By Javacia Harris Bowser | The Birmingham Times
Jefferson County Commissioner Lashunda Scales defeated Birmingham City Councilor Clinton Woods in the May 19 Democratic Primary to continue her tenure serving District 1. The two-term incumbent claimed 60 percent of votes, according to unofficial results.
When Scales was first elected as the Jefferson County Commissioner for District 1 in 2018, she became the first woman to represent her district. She was reelected in 2022 and is now poised to serve a third term.
At an intimate watch party held at Belo in downtown Birmingham, Scales’ supporters spoke of Commissioner Scales’ track record.
“I’ve been knowing her for all of her political career and one of the things that I’ve always respected about Commissioner Scales is that she’s always been truthful with me,” Pastor Guyrinthain L. Harris of Tabernacle Faith Christian Church told the Birmingham Times. “I find that to be one of her strongest characteristics. She’s the one who has the heart of communities that she serves. I look forward to working with her to help advance that agenda.”
Avee-Ashanti Shabazz highlighted Scales’ work supporting the Black community in Jefferson County.
“I met Commissioner Scales when I was doing Black Lives Matter and a lot of social justice work,” Shabazz said. “She has a very strong pro-Black agenda. Her voice and motives are always to make sure that whatever happens in Birmingham that Black folks benefit or aren’t left out.”
Meanwhile, supporters of Woods gathered at The Avondale event venue to watch poll results on Tuesday night.
Birmingham resident Michael Sutton described Woods as someone with “a servant’s heart,” and Julian Grant of Hoover called Woods “a man of execution” and “a man of character.”
While Woods was disappointed with Tuesday’s results, he applauded his campaign team members for their hard work and acknowledged the efforts of Scales’ campaign, too.
“I’m definitely not happy with the outcome, but we do have to give respect to Commissioner Scales for the work that she put in and getting her voters to the poll,” Woods told the Birmingham Times.
Woods, who currently serves on the Birmingham City Council representing District 1, believes he can continue to make an impact in this role.
“The sun comes up tomorrow, and we’ll continue really working for the folks that we represent,” he said. “That’s a given, and I still see a lot of ways that we can really raise the ceiling, and hopefully things in the partnership between the county and the city can improve going forward.”
Mia Watkins and Cody D. Short contributed to this report.
