Hoover Mayor Derzis stresses public safety, economic development in 1st state-of-the-city address

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Hoover Mayor Nick Derzis delivers his first state-of-the-city address during a Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026.

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Hoover Mayor Nick Derzis, right, talks with Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens, left, and BJ Ellis, CEO of the Telegraph marketing agency, center, at the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026.

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Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens introduces Hoover Mayor Nick Derzis at the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026.

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Hoover Mayor Nick Derzis greets guests prior to giving his state-of-the-city address at the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026.

New Hoover Mayor Nick Derzis in his first state-of-the-city address on Thursday said he’s already started delivering on campaign promises in his first 80 days and pledged to continue to strengthen public safety and drive economic development as top priorities.

His remarks came in a luncheon address to about 350 people at the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting at the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa.

Derzis said one of his first priorities once he was sworn in as mayor on Nov. 3 was to make sure he had the right people in leadership positions to help move the city forward.

He referenced new hires such as City Administrator Brian Muenger, City Engineer Scott Promer and police Chief Clay Morris and noted the repositioning of former City Administrator Ken Grimes into the role of economic development director and his decision to bring former Chief Financial Officer Melinda Lopez back as interim CFO while a search is made for a new one. Derzis also saluted work done by fire Chief Clay Bentley and longtime 911 Director Linda Moore and their teams.

BOLSTERING PUBLIC SAFETY

Another key early action was to work with the new City Council to restore funding for Hoover’s police and fire departments, which he said had their budgets cut by at least 10% by the previous administration and previous City Council.

“A safe city is the foundation upon which everything else is built — economic development, neighborhood stability and quality of life,” Derzis said. “Public safety is not an expense. It’s an investment.”

Derzis proposed — and the City Council in December approved — spending $2 million to buy 27 new vehicles for the Hoover Police Department. The council also in December approved a 2026 operating budget that provides for seven new firefighters and paramedics, three new police officers and an additional court magistrate.

The new Fire Department personnel will help address a staffing and transportation issue, Derzis said. Due to staffing shortages, the fire stations at Greystone Legacy and Ross Bridge were having to temporarily close because personnel were busy taking patients to hospitals, he said. “That’s insane — unacceptable,” Derzis said. “That’s a life and safety issue.”

It will take a little time to get people hired, but soon, the city won’t have those issues any longer, he said.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

On the economic development front, Derzis once again focused on the need to revitalize the Riverchase Galleria campus and Patton Creek shopping center.

“The status quo there at two prime locations is just unacceptable,” Derzis said.

Both of those properties have been in a state of decline and are not functioning as they should, he said. Some people say retail is dead, but it’s not, Derzis said, noting that it’s often hard to get a parking place just up the road at The Summit.

More than 100,000 vehicles pass by the Riverchase Galleria and Patton Creek every day, Derzis said. The properties have easy access to the north, south, east and west, the median income of Hoover has been increasing year after year, and Hoover is one of the safest communities in the country among those with about 100,000 people, he said.

“There’s absolutely no reason both of these properties cannot be a retail destination,” Derzis said. “We want to restore Hoover to be the premier retail destination as we were years ago.”

The day after he was elected, he was on the phone with owners of the Riverchase Galleria campus and Patton Creek and let them know they need to partner with the city to achieve what is possible or be willing to sell to other owners who will, he said.

“We’re not going to accept putting lipstick on a pig,” Derzis said.

Progress can be slow , but since day one, there is not a week that goes by that either himself or a member of his team is not on the phone with those owners pushing them for progress, he said.

“Failure is not an option,” Derzis said. “We’re not going to accept the decline of Patton Creek and the Galleria. We deserve better than to watch the slow erosion of our most visible commercial site in the city. We’ll pursue real reinvestment and reimagination.”

Derzis said he and his leadership team will be working hand in hand with both small businesses and major employers to create jobs, drive innovation and invest in the future of the city, he said. Hoover is open for business and will be responsive to others who invest in the city, he said.

Some projects on the immediate horizon include a Cooper’s Hawk winery and restaurant that will be located in the second phase of The Village at Brock’s Gap, which should set the stage for elevated retail and dining concepts in that area, Derzis said. The average restaurant for that Chicago-based chain does $12 million a year in business, according to zippia.com.

Also, Sierra, a retail store owned by TJ Maxx that sells discounted outdoor apparel, equipment and home goods, including merchandise related to hiking, camping, watersports, running, skiing and other snow activities, is slated to open in a 22,000-square-foot space next to Trader Joe’s in the Riverchase Crossing shopping center at the corner of the southern intersection of Lorna Road and U.S. 31. The space was part of the former Bed, Bath and Beyond store that was in that shopping center.

