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In the Running: 2020 Hoover Election

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Photos by Jon Anderson (left) and Erin Nelson (right)

Photo by Jon Anderson.

Photos by Erin Nelson

Hoover voters head to the polls Aug. 25 to choose the city’s next mayor and City Council.

For the mayor’s seat, voters have two choices: current Mayor Frank Brocato, who is completing his first four-year term, and City Council President Gene Smith, who has had 16 years on the council and is asking voters to help him change chairs.

There also are 17 people seeking to fill the seven citywide City Council seats. One of them, current Councilman Derrick Murphy, is unopposed, in Council Place 5.

Five newcomers — Ron Brown, Mitzi Eaker, Robin Schultz, Dina Shunnarah and Sam Swiney — are seeking to fill the vacant Place 2 seat left by Smith’s departure from the council.

And three candidates — Carin Mayo, Steve McClinton and Alli Nations — are vying for the open seat created when three-term Councilman John Greene decided not to seek a fourth term. Nations is Greene’s daughter.

There are five female candidates in this year’s elections. Four years ago, all 19 candidates who qualified were male. Also, there are four Black candidates this year, as compared to one — Murphy — four years ago.

Geographically, most of the candidates come from the western or central parts of Hoover. Only three — Mike Shaw, Eaker and Mayo — live east of Interstate 65. Five of the 17 candidates — Curt Posey, James “J.D.” Deer, Schultz, Swiney and Nations — live in Bluff Park.

BROCATO’S PLATFORM

Brocato said he has shown himself a proven leader in times of crisis, has kept promises he made when he first ran for mayor and has a great plan for Hoover’s future.

Specifically, Brocato said he wants to continue the city’s strong partnership with Hoover City Schools, continue boosting Hoover’s economy, invest in the city’s neighborhoods, solve traffic congestion, maintain a focus on public safety, and build a diverse and equitable community.

Brocato said he proved his leadership during protests that followed the death of E.J. Bradford at the Riverchase Galleria in 2018 and the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis this year, as well as during the COVID-19 pandemic.

His 42 years with the Hoover Fire Department taught him how to handle crises, he said.

“You don’t panic. You plan,” he said.

When the Gov. Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency and health orders began to shut businesses down, Brocato said his administration put an incident management plan in place that included help hotlines for residents and business owners, food assistance for children and financial planning to deal with loss of city revenues.

Brocato noted his efforts toward regional cooperation, including a “good neighbor agreement” in which numerous Jefferson County municipal leaders agreed not to recruit businesses from nearby cities.

He said he meets regularly with mayors from Jefferson and Shelby counties and mayors of the 10 largest cities in Alabama. With the latter group, he is pushing for changes in the way the state calculates and distributes online sales tax revenues.

Brocato said he already has developed a strong relationship with Hoover schools by regularly meeting with the superintendent, principals and Hoover Parent Teacher Council.

His administration has a track record of attracting and growing business, he said, noting the additions of McLeod Software and Capstone Building Corp. at Meadow Brook Corporate Park and Iberia Bank in International Park.

The city also provided support for the new business incubator at The Offices at 3000 Riverchase, which aims to bolster technology companies and create a new energy on the Riverchase Galleria campus.

Brocato said his administration has been in serious discussions with owners of the Galleria about redevelopment, and he hopes to build on the growth of the restaurant scene in Hoover.

As for investing in neighborhoods, Brocato said the comprehensive plan his administration spearheaded included efforts to protect established neighborhoods from undesirable businesses. His administration has enforced the city’s property maintenance code and tried to be diligent about removing old, abandoned cars, he said.

Brocato said he quickly resurrected a plan to build a new Interstate 459 interchange near South Shades Crest Road. The city has already paid $2 million to buy 31 acres, has an option to buy 22 more acres for $3.27 million and is seeking federal grant money to pay for an interchange justification study.

Regarding public safety, Brocato said the Hoover Police Department does a great job, leading to crime reductions in 2018 and 2019. The mayor and City Council have increased the number of firefighters and police officers and will soon open a new $4 million police training center, he said.

The Police Department has come under increased scrutiny since a police officer fatally shot E.J. Bradford at the Riverchase Galleria in November 2018 and following the death of George Floyd as he was held down by Minneapolis police officers in May of this year. The state attorney general’s office cleared the Hoover police officer who shot Bradford of any wrong doing.

Brocato said the Police Department is going through an intense accreditation review that will take a deep dive into every policy and procedure to either reinforce current practices or see if changes need to be made. That review will include use of force policies, and the department is about to go through diversity training, he said.

His administration already has made efforts to make the city’s overall workforce more diverse. He initiated the Leadership Hoover organization that began in 2017 and includes people from all walks of life. More than two years ago, he made the assistant human resources director, Mesha Walker, the city’s diversity coordinator, charged with monitoring the city’s recruitment, hiring, retention and promotion practices. The city has started actively recruiting minorities through job fairs to ensure a diverse pool of applicants and has diverse panels of employees conduct interviews, he said. And both he and the City Council have given minorities more representation on city boards, including the Board of Education, Planning and Zoning Commission, Parks and Recreation Board, Library Board and Industrial Development Board.

SMITH’S PLATFORM

Smith said he will push for changes in how the city administration is organized and operates and will work to empower neighborhoods, enhance the city’s partnership with schools and build on Hoover’s diversity to create a unified community.

