Photo courtesy of Tanveer Patel
Tanveer Patel is running for Place 1 on the Hoover City Council.
Tanveer Patel, a Hoover resident for more than 20 years and business entrepreneur, has decided to run for a seat on the Hoover City Council.
Patel, who lives in Cahaba River Estates, said she is seeking the Place 1 seat on the City Council currently held by Curt Posey, who said he has not decided yet whether he will run for re-election.
Patel, 55, is originally from India and moved to the United States in 1990. She and her husband first moved to Philadelphia when he was pursuing his doctorate degree in philosophy, she said. They moved around a lot but came to Alabama in 2001 or 2002 and settled in Hoover.
She and her husband raised two boys in Hoover, one of whom graduated from Spain Park High School and one of whom graduated from Hoover High. She’s running for City Council as a way to give back to the community that has given so much to her and her family, she said.
“I love Hoover very, very much, and I believe that together we can continue to make Hoover a better place for everybody,” she said.
Patel has been very involved in the technology sector in business. She cofounded and served as CEO of ConcertIDC, a Birmingham-based custom software development company, and currently is an investor and advisor for that company, a health care technology company, logistics company and artificial intelligence company. Most are based in Birmingham.
She previously served as president of the Birmingham Venture Club and chairman of TechBirmingham and helped launch the Alabama Angel Network, which helps startup companies grow. She is a graduate of Leadership Birmingham, Leadership Hoover, Momentum Leadership for Women and the Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program. The Upstarts Journal recognized Tanveer as one of the 100 most influential thinkers in the nation.
Patel also previously owned a grocery store in Hoover called Spice World. It was shutting down, and she bought it, grew it and later sold it to another family, she said.
One of her key objectives in running for the City Council is to build a stronger business ecosystem in which businesses can thrive in Hoover, she said. She’s particularly interested in helping startup businesses grow, she said.
“Why can’t Hoover be Silicon Valley?” she said. “We have to dream big. We have to be bold. We have to put together a good team. … We can do a lot of things with money, but you have to be able to think creatively to create that wealth and then grow that. … I have the fire in the belly to make that happen.”
Patel, a former member of the FBI Citizens Academy, said she also has a strong appreciation for public safety and wants to make sure the Hoover police and fire departments are fully supported and funded. Keeping Hoover’s school system property funded also is important, including after-school, arts and sports programs, she said. She would like to enhance technology in schools and create more pathways for students to get jobs, she said.
While Hoover’s school system is good, “there’s always room for improvement,” Patel said. “We have to look at everything with a 360-degree view, and then we have to look at what we can do better.”
Patel also said she believes a city should be run like a business and stay within its budget.
In addition to her heavy involvement in business groups, Patel helped cofound the Red Crescent Clinic of Alabama at the Hoover Crescent Islamic Center in 2012. It’s a clinic that provides free health care to people who lack insurance and serves more than 700 people a year, she said. She and her family member volunteer there weekly, and she still serves on the clinic’s board, she said.
Patel said she has a history of working with people from different faith backgrounds. “It is amazing how much in common we have together,” she said.
Another goal in running for City Council is to strengthen the city’s infrastructure to encourage young professionals to build their future in Hoover instead of leaving for places such as Chicago, New York or Seattle.
She wants to be a servant leader and do something for the next generation, she said. “It feeds my soul.”
For more information about Patel, visit her website at tanveer4hoover.com.
Hoover’s city election for mayor and the seven City Council seats is scheduled for Aug. 26. Official qualifying takes place June 10-24. Voters citywide choose all seven council members.