There’s also a new Einstein Bagels shop slated to open along U.S. 31 next to the Thompson Frame Factory.

The city also is pleased to see the Hoover Health Care Authority get final state approval to operate an outpatient surgery center at the Riverwalk Village development on what had been known as the Regions Bank campus in Riverchase. City officials hope this will accelerate buildout of that campus as a health and wellness center and further expand health care for residents in the area, he said.

FULFILLING PROMISES

Derzis said he and the new City Council also are making good on past promises made by the city.

For example, several years ago, the city enacted fees on home builders that were supposed to go to the Hoover school system for every new home built, but instead of raising the amount given to the schools, the city just counted the front door fees as part of the money the city already was giving to the school system, Derzis said. Recent changes by the new mayor and council will allocate 100% of front door fees to the school system, resulting in an additional $850,000 a year to the school system, he said.

He also worked with the new City Council to right a wrong related to a $2-per-night hotel room fee that was enacted in 2019, he said. Hoteliers were promised then that the revenue from that fee would be used to promote tourism in the city, but that hasn’t happened, Derzis said. He and the new City Council now are putting 100% of that money into marketing the city, he said.

Additionally, Derzis said he worked with the new City Council to join a lawsuit filed by the city of Tuscaloosa against the state regarding how the state redistributes money collected from online sales taxes.

Hoover is getting shortchanged in the amount it should get because of the formula the state uses to distribute the money, Derzis said. This is costing Hoover at least $10 million a year, he said. “Imagine what we could do with $10 million,” he said, citing a need to upgrade city parks and provide more money for schools.

The mayor said he and his leadership team also are working to rebuild trust in how the city handles its finances. The city will be transparent in its financial operations and responsible stewards of taxpayer money, he said.

Derzis said he is bringing to the mayor’s office the same values, work ethic and push for excellence that he believed he had in his 20 years as police chief and 40 years in the Police Department.

“I learned early on that leadership is not about titles. It’s about responsibility,” he said. “It’s about showing up. It’s about doing the right thing even when doing the right thing sometimes is a little hard.”

Derzis said he intends to demonstrate leadership and accountability and serve the people of Hoover with integrity and excellence.

“When I say excellence, I’m not talking about just perfection,” Derzis said. “Standards, clear expectations, measured performance and a culture that doesn’t accept good enough when we, the people of Hoover, deserve better.”

He also realizes it will take teamwork and partnerships to make Hoover what it needs to be, he said. That includes working collaboratively with the City Council and developing partnerships with other officials at the city, county, state and federal level, as well as the business community, faith community, nonprofits, schools and engaged community members, he said.

COMMUNITY EXCELLENCE

He took time during Thursday’s luncheon to recognize several people in the community whom he said have accomplished great things and made Hoover proud. Those people included:

  • Dwight and Sandy Sandlin, who in recent months established the Sandlin Foundation for Kids & Kindness, which already has raised about $1.5 million and distributed or committed almost $750,000 to 10 nonprofits that serve the Hoover community.
  • David Cohen, the owner of The Whole Scoop and founder of the Hoover Restaurant Alliance who spearheaded an initiative for the city to partner with Jefferson State Community College to offer free customer service classes for Hoover city employees and people in the restaurant, hotel, retail and transportation sectors to strengthen the quality of service being offered in Hoover.
  • Myles Morgan, a country singer from Hoover who has opened for stars such as Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Riley Green and Muscadine Bloodline and appeared at festivals such as CMA Fest in Nashville, Carolina Country Music Festival in Myrtle Beach and Barefoot Country Music Fest in Wildwood, N.J.
  • Reese Gonzalez, an eighth grader at Bumpus Middle School who won the Alabama High School Athletic Association 7A girls high school cross-country championship in November, upsetting a three-time state champion from Auburn.
  • Bruce and CheChe Ayers, who together with other family members have run Hoover’s Stardome Comedy Club for 42 years, offering entertainment and happy memories for the people of Hoover and Alabama. Bruce Ayers this month announced he has sold the club to Helium Comedy, a national comedy brand that operates clubs across the country.
  • Chris Richards, a Hoover native named the 2025 U.S. soccer male player of the year. Richards is a member of the U.S. Men’s National Team and plays for the Crystal Palace club team in the Premier League in England.

Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens, who introduced Derzis, said he’s an educated, experienced, respected and dedicated leader who cares deeply about people and strengthening the community. He believes Derzis was an excellent choice for mayor of Hoover, he said.