Photo by Frank Couch
Nick Derzis, the mayor-elect for the city of Hoover talks with departing Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Cornett and Public Works Director Jason Franklin before a Hoover City Council meeting on Aug. 8.
Hoover police Chief Nick Derzis is slated to be sworn in as the new mayor of Hoover on Nov. 3 and he said he’s going to be ready to hit the ground running from day one.
After capturing 56% of the 17,425 votes cast in the mayor’s race on Aug. 26 and taking a brief Labor Day beach getaway to the Florida coast, Derzis quickly announced a 33-member transition team to help him prepare for his new job of leading the state’s sixth largest city.
The transition team includes a wide variety of leaders in the fields of business, education, public safety, law, government, health care, engineering, sports, tourism, marketing and real estate.
The team is focusing on areas such as education and workforce development, public safety, economic growth, infrastructure, fiscal accountability, parks and recreation and quality of life.
Photo courtesy of Nick Derzis transition team
Nick Derzis, the mayor-elect for the city of Hoover poses for a photo with the members of his transition team helping him prepare to take over as mayor of the state's sixth largest city.
“Each member brings expertise, vision and a genuine dedication to our community,” Derzis said. “Together, they reflect the strengths of Hoover — from our schools and neighborhoods to our businesses and civic institutions, and I am confident in their ability to help us prepare for the opportunities ahead.”
The group held its first meeting on Sept. 3, exactly two months before Derzis is scheduled to be sworn in.
The new mayor also will have some key leadership positions to fill. Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Cornett is leaving Hoover on Oct. 1 to become the assistant city manager and finance director in Mountain Brook and Derzis also must find someone to take his place as police chief.
Derzis said he certainly wishes Cornett well in her new role with Mountain Brook and the city of Hoover is taking applications to fill the CFO role. It’s an important job and he’ll be talking with contacts he has about recommendations for a replacement and with people who may be interested, he said.
As for the police chief role, Derzis said he plans to appoint Assistant Chief Norman McDuffey as interim chief while he looks for someone to fill the job permanently. McDuffey is not interested in the permanent role because he’s planning to retire soon, Derzis said.
He’ll be looking for someone who shares his passion and vision for keeping Hoover a safe place to live, work and play, he said.
Derzis has said one of the first things he’s going to do as mayor is to ask for a full forensic audit of city finances. A forensic review of city finances by a national company called Kroll found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance but said some of the past practices of the city’s Finance Department “could have created an opportunity to commit financial fraud.”
The city’s regular auditing firm, Barfield Murphy Shank and Smith, gave the city an “unmodified report” for 2023 and 2024, with Keith Barfield, a principal in the firm, saying “it doesn’t get any better than that.”
But Derzis said, “I’m not going to take over a city this size with the type of budget that we’ve got until we can account for all the money and know exactly where it is.”
Some incoming City Council members also have said they plan to seek a full forensic audit by the Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts.
Photo by Jon Anderson
Hoover police Chief Nick Derzis introduces his mayoral campaign team at an election night party at the Hoover Randle Home and Gardens on Aug. 26.
Throughout his campaign, Derzis repeatedly said the city of Hoover, while still a great city with great people, looks tired and is in need of reinvigoration. The Patton Creek and Riverchase Galleria shopping centers are prime examples and the city needs to work with the owners more aggressively to fill the vacant spots, he said.
One of the tasks of his transition team is to identify opportunities to strengthen the local economy, attract businesses and support existing enterprises.
Two of his transition team members are former leaders of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, Greg Barker and Don Erwin. Another is Alan Paquette, the vice president of property management at Jim Wilson & Associates who oversees The Offices at 3000 Riverchase office tower on the Galleria campus and who is chairman of the Hoover Health Care Authority working on the Riverwalk Village project.
Derzis also wants to create a program called Hoover Forever, which would track alumni from Hoover schools and encourage them to come back to live and work in Hoover.
Another priority of his new administration will be to review the city’s stormwater ordinance and enforcement provisions, he said. One of the first things that upset him and motivated him to run for mayor was the city’s failure to address residents’ problems with stormwater flooding. In some cases, it may have been the city’s actions or the actions of someone else that contributed to the problem or caused it and in such cases, the city needs to take action to protect residents and property owners, he said.
Transparency in government has been another central theme among candidates who ran for office this year. Derzis said he’s tired of seeing residents come to council meetings and be made to look like bad people because they’re asking questions about city government.
“That’s not government for the people, by the people,” Derzis said.
He plans to be very transparent and have more town hall meetings to give people more opportunities to voice their concerns.
Derzis said he knew from the beginning it would be tough to beat current Mayor Frank Brocato, who has been in office for nine years, but credits his great team with getting the job done.
Brocato said he wishes Derzis well and will work with him in the transition to a new administration and make sure Hoover continues to move forward in a great way.
Derzis said he also looks forward to working with a new City Council. There will be three new council members in November. John Lyda, Curt Posey and Sam Swiney decided not to run for re-election.
Derzis said he has a talent for building relationships to get things done. “We’re going to come together as one council, one mayor, one city focused on three things — strength, purpose and unity.”
