Gears start turning for Hoover city election: 2020 candidates begin making announcements, discussing issues

City elections for Hoover won’t take place until August, but political winds are already blowing.

Hoover City Council President Gene Smith has announced he is challenging current Mayor Frank Brocato for the mayor’s chair in the Aug. 25 election, and other names are floating around as potential candidates for the mayor’s race as well.

Councilman Mike Shaw said he has heard as many as 17 or 18 names of people who may run for the seven Hoover City Council seats, but he doesn’t expect all of them to actually follow through.

Candidates can’t file with the Hoover city clerk’s office to run until July 7, but they were allowed to start raising money Aug. 25, 2019 — one year prior to the election.

As of Dec. 3, Brocato had raised more than $58,000 in 2019 for his re-election campaign, while Smith had put $15,000 of his own money into his campaign as of Nov. 15, according to campaign finance reports.

Smith came out publicly with his campaign announcement Nov. 20, saying he wanted to go ahead and get his name out there so he could begin raising money. He kicked off his campaign by releasing a video with remarks critical of Brocato, saying things are not as they seem in Hoover.

“Our city debt is about to rise. Our children need more resources, and the current administration does not communicate or work well with the City Council or the leadership of our school district,” Smith said in the video. “When many of us try to ask questions, he calls it grandstanding. Stories are created — a web of lies filled with inconsistencies, absurdities and reasonable doubt. Mr. Brocato must prove his case to us beyond a reasonable doubt that he isn’t hurting our city.”

In an interview, Smith said that to the average person, things in Hoover seem to be going wonderful, “but that’s just a façade.”

Smith said that between now and the election, he will explain how the city is really being run and how it can be run better. A lot of it deals with relationships, he said.

Brocato has gone out of his way to evade relationships with the council, Smith said. Some council members were close to him early in his term, but even some of those have drifted away from him, Smith said.

“We’re tired of being kept in the dark. There are eight elected officials, but he’s acting like there is only one,” Smith said. “He only comes to us when he needs a vote on something. It’s very unfortunate.”

Smith acknowledged he has weekly meetings with the city administrator and city attorney but said City Administrator Allan Rice usually runs those meetings and the mayor is not always there.

“He convinced the city he could do the job. Then he turned around and delegated to someone who is not responsible to the citizens,” Smith said.

BROCATO: READY TO COMPARE RECORDS

Brocato said he won’t officially kick off his campaign until early 2020 but said he does plan to seek re-election.

“I’m excited about running again, and we have so much to be excited about in Hoover,” Brocato said. “Hoover has a world-class education system, nationally recognized safety record, significant job growth and great quality of life.”

Brocato said he stays busy working 50 to 60 hours per week running the city, continuing to improve what the city already has and preparing for the future.

“I look forward to comparing my record with other candidates and sharing my ideas for continuing to move Hoover forward,” he said.

Brocato said his relationship with council members must be pretty good because the council has approved every major initiative he has brought to them.

He sends each of them his calendar every Monday to let them know about events they may want to attend and also each Monday meets with Smith and Council President Pro Tem John Greene to discuss council meeting agendas, legal issues and other issues, he said.

“I share what’s going on with our city regularly with the council,” Brocato said. “I think that’s very, very important to do that. … We have very good discussion and dialogue, as we should. … I want our relationship to be cordial, not contentious.”

The last spirited issue they discussed was the 2020 budget, and it was approved by a 6-1 vote, he said.

SCHOOL SYSTEM RELATIONS

As for Brocato’s relationship with school leaders, Hoover schools Superintendent Kathy Murphy said she and Brocato are in constant communication, getting together to discuss issues, if not every week, every other week or at least once a month.

“I’ve been very excited and very pleased with the responsiveness of Mayor Brocato and our City Council,” Murphy said. “I’m pleased with the level of engagement and level of interest shown by Mayor Brocato.”

School board President Craig Kelley said he was not aware of any issues regarding communication with city leaders.

“We get along extremely well with our city government,” Kelley said. “Our communication and relationship with the City Council and the current administration has always been pleasant, and I don’t look for that to change.”

