Mayor Frank Brocato
In 1973, I walked into the Hoover Volunteer Fire Department, hoping one day to earn a job as a firefighter. Little did I know I had just stepped into a small department serving a young, newly incorporated city.
For the next 42 years, I had the honor of working for the Hoover Fire Department. In 1974, I was chosen to attend the second paramedic class in Birmingham, becoming Hoover’s very first paramedic. As the city grew, I had the privilege of growing alongside it. Whenever Hoover annexed a new area, fire Chief Tom Bradley often called on me to help find a spot for a temporary fire station. A handful of us were truly on the ground floor of shaping a new city — and along the way, I even had the joy of delivering a few babies.
In 2015, I retired from the Fire Department after more than four decades of service. Soon after, I ran for mayor, and in November 2016, I was elected. For the past nine years, I have had the great honor of serving as your mayor. It has been the hardest job I’ve ever had — but also the most rewarding. We faced real challenges — social unrest, the uncertainty of COVID-19 and the pressures of a changing economy. Yet through it all, Hoover’s resilience carried us forward.
Today, as I prepare to step aside, I am proud of the city we leave behind. Our reserves have grown from $30 million to nearly $90 million. Our schools rank among the best in Alabama. Both our police and fire departments are nationally accredited, with our Fire Department earning a Class 1 rating. We open a new business nearly every nine days.
Highway 280 has become a thriving high-tech corridor. A new interchange at I-459 and Shades Crest Road is on the way. We revitalized the Hoover Met, secured the SEC Baseball Tournament and built a $90 million sports tourism industry that has put Hoover on the map nationwide.
Just recently, U.S. News & World Report named Hoover the top city in Alabama and the 25th-best city in the country.
From firefighter to mayor, I have been blessed with two incredible opportunities to serve. Thank you, Hoover, for entrusting me with them. The city has blessed the Brocato family in more ways than we can count, and for that, we are forever grateful.
