Hoover Mayor Gary Ivey says he will seek re-election in 2016

Hoover Mayor Gary Ivey today said he is “absolutely” going to run for re-election in 2016.

“I’ve enjoyed serving and would like to continue to serve,” said Ivey, the 60-year-old president and CEO of Crest Cadillac. “I’m looking forward to it if the citizens want me to.”

Ivey, a resident of the Riverchase community, has been mayor of Alabama’s sixth largest city since Sept. 30, 2011, when he was appointed by the City Council to replace Tony Petelos, who took a job as Jefferson County’s first professional county manager.

Ivey first was elected to the Hoover City Council and chosen as its president in 2004. He was re-elected to the council without opposition in 2008. Ivey also was unopposed for the mayor’s job in 2012.

In his four years as mayor, Ivey said he’s proud of the fact that Hoover was named by the 24/7 Wall Street website last year as one of the top 30 cities in the United States in which to live.

He’s also proud of the city maintaining a balanced budget and city leaders getting along with each other so well, he said.

“I just think we’ve made a lot of progress and want to continue to do so,” Ivey said. “Everybody works well together, and I’ve enjoyed serving.”

In addition to his years as an elected official, Ivey served on Hoover’s Planning and Zoning Commission for eight years. He is a trustee at Church of the Highlands and served on the board of SafeHouse of Shelby County, a service center for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, for 12 years. He is married and has two adult daughters.

Most municipalities in the state have elections scheduled for Aug. 23. So far, no one has announced publicly to run against Ivey.