Hoover hires Vestavia Hills deputy clerk to replace Margie Handley as city clerk

The Hoover City Council today hired the deputy city clerk for Vestavia Hills to replace Hoover City Clerk Margie Handley when she retires at the end of this month.

Wendy Dickerson, who also is the geographic information systems specialist for Vestavia Hills, has worked in the city clerk’s office there since 1999 and has been deputy clerk for about 15 years.

There were 135 applicants for the Hoover city clerk’s job, but only 12 fully met the requirements, Hoover Personnel Director Mike Lewis said. Those names were forwarded to the Hoover City Council, and a council committee interviewed five finalists Friday and Monday before deciding to recommend Dickerson, Council President Gene Smith said.

Dickerson stood out because of the wealth of experience she has had in a city clerk’s office, Smith said. It helped that she worked at a city the size of Vestavia Hills, which has an estimated population of about 34,000, he said. Most of the other candidates Hoover interviewed worked at cities with about 5,500 or fewer residents, he said.

And not all of them had the extensive certification and training that Dickerson has, he said.

Dickerson is a certified municipal clerk through the International Institute of Municipal Clerks and has a certificate from the Municipal Clerk Academy at the University of Alabama.

She has an associate’s degree in general business from Jefferson State Community College and certificates in geographic information systems and fundamentals of local planning from the University of North Alabama.

She was certified as an Alabama Planning and Zoning official for the years of 2005-11 and 2013-14 and is the current president of the Jefferson County Municipal Clerks Association.

At Vestavia Hills, Dickerson has assisted with five mayor and council elections, one election about whether to have a city manager, and one special school election. She also has assisted with or led several projects, including the city’s zoning map, school district map, census reports, entertainment districts, annexation studies and growth trend reports.

Smith said Dickerson interviewed well and is very personable. “We’re really excited about her work history, and we believe she’s got a lot to bring to the city of Hoover.”

Councilman Mike Shaw, another member of the interview committee, said he was impressed with Dickerson’s extensive experience with things like elections, planning and zoning, annexations and geographic information systems.

When you combined that with the fact she’s coming from a very similar city, “I think she’s the whole package,” Shaw said. “I couldn’t be happier with this appointment.”

Smith said Dickerson will be only the fifth city clerk in the history of Hoover, and this is the first time the city didn’t already have an heir apparent in the city clerk’s office when the city clerk retired.

In addition to Handley retiring at the end of this month, Hoover’s previous assistant city clerk, Lisa Lindsey, retired at the end of 2018. She was replaced by Cynthia Harris on Jan. 28.

Rebecca Leavings, the city clerk for Vestavia Hills since 2003, said Dickerson has been with her in Vestavia for 20 years and she has mixed emotions about Dickerson leaving Vestavia for Hoover.

“It’s going to be hard to see her go. I’ll be honest,” Leavings said. “She’s been my right hand. Her and I work together so well she could finish my sentences. … It’s going to be a tremendous loss for me.”

But Leavings, who worked as Hoover’s zoning clerk for eight months in 1998, said Hoover is a great city and she is proud of Dickerson for getting the lead city clerk job there.

Dickerson is one of the most friendly people she has ever met, she said. “She smiles all the time. She’s just a really great person.”

Dickerson said she decided to apply for the Hoover job because it’s an opportunity for advancement and she looks forward to getting started. She will officially begin her new duties on April 1.

She and her husband, Brett, have a 14-year-old son, Luke, who is homeschooled through Everest Academy. They live in Tuscaloosa County but are building a house in McCalla.