Ross Bridge resident Casey Middlebrooks running for Hoover City Council

Ross Bridge resident Casey Middlebrooks has announced he is seeking a seat on the Hoover City Council this year.

Middlebrooks, a librarian at Spain Park High School, said he is running because he believes city officials have failed to provide adequate financial support for the city’s school system.

“I believe we need more support for education, and I believe our current leadership is not going to provide the support needed,” Middlebrooks said on his campaign Facebook page. “The school system has been able to continue to thrive despite running a deficit but will soon have to start severely cutting back. I worry these cuts will increase class sizes, cut down on some of the academy classes offered, cut extracurricular activities, and negatively impact fine arts. These things matter, and I would not limit our children’s education opportunities for the sake of a new sports complex or other such less important matters.”

Middlebrooks said he still would support Hoover’s Parks and Recreation Department, “but if I have to choose between finances to support one or (the) other, I will choose to support our schools.” He also would choose to continue to support Hoover’s top-notch fire and police departments, he said.

“I appreciate the job our city leaders have done,” Middlebrooks said. “I only know a few personally, but I believe they are all good people with good intentions. I have been critical of their policy decisions, but I do not question their personal character. We simply have different opinions on what the city's priorities should be. I believe our top priority is to restore adequate funding to our schools.”

Middlebrooks is running for Place 6 on the council — a spot now held by longtime Councilman Brian Skelton. Skelton has said he is not sure if he is running for re-election. Inverness hotel manager Jason DeLuca also is running for Place 6.

Middlebrooks, 38, grew up in Eclectic in Elmore County and graduated from Elmore County High School. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in justice sciences, with an emphasis on forensic science, from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

He worked as a clerk at the Hoover Public Library from 1996 to 2007 and was named the city of Hoover’s 1998-99 Employee of the Year. Middlebrooks went on to get his master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Alabama and a doctorate in leadership in educational administration from Capella University.

He took a job as librarian at Midfield High School in 2007 and has been a librarian at Spain Park High School since 2010.

He and his wife, Ebru, have been married since 2005 and have twin boys who are 7 years old, attending Rocky Ridge Elementary School.

Middlebrooks has done work with the Lakeshore Foundation, Special Equestrians program at Indian Springs School and an organization founded by his parents called Alabama Childhood Food Solutions, which helps provide food for children in Shelby, Coosa and Talladega counties.

Hoover election for mayor and seven City Council seats is scheduled for Aug. 23.

For more information about Middlebrooks’ campaign, go to his campaign Facebook page at facebook.com/voteforourschools.