He criticizes Brocato, saying the mayor acts as if other elected officials are subservient to him. He claims the mayor lacks a good working relationship with the City Council, doesn’t seek input from council members on many important issues and moves money from one project to another without proper approval from the council.

“We’re tired of being kept in the dark. There are eight elected officials, but he’s acting like there is only one,” Smith said. “He only comes to us when he needs a vote on something. It’s very unfortunate.”

Smith acknowledged he has weekly meetings with the city administrator and city attorney but said City Administrator Allan Rice usually runs those meetings, the mayor is not always there, and the meetings mostly deal with legal issues.

Brocato disputed that and said he does usually attend those meetings and that a full gamut of issues is discussed.

Smith said too much power is concentrated in the city administrator job, with department heads having to funnel information to the mayor through Rice. Smith said he would be more hands-on with city government and give department heads more direct access to him rather than having to go through the city administrator or other higher-level positions. He also would involve the council in more decision making, he said.

Brocato said if Smith were elected mayor, it would be his prerogative to set up whatever structure he likes, but said the current structure in reality is much like it was when Allen Pate was executive director.

Smith said Hoover has become a big city, but he wants to empower neighborhoods so the city can maintain some of its small-town atmosphere. He proposes to create a council of neighborhoods and give that council some funding each year and the power to decide which neighborhood projects get funded from year to year.

Smith said he will work to foster stronger ties with the school system and proposes to give building permit “front-door” fees to the school system on top of the current $5 million allocation the city provides instead of as a part of that allocation.

Brocato said that power lies with the City Council, not the mayor, and Smith has had 16 years to push for that if he wanted.

Regarding race relations in Hoover, Smith said he doesn’t think they are as bad as some people think, but the city needs to turn its diversity into a tool for building community. He wants everyone to feel comfortable living in Hoover, regardless of where they live, he said.

While the Police Department has been criticized for its treatment of minorities, he thinks the department has great people and great leadership. People are taking national concerns and bringing them to Hoover’s doorstep, he said. There’s always room for improvement, and the accreditation process will help everyone see where those areas are, he said.

Smith voted for sales, use and lease tax increases and a $2 nightly room fee for lodging facilities two years ago, but only after reducing the amounts of those increases from what the mayor initially proposed.

He said Brocato used fear and outside consultants to paint a misleading picture of city finances to try to get money for pet projects, and the council only approved lesser increases to keep the city afloat as needs have increased.

Smith said once the city recovers from the COVID-19 financial impact, he wants the council to reconsider those tax increases and possibly rescind them.

Brocato said his finance team’s financial projections were “on target” but said he won’t press for the rest of the original sales tax increase he requested in 2018 if reelected.

Smith also voiced support for the new Interstate 459 interchange and a push to get the state Legislature to give Hoover its “rightful share” of internet sales taxes.

CANDIDATES - HOOVER MAYOR

FRANK BROCATO (I)

GENE SMITH

CANDIDATES - COUNCIL PLACE 1

CURT POSEY (I)

LEAH SIEFKA

CANDIDATES - COUNCIL PLACE 2

RON BROWN

MITZI EAKER

ROBIN SCHULTZ

Photo courtesy of Robin Schultz

DINA SHUNNARAH

SAM SWINEY

CANDIDATES - COUNCIL PLACE 3

JOHN LYDA (I)

MICHAEL JEFFRIES

CANDIDATES - COUNCIL PLACE 4

MIKE SHAW (I)

NATHAN REED

CANDIDATES - COUNCIL PLACE 6

CASEY MIDDLEBROOKS (I)

JAMES ‘J.D.’ DEER JR.

CANDIDATES - COUNCIL PLACE 7

CARIN MAYO

STEVE McCLINTON

ALLI NATIONS

ELECTION INFORMATION

Polls on election day — Aug. 25 — will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The last day to register to vote is Aug. 10.

Voters can register to vote through the Alabama secretary of state’s website or through the Jefferson County or Shelby County Board of Registrars, depending on where you live. To vote in a municipal election, such as Hoover’s election, a voter must have established residency in the city by July 26.

Voters who wish to cast an absentee ballot must apply for one by Aug. 20, or Aug. 24 if in an emergency situation. Applications are available online through the city of Hoover website or Alabama secretary of state’s website.

Hand-delivered absentee ballots must be received by the Hoover city clerk’s office by the close of business Aug. 24. Mailed absentee ballots must be postmarked by Aug. 24 and received at the city clerk’s office by noon Aug. 25 to be counted.

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill on June 25 adopted an emergency role that authorizes any qualified voter who determines it is impossible or unreasonable to vote at their polling place for the 2020 municipal elections and runoff due to the declared COVID-19 states of emergency to check the box on the absentee ballot application that reads: “I have a physical illness or infirmity which prevent my attendance at the polls.”

But voters are still required to submit a photocopy of their identification along with their application for an absentee ballot.

If any runoffs are needed, they will be Oct. 6. Winners of this year’s election are scheduled to be sworn into office Nov. 2.

For additional information about Hoover city elections, registering to vote or voting with an absentee ballot, go to hooveral.org/183/Elections.

Editor's note: This article was updated at 10:52 p.m. on July 30 to correct the number of Black candidates in the 2020 city election. There are four.

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