Northport attorney Bryan Brinyark is seeking to represent the region in the Alabama House of Representatives, he officially announced last week.

Brinyark has declared his candidacy in a special election to fill the now-vacant seat in House District 16, which includes portions of Fayette, Jefferson and Tuscaloosa counties.

Former Representative Kyle South officially stepped down from the position after this year's regular legislative session ended last month.

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Governor Kay Ivey has called for a special election to fill the seat, and Brinyark will run as a Republican.

According to his campaign website, Brinyark is a Tuscaloosa County Native who graduated from Central High School before earning a bachelor's and a law degree from the University of Alabama.

He is a partner attorney with Brinyark & Federick and has held several civic positions, including service as a municipal judge in Centreville, Brent and Woodstock and as a substitute municipal judge in Tuscaloosa.

Brinyark is a father of five, all of whom are graduates of both Northside High School and the University of Alabama. He also touted his lifetime membership of the National Rifle Association and Northport Church of Christ.

As things stand Thursday, Brinyark will face Fayette County Commissioner Brad Cox in a primary election in September. A runoff, which would only be necessary if a third Republican enters the field and none command a plurality of the September vote, would be held October 24th.

Major party candidates have until Tuesday, July 25th, to qualify to run.

The general special election will be held in January, but is likely to be a formality - the Democrats did not field an opponent to run against South in 2018 or 2022 and he drew more than 99 percent of the vote in both general elections.

Top Stories from the Tuscaloosa Thread (7/3 - 7/10)

12 of the Top Stories published by the Tuscaloosa Thread during the week of July 3rd, 2023.