • District 5: Incumbent Mike Robertson (263 votes) defeated challengers Brent Burgess (17 votes) and Alan Watts (159 votes).

Chelsea

• Mayor: Three-term incumbent Earl Niven coasted to a fourth term with 842 votes (54%) over challenger David Birdson (705 votes, 46%).

• Council:
  • Place 1: Ricky King ran unnopposed.
  • Place 2: Incumbent Tony Picklesimer (878 votes) held off challenger Cammie Sanders (670 votes).
  • Place 3: Robert Barnes (810 votes) defeated incumbent James Ferguson (610 votes).
  • Place 4: Incumbent Jeffrey Denton (761 votes) held off challenger Keith Roberts (692 votes).
  • Place 5: Incumbent Juanita Champion ran unopposed.

Columbiana

Allan Lowe

• Mayor: Incumbent Allan Lowe garnered the most votes (469) with Gregg Rushton coming in second with 430, necessitating a runoff. Three-term councilman Danny Kelley took 78 votes. In preliminary runoff results only 5 votes separated the candidates while 9 provisional ballots remained to be reviewed.

• Council:
  • District 1: Incumbent Frieda Abrams (76 votes) held off challenger Lesley Whiting (64 votes).
  • District 2: Stancil Handley (105 votes) defeated Vickie McNeal Mizzell (41 votes) for the seat vacated by Kelley.
  • District 3: Jim Strickland (102 votes) and Brian Stevens (72 votes) advanced to a runoff ahead of Ann Sauers (52 votes) and Bruce Fryer (36 votes). Strickland won the runoff 159 to 140.
  • District 4: Incumbent Tom Seale (160 votes) held off challenger Dee Dill (53 votes).
  • District 5: Incumbent Ouida Mayfield (115 votes) held off challengers Stoney Glenn (54 votes) and Phillip Willis (49 votes).

Harpersville

• Mayor: Theoangelo Perkins ran unopposed.
• Council:
  • District 1, Place 1: Beverly Johnson (53 votes) defeated Eddie Buie (20 votes).
  • District 1, Place 2: Shirley Middleton ran unopposed.
  • District 2, Place 1: Roy Wood (35 votes) defeated Deborah Logan (29 votes).
  • District 2, Place 2: William Rayfield ran unopposed.
  • District 3, Place 3: Janet Gill ran unopposed.

Helena

Sonny Penhale

• Mayor: Charles "Sonny" Penhale ran unopposed.
• Council:
  • Place 1: Leigh Hulsey (630 votes) defeated Jackson Knox (435 votes).
  • Place 2: Barbara Hyche (590 votes) defeated Hal Woodman (457 votes).
  • Place 3: Chris Nelson ran unopposed.
  • Place 4: Jerry Page ran unopposed.
  • Place 5: Katherine Ennis (566 votes) defeated Judy Ellington (475 votes)

Indian Springs Village

• Mayor: Steve Zerkis ran unopposed.
• Council:
  • Place 1: Herb Robbins ran unopposed
  • Place 2: Brenda Bell-Guerico ran unopposed.
  • Place 3: Brian Stauss ran unopposed.
  • Place 4: Jack Mendel ran unopposed.
  • Place 5: Stewart Dudley ran unopposed.

Montevallo

• Mayor: Ben McCrory (317 votes) and Steve Sears (311 votes) advanced to a runoff in the race to replace retiring mayor Sharon Anderson. Former three-term mayor of Alabaster Roger Wheeler lost with 221 votes. McCrory won a close runoff race with 412 votes to Sears' 403.

• Council:
  • District 1: Rusty Nix (163 votes) and Patrick Draper (131 votes) advanced to a runoff, leaving Tami Pickett (50 votes) behind.
  • District 2: Incumbent Willie Goldsmith ran unopposed.
  • District 3: Incumbent Greg Pendleton ran unopposed.
  • District 4: Incumbent Hollie Cost (95 votes) held off the challenge of Randall Scott (36 votes) to keep her seat.
  • District 5: Dee Woodham ran unopposed.