Brocato said, in addition to meeting with Murphy regularly, he visits the schools regularly and meets with every principal in Hoover’s public schools each year to discuss their needs and how the city can assist them.

As for delegating authority to the city administrator, Brocato said Rice has the same day-to-day role as the city’s former executive director, Allen Pate.

“I’ve assembled an incredible leadership team, and I’ve delegated the authority they need to run their departments,” Brocato said. “One thing I can’t delegate, though, is responsibility. That always falls on me.”

On another issue, Smith said that when a 21-year-old Hueytown man was shot and killed by a Hoover police officer in the Riverchase Galleria on Thanksgiving night 2018, Brocato forced a press conference immediately after the shooting, against the advice of police.

Misstatements were made during that press conference, wrongly identifying the slain man as the person who shot an 18-year-old Birmingham man just moments before. This caused more pain for all the parties involved, Smith said.

Both Brocato and Hoover police Chief Nick Derzis said the mayor did not force any press conference. “I’m not going to be pressured into any press conference,” Derzis said. “We would have done a press conference regardless if the mayor was in town or not.”

Police decided to hold a press conference because there was a major incident at the mall on Thanksgiving night, he said.

Brocato said his comments at the press conference followed those of Capt. Gregg Rector and Derzis and focused on reassuring the community, commending police officers and firefighters who responded to the scene and showing remorse for the loss of life and the injured.

Brocato said he was proud of how the city handled the overall situation and particularly proud of Derzis, his commanders and other police officers.

TAX INCREASES

Smith also said the mayor used fear and consultants to induce the City Council to pass increases in sales taxes, personal property taxes and a $2 nightly room fee for lodging facilities in July of last year “to cover a budget shortfall that never happened.”

Smith was one of four council members who voted in favor of all those tax increases.

Smith said he and some other council members never believed the budget shortfall would actually happen, “but we had to do something just in case.”

The council negotiated and passed a half-cent sales tax increase instead of a full penny on every dollar as a compromise, he said.

The fatal shooting at the Galleria and resulting protests had a negative impact on tax revenues, but Smith said once the city gets a “good, clean 12 months of receipts,” the council may choose to rescind that half-cent increase in the sales tax.

Brocato said his recommendation for tax increases was based upon reports from former City Treasurer Robert Yeager and Chief Financial Officer Melinda Lopez that indicated the city likely would experience a difficult financial future due to waning sales tax revenues. He recommended a study by an outside, non-biased consultant — Porter, White & Co. — and the council agreed to hire that consultant, he said.

The half-penny sales tax increase allowed the city to remain strong and continue providing the quality services residents expect, Brocato said.

Former Hoover Councilman Jody Patterson, who voiced strong objections to the tax increases, said while he still opposes them, he doesn’t think the tax increases will be a big issue in this year’s elections because so many other cities already have increased their total sales taxes to 10 percent. The total sales tax in Hoover is at 9.5 percent in the Jefferson County part of the city and 8.5 percent in the Shelby County part.

SPENDING MONEY

Smith said Brocato intentionally submitted a 2020 budget proposal with deficit spending, “not caring that his spending is more than the revenue the city is projected to receive.”

Brocato’s original 2020 budget proposal included expected general fund revenues of $132.7 million and projected expenditures of $132.2 million, which would allow the city to increase its general fund balance by $500,000 by the end of the fiscal year.

However, the mayor proposed total spending from government funds, including the capital projects and special revenue funds, of $146.4 million while taking in only $140.1 million in revenue for those funds. The mayor also proposed to spend $22.1 million from proprietary funds (such as the sewer and health insurance funds) while taking in only $17.6 million in revenue for those funds.

Melinda Lopez, Hoover’s chief financial officer, said it’s important to maintain a “structurally balanced budget” with the general fund, but expenditures will sometimes exceed revenues in the other funds in certain years as the city uses money saved to take on projects that are more one-time in nature. It’s much like someone saving money to pay cash for a car and having a big expenditure in one year, she said.

