By Barnett Wright
The Birmingham Times
Jefferson County Sheriff Mark Pettway will announce plans this weekend to seek a second term. The campaign kickoff will take place on Sunday, January 9 at The Canvass Event Center, 301 Green Springs Avenue S, in Birmingham beginning at 2 p.m.
The primary elections are May 24 with the runoffs on June 21. The general election is Nov. 8.
The sheriff said he plans to build on the programs and initiatives that he created four years ago and continue to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community.
“What we’ve been able to accomplish since I’ve taken office is a true testament to what happens when law enforcement looks to go beyond just policing the community,” Pettway said in a statement. “Through a number of programs such as “Jobs Not Jail,” “Kikstart Your Day with Sheriff Mark Pettway,” and “Renewed for Reentry” we have continuously looked for ways that we can connect with the community to bridge any gaps between our deputies and the great residents of Jefferson County.”
In 2018, Pettway, then a Democrat challenger, stunned incumbent Republican Mike Hale, to become the first Black sheriff in Jefferson County.
Pettway, at the time a detective sergeant in the Sheriff’s Office emerged from a four-candidate field that summer to win the Democratic nomination and in November won the office with 51.39 percent, or 128,569 votes, to unseat Hale, who received 48.55 percent, or 121,469 votes.
