Hoover hires new city administrator from Orange Beach

Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato tonight announced he is hiring a municipal executive from Orange Beach as Hoover’s next city administrator.

Out of more than 50 applicants, Brocato chose Ken Grimes, the director of external affairs for Orange Beach, to take the seat in Hoover that was held by Allan Rice for more than six years until Rice was placed on administrative leave in June and quickly announced his retirement.

Grimes spent more than 14 years as city administrator for Orange Beach until moving into a new role as director of external affairs in November of last year, according to the city’s website. Before that, he spent nearly six years as a special projects coordinator for the city, a year as president and CEO of the Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce and seven years with the Bessemer Area Chamber of Commerce.

Brocato said Grimes should start with Hoover around the end of October or first of November. His base pay will start at $214,781, plus a little more for his postsecondary degree, city spokeswoman Melanie Posey-Joseph said.

“We are really grateful to have Ken as part of our team — a tremendous amount of experience,” Brocato told the Hoover City Council Monday night. “His experience really stood out. We knew we needed someone that could step in and who knows the job. … Other than learning a few of the little idiosynchrasies and people and things of that nature, he won’t be necessarily stunned by a project that he’s presented with here.”

Grimes is especially familiar with economic development and parks and recreation but he touched every department in the city of Orange Beach in one way or another, Brocato said. He also has experience dealing with disaster management, such as hurricanes and the BP oil spill, and experience in dealing with state and federal officials in disaster recovery, the mayor said.

Brocato said he talked with other mayors, city managers and city administrators who know Grimes, and “he just came highly recommended by so many of his colleagues throughout the state. I thought that was very impressive.”

Much of that commentary was unsolicited, Brocato said. “I think he’s going to be a really good fit to be here.”

Allen Pate, who served as Hoover’s executive director (a position very similar to city administrator) for more than two decades under five mayors, helped interview five finalists selected by the mayor and said he knew Grimes would be tough to beat as soon as he saw his name on the list of finalists.

Pate said he has known Grimes for 17-18 years and Grimes knows how to do the job.

“I think Ken Grimes has remarkable experience,” Pate said. “I think he’s the type that can come in the first morning and sit down behind the city administrator’s desk and immediately be productive.”

He should be a good person to work with the mayor, council and department heads, telling department heads what he expects of them and then letting them do their jobs with any necessary guidance along the way, Pate said.

Both Pate and Grimes have served as president of the Alabama City/County Management Association.

Grimes said he’s excited to come to Hoover and move into a larger city.

Orange Beach’s population is about 8,500, and Hoover’s population is estimated at more than 90,000. But Brocato and Grimes noted that the number of people in Orange Beach balloons greatly during the heavier tourism months.

Grimes said Hoover is a great place with professional department heads, and he is excited to work with them to address the challenges the city will face in the years ahead.

“Most people that understand me know that I’m sort of a team manager, being what conduit I can be between the mayor’s office, the council and the department heads,” he said. “I think that’s going to be important as we move forward. … It’s going to take a little while to get settled and get reoriented with everything in detail, but my familiarity with this area is very strong.”

Grimes grew up in Bessemer, and his parents remained there for many years, he said.

At the beginning of this month, Grimes was named in a federal discrimination lawsuit filed by a former employee of the city of Orange Beach, who claimed she was denied equal pay and advancement in the Parks and Recreation Department because she is a female and a lesbian.

Grimes, who also oversaw the Orange Beach Parks and Recreation Department, declined to comment about allegations in the lawsuit, other than saying they were claims by a former employee. He prefers to let the legal process play out, he said. Brocato said he fully discussed that lawsuit with Grimes and is perfectly satisfied with Grimes’ explanation.

Pate said that, of the five finalists for Hoover’s city administrator job, four of the candidates were from within Alabama.