In late September, the council passed a budget with $2.2 million less in expenditures than the mayor recommended. Smith was the only City Council member to vote against the budget and said then that it was not so much that he was against the budget as that he wanted more time to study it before giving his approval.

Brocato said his budget proposals have always been presented on time and “structurally balanced” in regard to the general fund. They also have allowed the city to increase its reserve fund by more than $1 million, he said.

CAMPAIGN CIVILITY

Susanne Wright, a former Hoover school board member who lives in the Monte D’Oro neighborhood, said she knows there are frequently struggles between city councils and mayors at election time, but she hopes the campaigns don’t devolve into “sniping, mean ads.”

“This city doesn’t need that kind of thing, but I think it will happen,” she said.

What people care about is how city officials are spending their money, Wright said. Some people may question expenditures such as the $1.6 million purchase of the Hoover-Randle Home or whether city officials are providing enough money for schools, she said.

Another issue likely to come up in the election is whether elected officials are doing enough to protect and redevelop older, established neighborhoods, she said. You can tell a lot about people and whether they respect history by how they treat older people and older communities, she said.

“So far, so good with us,” she said in reference to Monte D’Oro. “I don’t feel our older neighborhood has been left dangling.”

Deer Valley resident Stan Marks agreed that voters will care about how well candidates will protect older communities such as Bluff Park and Green Valley and whether they will make such neighborhoods more walkable and livable with additions such as sidewalks.

Voters also want officials who will recruit more companies in the technology and medical fields and put more funding into the school system, Marks said.

Greystone resident Ruth Cole, a member of the Hoover Library Board, said she, too, thinks residents want to see a “nice, clean, thoughtful election season.” After watching all the testy national politics, when it comes to local elections, people just want to see the facts and nobody lowering themselves to bicker with others, she said.

Residents also will pay attention to see whether current elected officials have fulfilled their campaign promises from four years ago, whether they sufficiently represent every part of the city and whether they have been fiscally responsible, she said.

“I think as a whole, the people think it’s a job well done,” Cole said. “As far as city money goes, they’ve done the best they could with what they had. The residents want a lot, but with city money, it’s just not a pot that’s getting bigger.”

ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD?

Patterson said he’s interested in seeing some changes with the school system. He would like elected officials to push to have school board members elected rather than appointed so school officials can be held more directly accountable.

Hoover High School is no longer on the list of the top 25 high schools in Alabama put out by U.S. News & World Report, he said. He believes a lack of discipline has led to a decline in the classrooms, he said. “I think Hoover schools are in big trouble.”

He also would like council members who will push for the council to be elected in districts rather than at large.

“I think it would be a lot better (for residents) knowing who their council representative is,” Patterson said. “It’s hard to hold seven folks accountable.”

Councilman Derrick Murphy said he thinks voters will look for candidates who will keep the city stable and city services strong. They want city officials who prioritize education, public safety, the economy and city services, such as garbage and roads, he said. Fiscal responsibility also is important, he said.

The good thing is that Hoover residents pay attention, Murphy said. “They don’t wait until election season to determine if their elected leaders are doing a good job.”

Councilman Mike Shaw said some voters may focus on particular issues such as the tax increase vote, the failed effort to bring UAB’s Medical West hospital to Trace Crossings or a particular rezoning vote.

But the bigger concerns will likely be whether current elected officials have managed growth well, worked with the school system and have been open and transparent about what the government is doing. Fundamental things such as trash pickup and road and traffic improvements also tend to weigh heavily on voters’ minds, he said.

Councilman Curt Posey said he thinks support for the arts also will be a factor in the election.

While the City Council has created a Hoover Arts Council and tossed around the idea of building a performing arts center, “We haven’t gotten it done,” Posey said.

In September, the council agreed to spend $15,000 for a feasibility study regarding a performing arts center, but between now and the election, current elected officials are going to have to show they have taken more concrete steps to get it done, Posey said.

Elected officials and candidates will also have to show they are mindful of the eastern part of Hoover, he said. That side of town often complains of feeling like a stepchild that gets neglected.

What do you think are the important issues for the 2020 city election? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.