Hoover’s Dickerson named Alabama Municipal Clerk of Year

Hoover City Clerk Wendy Dickerson was recently named the Alabama Municipal Clerk of the Year for 2021.

Dickerson has been Hoover’s city clerk since April 2019 and before that served as deputy city clerk in Vestavia Hills for about 15 years.

She was chosen as Alabama Municipal Clerk of the Year based on her experience, additional duties she performs, contributions to the community, nomination letters and service to the Alabama Association of Municipal Clerks and Administrators and International Institute of Municipal Clerks.

Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato, in a nomination letter, said Dickerson has an extensive background and knowledge in city government and is always willing to go above and beyond to get the job done right.

“In her short time with Hoover, she has implemented a paperless agenda packet for City Council meetings and added a digital indexing system for permanent records with little to no cost to the city,” Brocato wrote. “She also ran an election during the pandemic and received a record number of [absentee ballot] applications for the city of Hoover in both the regular and runoff elections with no contest to either election.”

Dickerson also put together a systematic information booklet for each precinct on election day, making it a seamless process for all poll workers, Brocato said.

“Wendy continues to find ways to improve and update the city clerk’s office, making it more efficient and cost-effective,” Brocato wrote. “She is a true asset to our city and community.”

Hoover Council President John Lyda in his nomination letter said Dickerson possesses a high standard of ethics and an unwavering commitment to doing the right thing for the right reason.

“Her character is above reproach,” Lyda said. “A highly organized and motivated individual, Wendy leads her staff in a manner where customer service is the number one priority in serving our community.”

Dickerson has taken the level of service provided by the Hoover city clerk’s office to a new level, thanks to her hard work, astute acumen of laws and regulations that govern her field, and passion for service to others, Lyda said.

“I have consistently witnessed firsthand the positive and immediate results she has on each endeavor she takes on, and together they share a compelling story of a highly motivated and successful individual,” Lyda wrote.

When Dickerson was deputy clerk in Vestavia Hills, she created the city’s geographical information system, built and maintained the city’s zoning map, and did detailed GIS mapping for various departments, including fire and police beats, street paving and sexual predator locations.

She also developed and maintained a detailed database for the Vestavia Hills school system to help parents determine their school zone, said Vestavia Hills City Clerk Rebecca Leavings, who is president of the Jefferson County Municipal Clerks Association.

“In the 20+/- years I’ve known Wendy, she’s always been kind, considerate and friendly to anyone and everyone who crosses her path,” Leavings wrote in his recommendation letter. “When the going gets tough, she gets going. She works well, even excels under pressure, which is a huge asset in the day-to-day activities of any city clerk. She exemplifies the epitome of an exceptional city clerk and will be a huge asset to the city of Hoover in the years to come.”

For several years, Dickerson has served as an officer of the Jefferson County Municipal Clerks Association, including president in 2019, and currently is secretary of the Alabama Association of Municipal Clerks and Administrators.

She is chairwoman of the city of Hoover’s Accident Review Committee and Public Records Retention Committee, and serves on the city’s Information Technology Steering Committee, Business One Stop Committee and Website Design Committee.  She also serves as secretary for the Medical Clinic Board, Emergency Management Communication District and finance and investment committees.