Photo by Lexi Coon.
Mike Anderton, a 1974 Mountain Brook High School graduate, was recently appointed by Gov. Kay Ivey as Jefferson County’s District Attorney after Charles Henderson was indicted and later convicted on a perjury charge.
In 2016, two candidates ran for the Jefferson County District Attorney’s seat: Brandon Falls and Charles Henderson. And although Mountain Brook High School alumnus Mike Anderton’s name wasn’t on the ballot, he took the seat in December 2017.
Anderton was appointed to the position by Gov. Kay Ivey after Henderson — who won the 2016 election — was indicted the day before he was set to take office by the State Grand Jury on a perjury charge, of which he was later convicted.
The vacancy led Ivey to appoint the former Spartan for the position.
Anderton graduated in 1974 from MBHS — where he said he learned of his love for arguing during a debate class — before continuing on to Auburn University and Cumberland Law School. He then accepted his first job as an Assistant District Attorney in Alexander City, where he prosecuted felony, misdemeanor and juvenile cases.
In 1984, Anderton moved back home to Mountain Brook to be the Deputy District Attorney before being appointed as the District Attorney in December 2017. During this time, he has worked cases ranging from capital murders to robberies.
As Jefferson County District Attorney, Anderton said, he is in a more administrative role than previous years and oversees about 40 lawyers and 60 support staff members.
“I’m the one who gets to go to all the meetings, I’m the one who deals with the budget, I’m the one who deals with personnel issues,” he said.
He’s also there to help supervisors and younger, less experienced attorneys with cases and make sure each police department and officer across the county is doing their due diligence on cases.
“The more it’s done properly on the front end, at the beginning, the easier it’s going to present in court,” he said. If the U.S. Attorney General’s office comes to Birmingham, Anderton is there to help, too. The same goes for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
And during his time in office, Anderton has a few goals.
“I would love to stomp out heroin, fentanyl use,” he said. “I would love to stomp out the random violent crime that we’ve got, the gun violence that we’ve got going.”
He said he’d like to see a greater trust in the local police, as well, and that he wants to promote friendly and welcoming neighborhoods.
But, he still values his time working with the local community.
Anderton — an Eagle Scout himself — has been a leader with Boy Scout Troop 96 for 45 years and is now the Committee Chairman.
“I do my best to live by those [Boy Scout] principles in my everyday life,” he said.
He was previously the president of the board of directors at the Center of Law and Civic Education at Samford University, as well.
Anderton said he finds working within the community is a way to meet and build relationships with those he is serving.
“[It’s] so that they know that the DA is not just some big bad human being downtown, but rather he’s somebody who’s just trying to help,” he said. “We’re like everybody else … But I think people have to feel like the DA is accessible.”
Being active in the community doesn’t just serve as a way to build relationships, however. Anderson believes it can help with fighting crime and solving cases, too.
“The only way you’re going to make any progress is knowing who you’re dealing with,” he said.
And in the next few months, Anderton will start campaigning for election as Jefferson County District Attorney in 2018.
“I’m looking forward to being here a long time,” he said. “I hope the people of Jefferson County feel the same way.”
