Dave Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Springville, Alabama | |
| Assumed office November 2, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | William "Butch" Isley |
| Member of the AlabamaHouseofRepresentatives from the 49th district | |
| In office 1994–2002 | |
| Preceded by | Tony Petelos |
| Succeeded by | Cam Ward |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 12,1965 St. Petersburg,Florida,U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Bonnie Thomas |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Montevallo (BBA) |
Dave Thomas (born May 12,1965) is an American politician and businessman. He is the current mayor of Springville,Alabama,elected in 2020. A former state legislator,he served in the Alabama House of Representatives from 1994 to 2002,representing the 49th district,which includes parts of St. Clair County. [1] He was also the Republican Party's nominee for Alabama Secretary of State in 2002 but lost to Nancy Worley. He was a candidate for the Republican primary in the 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election.
Born on May 12,1965, [2] in St. Petersburg,Florida, [3] Thomas graduated from the University of Montevallo [4] with a BBA. [2] He began residing in Springville,Alabama,in 1991,where he was the president of the town's parent-teacher organization. [4] [5]
Due to his experience with the Springville parent-teacher organization,Thomas initially considered a campaign for the Alabama Board of Education,but he was convinced by his friend Jack Williams to run for the state legislature instead. [3] Thomas was first elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 1994. [1] He served two terms until 2002. [4] During Thomas' re-election campaign in 1998,absentee ballots at the St. Clair County Courthouse were tampered with,which necessitated a recount. Thomas won re-election by a thin margin of around one percent. He later stated that this incident led him to run for Alabama Secretary of State in 2002. [6]
In 2002,Thomas ran for the Republican Party's nomination for the Alabama Secretary of State election. Thomas was engaged in a fierce primary battle against Troy King and Dean Young,the latter of whom he went to a run-off with and won against. Thomas received the endorsement of The Tuscaloosa News during the primary. [7] As the nominee,Thomas supported voter ID efforts in the state,attempting to quell voter irregularity. [6] Thomas raised and spent $90,000 without using television commercials [8] but was defeated in the general election by Nancy Worley. [9] [4]
After his defeat,Thomas founded and served as president of Alabama's Premier Service Company (APSCO),a commercial pressure washing business. [2] [8] His other business ventures include TB &Associates Inc.,of which APSCO is a subsidiary,as well as a for-profit primitive campground known as the Little Canoe Creek Campground. [3] He returned to politics in 2020,when he ran for mayor of Springville,Alabama. He defeated incumbent mayor William "Butch" Isley in a landslide. [10] Thomas later described his victory in the election as "hand[ing] Butch Isley his head on a platter". [4] He stated that he hoped to attract small business entrepreneurship to the town,and turn it into "the Mountain Brook of St. Clair County". [5] [11]
During his tenure as mayor,Thomas appointed Lieutenant Wayne Walton as Springville's chief of police. [12] Thomas walked out of a city council meeting on March 1,2021,self-declaring an adjournment after a disagreement with city council members over them requesting separate legal representation from the mayor. Thomas apologized at the next meeting,stating "I kind of lost sight of what I had tried to teach my children growing up;if you lose your head you lose the argument". [13] On October 18,2021,the city leadership approved a new contract with EcoSouth for garbage services,replacing Waste Management,as well as an $11 million budget. [14]
In January 2022,Thomas announced that he would seek the Republican nomination for governor in the 2022 election. Thomas gained attention for his support of marijuana legalization,uncommon for the Republican Party. [8] Thomas admitted that he personally smokes marijuana in interviews that month,stating that he was an example of achieving success while a marijuana user. Thomas also expressed support for school choice and described himself as a free market economist. [4] [15] [16] After Thomas' admission of marijuana use,the Springville city council said it had received numerous calls regarding his comments. At the same meeting on January 25,2022,the city council issued a proclamation expressing support for law enforcement,though not mentioning Thomas by name. [17]
In the May 24 primary,Thomas finished in seventh place out of nine candidates on the ballot in the gubernatorial race. He received 0.5% of the vote. [18]
Thomas has been married to his wife Bonnie Thomas since he was 17,and he first became a father at 18. [3] The couple have two children and four grandchildren. [19] He is an attendee of the First Baptist Church in Springville. [1] He is also an enthusiast of skydiving and bagpipe playing. Thomas has performed at weddings and funerals,wearing a kilt as he plays the bagpipes. [16]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kay Ivey (incumbent) | 356,347 | 54.46% | |
| Republican | Lynda Blanchard | 125,915 | 19.24% | |
| Republican | Tim James | 105,936 | 16.19% | |
| Republican | Lew Burdette | 42,803 | 6.54% | |
| Republican | Dean Odle | 11,720 | 1.79% | |
| Republican | Donald Trent Jones | 3,906 | 0.58% | |
| Republican | Dave Thomas | 2,879 | 0.44% | |
| Republican | Stacy Lee George | 2,539 | 0.39% | |
| Republican | Dean Young | 2,344 | 0.36% | |
| Total votes | 654,290 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Dave Thomas | 883 | 66.9% | |
| Nonpartisan | William "Butch" Isley (incumbent) | 437 | 33.1% | |
| Total votes | 1,320 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Nancy Worley | 632,852 | 49.0% | |
| Republican | Dave Thomas | 630,863 | 48.9% | |
| Libertarian | Mark Bodenhausen | 25,386 | 2.0% | |
| Write-in | 1,179 | 0.1% | ||
| Total votes | 1,290,280 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dave Thomas (incumbent) | 7,473 | 50.5% | |
| Democratic | Blair | 7,321 | 49.4% | |
| Write-in | 17 | 0.1% | ||
| Total votes | 14,811 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dave Thomas | 6,614 | 52.9% | |
| Democratic | H. Holliday | 5,872 | 47.0% | |
| Write-in | 7 | 0.1% | ||
| Total votes | 12,493 | 100.0% | ||