New city lobbyist Beth Chapman brings wealth of connections

The city of Hoover has some new eyes and ears in Montgomery and Washington, D.C.

The City Council has hired former Alabama Secretary of State Beth Chapman as a lobbyist for the city. Her job is to represent the city on issues in state and federal government that impact Hoover.

Council President Gene Smith said the council and mayor had plenty of lobbyists to choose from but were looking for someone who is very invested in the city of Hoover.

“We wanted somebody who is going to wake up thinking about Hoover and go to bed thinking about Hoover,” Smith said.

Chapman, a Hoover resident, fit that bill well, he said.

Plus, she has a wealth of experience in state government and relationships that should serve the city well, he said.

Chapman served four years as state auditor from 2002-06 and was twice elected as secretary of state in 2006 and 2010. She resigned in August 2013 with more than a year left in her term to begin work in government and public relations.

As secretary of state, Chapman was close to a large number of legislators from both the Senate and House of Representatives, Smith said. “And she has a great relationship with the governor. That always helps,” he said.

Prior to serving as state auditor, Chapman served as the state executive director for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, appointments secretary for former Gov. Fob James and press secretary for former Lt. Gov. Steve Windom.

She also has relationships with Alabama’s representatives in Congress and spent some time in the District of Columbia as secretary of state, she said. She was president of the National Association of Secretaries of State.

Many of the lobbyist candidates whom Hoover officials considered wanted to work either in Washington or Montgomery, but not both, Smith said. Chapman was the only one willing to do both and did not ask for additional expenses because of the dual role, he said.

Chapman will be paid $77,400 per year.

“I just think, in my mind, she was the entire package,” Smith said.

Mayor Frank Brocato said he tried to stay out of the lobbyist selection process and deferred to Smith’s judgment because of his past experience in dealing with lobbyists. However, he supported Chapman as the choice, he said.

“I think Beth was a good fit for our community,” Brocato said. “She’s a Hoover citizen. She’s just got an incredible amount of respect throughout the state. Her experience is phenomenal.”

Brocato said the city needs a lobbyist to help the city get money allocated for road projects, such as the new Interstate 459 interchange the city wants to get built just south of South Shades Crest Road.

Also, the mayor is interested in Hoover getting its own zip code. Right now, the city is suffering in a lot of ways because it doesn’t have a zip code with the city’s name attached to it, Brocato said.

Officially, most of the zip codes in the city limits of Hoover (35216, 35226, 35242, 35243 and 25244) list Birmingham as the city associated with that zip code. Other zip codes in the Hoover city limits are associated with Bessemer (35022), Helena (35080) and Pelham (35124).

But none of them are considered Hoover zip codes. Brocato said he is concerned the city may lose out on some revenue from online sales because of that, even though the city’s Revenue Department does audit Birmingham’s Revenue Department to combat that.

Chapman also may be able to help the city as it works with other municipalities to address the loss of municipal revenue due to internet sales, Brocato said.

Smith also thinks Chapman can help the city obtain more grants through agencies such as the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.

Chapman said she considers it an honor to represent Hoover and looks forward to helping the city progress. It’s one thing to represent a client and another to push for things that impact your friends and neighbors, she said.

“I think my heart’s really in it,” Chapman said. “Hoover has a lot of growth, and with growth comes issues that need to be addressed. … We are the sixth largest city in the state, and we need to have someone at the table in Montgomery. I think it’s good insurance for the city of Hoover.”