Pelham

• Mayor: Gary Waters (1,081 votes) and Don Murphy (742 votes) advanced to a runoff for the office being vacated by long-time mayor Bobby Hayes, who endorsed Waters. Jim Phillips (554 votes) , Jim Martin (136 votes), and Tim Spinosi (72 votes) also ran. Murphy won a close runoff race with 1,321 votes to Waters' 1,313.

• Council:
  • District 1: Incumbent Rosemary Metcalf (984 votes) just barely earned a runoff spot with challenger Teresa Nichols (1,225 votes). Charlie Adams (252 votes) also ran.
  • District 2: Incumbent MIke Dickens (1,187 votes) faces challenger Willard Payne (951 votes) in a runoff. Robert Farmer (312 votes) also ran.
  • District 3: Beth McMillan (781 votes) and Ben Burger (592 votes) advanced to a runoff, eliminating Ralph Honeycutt (330 votes)
  • District 4: Steve Powell (1,412 votes) defeated Paul Contorno (1,019 votes)
  • District 5: Incumbent Karyl Rice (1,027 votes) faces challenger Bob Sullivan (892 votes) in a runoff. Maurice Mercer (504 votes) also ran.

Vincent

• Mayor: Ray McAllister (299 votes) swept the election over challengers Jimmy Carter (78 votes), Joseph "Joey" Cobb (23 votes), and Ernest Kidd Jr (56 votes).
• Council:
  • Place 1: Larry King ran unopposed.
  • Place 2: Bridgette Jordan Smith ran unopposed.
  • Place 3: Johnny Edwards ran unopposed.
  • Place 4: Ralph B. Kimble Jr's 48 votes (52%) narrowly defeated Beth Hawkins's 44 votes (48%).
  • Place 5: Mary Lee Reynolds ran unopposed.

Westover

• Mayor: Incumbent Mark McLaughlin (157 votes) defeated challenger Darin K. Thornburgh (114 votes).
• Council:
  • Place 1: Sam Mann (140 votes) defeated Susan Strickland (126 votes).
  • Place 2: Larry Riggins (156 votes) defeated Denice R. Howard (113 votes).
  • Place 3: Annette Tyler (170 votes) defeated Donavon Gibbens (98 votes).
  • Place 4: Andrea Hunter (161 votes) defeated Bill Shultz (104 votes).
  • Place 5: Jeanne Champion Fisch (152 votes) defeated Kevin Van Dam (119 votes).

Wilsonville

• Mayor: Incumbent Rosemary Liveoak (304 votes) defeated challenger Don Davis (206 votes).
• Council (at large): Candidates Alan Revis (363 votes, 16%), Dennis Blackerby (359 votes, 16%), Calvin Gill (322 votes, 14%), Terry Newman (337 votes, 15%), E. Lee McCarty III (329 votes, 14%), Melissa Rosetta 318 votes, 14%), Pat Johnson (241 votes, 11%) received enough votes to be on the council, while Stephanie Roulier (236 votes, 10%), Paul Mullin (218 votes, 10%), and Donald Martin (205 votes, 9%) did not.

Wilton

• Mayor: Incumbent Joe Fancher (91 votes, 67%) defeated challengers Jo Ann Hamm (22 votes) and Mickey Henson (22 votes).
• Council:
  • Seat 1: Cassie Nathews ran unopposed.
  • Seat 2: Incumbent Hubert Lucas ran unopposed.
  • Seat 3: Jessica Smitherman Martin ran unopposed.
  • Seat 4: Incumbent Carol Wisor ran unopposed.
  • Seat 5: Incumbent Deborah Hudson (34 votes, 68%) defeated challenger Judith Winslett (16 votes, 32%).

References

• "Candidates seek municipal offices" (July 3, 2008). Birmingham News.
• Gordon, Robert K. (July 16, 2008). "Mayoral exits intriguing races in Jefferson, Shelby." Birmingham News.
• "Candidates seek municipal offices" (July 16, 2008). Birmingham News.
• "Election Results from Tuesday" (August 26, 2008). ShelbyCountyReporter.com. Accessed August 27, 2008.