An Ozark native has been elected district judge in Dale County.

When Dale County voters went to the polls March 1, they elected a district judge, a county schools’ superintendent and one Dale County Commissioners. There is a runoff election April 12 for a second commission seat.

None of these elected positions had candidates on the Democratic or Independent ballots, which meant the successful Republican candidate was elected to the office.

Stuart Smith was elected district judge on the Republican primary ballot March 1 after defeating John Nicholas “Nicky” Bull with 4,430 votes to Bull’s 3,689 votes.

There is no Democratic candidate so Smith will fill the seat currently occupied by longtime Dale County District Judge Fred Steagall, who announced his retirement prior to the primary election.

Smith is a Dale County attorney who graduated from Carroll High School in 1997 and Auburn University in 2000 with a B.A. in Criminology.

Smith earned his law degree from Thomas Goode Jones School of Law in Montgomery in 2006. While attending law school in Montgomery, he worked for the firm of Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis and Miles as a staff assistant and law clerk in the Mass Torts division.

In August 2006, Smith and his wife, Holle, moved back to Ozark where she opened Elevations School of Dance, LLC; and he went to work for the firm Cobb, Shealy, Crum and Derrick.

In 2007 Smith worked with Shealy, Crum and Pike until August of 2008 when he opened a practice in Ozark. Smith serves also as public defender for Midland City municipal court and as City Judge for Pinckard municipal court.

“I feel absolutely honored to be given this opportunity to work with our youth to better our community,” Smith said following the election. “This victory was the result of a lot of hard work by a lot of people, including my family, friends, neighbors and so many others.

“I want to thank Nicky Bull for running an extremely clean and positive campaign,” Smith said about his political opponent. “We committed to each other in the beginning that running clean positive campaigns and maintaining our friendship through all of this was our number one priority and he and his partner Matthew Simechak did just that. I never expected any less.”

The purpose of the primary election is for each political party to select their respective nominees for the general election.

Incumbent Dale County District 2 Commissioner Steve McKinnon was reelected with 790 votes to challenger Donald Grantham’s 705 votes on the Republican Party ballot. There was no Democrat challenger.

McKinnon has held the commission seat since being appointed by Gov. Bob Riley in 2009. He was elected Vice President of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama in 2015.

Before his election to the organization’s executive committee, McKinnon was an active member of various ACCA committees, including the Finance and Taxation Steering Committee and the Nominating Committee. He is expected to become president of the organization in 2017.

“I am very thankful for the support of the people in District 2,” McKinnon said following the election. “I appreciate the trust they have put in me.

“I have always served all the people of District 2, “ McKinnon added. “And I will continue to do so.”

Incumbent Dale County District 4 Commissioner Wes Strickland faces Frankie Wilson, with 1,080 votes, in a runoff election April 12. Strickland garnered 1,242 votes, Wilson got 1,080 votes and Paul Peters received 600 votes.

“I’m very thankful for all the support I’ve received from the voters in District 4. God bless each one of you,” Strickland said following the election. “There is much work to be done before the runoff and I greatly appreciate those who have encouraged and supported me.”

Ben Baker won the election for Dale County Superintendent with 2,827 votes to Dennis Coe’s 2,649 votes.

Also on the ballot was a proposed amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901 to authorize the legislature to provide a retirement program for district attorneys and circuit clerks of the state who are first elected or appointed on or after Nov. 8, 2016. Dale County voted 5,262 in favor of and 4,277 against the amendment.

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