Ed Grimes to Become New Montgomery City Council Member after Donnie Mims Drops Out of Runoff

Ed Grimes – Photo from Campaign Facebook page

Ed Grimes will become a Montgomery City Council member, representing District 1, after his opponent dropped out of next month’s scheduled runoff.

Grimes had received 49% of the vote in last week’s special election, which was just short of the amount needed to avoid a runoff with second-place finisher Donnie Mims, who got 21%. This morning, Mims announced that he would end his campaign so that Grimes could take the seat.

“…After a lot of prayer and conversation with my family, I believe that it is best for District 1 and for Montgomery as a whole for me to withdraw from this race and to spare the district the time and expense of a runoff election. It will benefit District 1 to have a council representative immediately rather than to wait for a runoff election. I wish Mr. Grimes the best and trust that he will be a positive presence on the Montgomery City Council,” Mims said.

“I am ready to get to work for the citizens of District 1 and Montgomery as a whole,” said Grimes, “I am humbled and excited to have the opportunity to represent the great citizens of my District.” 

Grimes is scheduled to be sworn in at the Montgomery City Council meeting on Tuesday.

According to a statement from his campaign, Grimes plans to host regular town halls to hear the concerns of his constituents. He plans to invite city leaders and department heads to provide information and status updates on various projects. 

Grimes will replace the late Richard Bollinger in the District 1 seat. Bollinger died in March after serving on city council for nine years.

District 1 generally covers Forest Hills and the Perry Hill Road areas in the west and extends eastward to include the area along Atlanta Highway, covering Eastdale Mall, Arrowhead, Towne Lake and Stoneybrooke.