Hoover school board President Derrick Murphy to run for City Council seat

Hoover school board President Derrick Murphy said this morning he is running for a seat on the Hoover City Council this year.

Murphy, whose five-year term on the school board ends in May, will put his name in the hat for one of the seven seats on the council when voters go to the polls in August.

“Ensuring excellent schools, maintaining our standard of excellence with regard to public safety, and keeping Hoover’s momentum with smart, sustainable growth will be my priorities as Hoover city councilman,” Murphy said in a written news release.

“Hoover’s growing population and business expansion are indicators of a healthy, thriving city,” he said. “With that growth, I will make a commitment to regularly communicate with our school district, our planning and zoning board and our community to develop strategies that meet the needs of today without compromising the quality of life for future generations.”

Murphy also said he would like to work toward the creation of a citywide performing arts facility to provide a large venue for live theater, musical performances, school productions and more.

Murphy said he plans to run for Council Place 5, currently held by 20-year Councilman Jack Wright. Wright is not seeking re-election. The other candidate for Place 5 is Dan Ellis.

Murphy, 35, grew up in Birmingham and attended schools in the Birmingham system through the eighth grade and then Holy Cristo Rey Catholic High School in Ensley. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in engineering, focusing on construction management. Both degrees were from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

He was employed by the Birmingham Water Works Board from 2002 until June 2015, when he took a job as a client services and project manager for the Gresham Smith & Partners engineering firm.

He and his wife, Shenavia, moved their family to Hoover in 2005. They have three children – a son who is a senior at Hoover High, a daughter who is a third-grader at Deer Valley Elementary and a 3-year-old son. They live in the Ross Bridge community and are members at Hunter Street Baptist Church.

This past summer, Murphy organized the Hoover City Dad Brigade, which brought several hundred men together to help Hoover schools spruce up and get prepared for the new school year.

Hoover’s election for mayor and City Council seats is scheduled for Aug. 23.

For more information about Murphy’s campaign, go to his campaign website at derrickmurphy.com, or follow him on Facebook at facebook.com/derrickmmurphy, on Twitter at D_Murphy2016 or Instagram at d_murphy2016.

This article was updated on July 13 to indicate which council seat Murphy is seeking after he made that announcement and on July 19 to indicate that Jack Wright is not seeking re-election and that Dan Ellis qualified to run for Place 5.