Hoover council appoints Khristi Driver to replace Mike Shaw on council

The Hoover City Council tonight chose Khristi Driver, a 47-year-old attorney from The Preserve community, to replace Mike Shaw on the City Council.

Shaw was elected to represent Alabama House District 47 in the state Legislature on Nov. 8 and had to resign his post on the City Council immediately.

In accordance with state law, it was the Hoover City Council’s responsibility to appoint a new member, and the council voted 6-0 in favor of Driver. Driver is the first female on the Hoover City Council since Mari Morrison, also an attorney, lost her seat to John Lyda 10 years ago.

Lyda, who is now president of the council, said Driver brings a wealth of legal and corporate executive experience to the body.

“Her business acumen is unparalleled in the community, which will really help the city as we continue to grow strategically and diversify revenues,” Lyda said. “Her years of service in the community speak for themselves, and she’s always served in leadership positions in those different organizations, so she’s going to be a very good addition.”

Driver has been an associate general counsel for Southern Nuclear since 2018. She also has served as the company’s compliance and concerns director and chief of staff to the Southern Co. general counsel.

From 2011 to 2014, she was an attorney or managing attorney for Southern Company Services. Prior to joining Southern Co. in 2011, she was an equity partner at the law firm of Haskell Slaughter Young & Rediker, practicing civil defense litigation.

Earlier this year, the council appointed Driver to the new Hoover Downtown Redevelopment Authority, which then voted her as president of that group.

She also serves on the board of directors of Leadership Hoover, Collaborative Solutions (a group that focuses on fair housing access) and Page Turners Make Great Learners (a group focusing on literacy).

Driver formerly served as president of the Hoover City Schools Foundation and is a past board member for the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce and Birmingham Bar Foundation and past executive committee member for the Birmingham Bar Association.

She has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Alabama and a law degree from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law.

Driver has lived in Hoover for 17 years and has two children: Steven, a 17-year-old senior at Hoover High School, and Sophia, a 13-year-old seventh grader at the Alabama School of Fine Arts.

Councilman Steve McClinton said Driver is well respected among her peers, has a good business acumen and legal skills that will come in handy with the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission, to which she also was appointed tonight. Also, “everyone wanted to have a female [on the council],” McClinton said.

Lyda said it’s certainly important to have representation of all groups on the council.

“We’ve always been mindful of that, not only in council appointments, but any board appointments,” Lyda said. “Certainly when we found a highly qualified individual who happened to be a female, that certainly played a part.”

Driver said she’s excited to be a representative for women in the city. “It’s nice to be one of the guys, and I do consider myself that way, but I think it’s nice to bring a different perspective,” she said.

She said it’s a big honor to be chosen to serve on the council and have the support of the mayor and his staff, as well as have an opportunity to earn the trust of more residents in the city.

Driver said she decided to apply for the council seat because she’s not getting any younger.

“I’ve reached that point in my career where I’ve really started to think about what my legacy will be and what I would like for people to say about me one day when I’m gone, and service is one of those things that matters a lot to me and my family,” she said. “To have this kind of an opportunity present itself really is just the kind of thing that doesn’t come along more than once, so it just felt like the right time.”

Driver said she has seen this City Council and mayoral administration work well together to accomplish things. “I’d like to be a part of the continued momentum and hopefully bring new perspectives to the council based on my background and experience that might be different than the way that others have seen things in the past or viewed things in the past,” she said.

The Hoover City Council also tonight made several appointments to city boards.

• Hunter Bridwell was appointed to the Hoover Parks and Recreation Board. He is a project manager for American Cast Iron Pipe Co. who grew up in Hoover and recently moved back to Hoover from McCalla with his wife. They live in the Green Valley community.
• Terry Lamar was appointed to the Hoover Library Board. He is the chief administrative officer for Hoover City Schools.
• Tracy Dismukes was appointed to the Hoover Arts Council. She is a Realtor with ARC Realty and lives off Chapel Lane near Gwin Elementary School.
• Julie Preskitt, a founding member of the Hoover Arts Council, was appointed as an emeritus member of that council as she steps away from active participation. She is an associate professor of public health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.