Hoover chief operations officer leaves for private sector job in Huntsville

One of Hoover’s highest-ranking non-elected officials is no longer working for the city.

Tim Westhoven, the city’s chief operations officer, has taken a job with the Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood architectural and engineering firm in Huntsville, after 18 years of service to the city of Hoover.

Westhoven is now heading up Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood’s transportation engineering efforts in north Alabama. The move puts him much closer to children and grandchildren, he said.

Westhoven first served the city of Hoover from 1996-2000 as city engineer. He left to work in the private sector and then came back to the city in 2006 as assistant executive director, working under former Executive Director Allen Pate.

When Pate retired in 2016, new Mayor Frank Brocato appointed Allan Rice as city administrator and reorganized some top staff members. Westhoven’s title was changed to chief operations officer, overseeing departments such as building inspections, public works, engineering, sewer, fleet and facilities.

“Tim is an outstanding individual,” Brocato said. “He has tremendous talent and skill as an engineer. He’s got good people skills as an engineer, and he’s got tremendous institutional knowledge that he has gained working in our city.”

In his position, he frequently has to tell people no, but he has learned how to do that in a great way, Brocato said.

“I can’t say enough about him and what he’s meant to this city,” the mayor said. “To lose an individual of his caliber — it takes a lot to fill that hole. We wish him nothing but the best and complete happiness in Huntsville.”

Westhoven said it has been a privilege and honor to serve the city of Hoover.

“It’s something I felt led to do for a long time, and I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to do that,” he said.

He thanked the mayor, Rice and City Council for giving him that opportunity.

Westhoven said he and his wife have raised their family in Hoover, and their children went all the way through Hoover’s school system and now work as a doctor and graphic designer.

“I couldn’t be prouder of them,” he said. “This city is a great place to work. It’s a great place to live, and it’s a great place to raise your family,” Westhoven said.

Westhoven said it was an honor to work with so many great department heads in the city.

“You couldn’t find or ask for a better group of people,” he said. “You don’t find a group of people like this that care as much about what they do, and that’s what makes the difference here. … They want to help people. I just couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve accomplished here and being able to work here.”

Brocato has appointed Jim Wyatt, who has headed up the Building Inspections Department, as acting chief operations officer. Wyatt had planned to retire but has decided to stay to serve in the new role.