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A Bit of History (Read 87881 times)
HSCIN
Ex Member
Re: A Bit of History
Reply #60 - 05/02/08 at 11:21pm  
Birmingham News (AL){PUBLICATION2}
LAWLEY WOULD USE BUSINESS SKILLS TO SOLVE CITY'S PROBLEMS  
 
July 28, 2004  
Section: Neighborhoods  
Page: 6-H  
   TROY GOODMAN News staff writer  
Preston Lawley said he prides himself on doing good business.  
 
 
 
Now in semi-retirement, Lawley said he earned his money as the founder and chairman of Event Solutions International. The company earned $47 million last year helping automakers - import and domestic - plan and host automotive and promotional events, he said.
 
 
Lawley, 59, of Trace Crossings, is running for Place 1 on the Hoover City Council.
 
 
If elected, he said he expects to apply his entrepreneurial skills to problem-solving at city hall. He has already begun brainstorming on how to make building permits easier to obtain, he said. He also thinks a lot about opening lines of communications between the council and police, fire, public works and other departments.
 
 
A staunch supporter of Mayor Barbara McCollum's re-election bid, Lawley and his wife Pat, regularly attend the twicemonthly City Council meetings. He said he wants the next council to work more closely with each other and the mayor to stop the current arguing and backbiting.
 
 
"If I get elected, I promise to host a cookout at my house for the new council. I want to get to know them personally before we tackle any issues," Lawley said.
 
 
He believes in development that protects and promotes Hoover's portion of the Cahaba River.
 
 
Also, Lawley said he is proud of his membership in the nonprofit Concerned Citizens for the Protection of Hoover. The group is known for convincing the developer of the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Alabama 150 to add architectural enhancements and leave a wide tree and hill buffer between its store and nearby homes.
 
 
"We have some of the best stores in the country, old and new," Lawley said. His message to developers and retailers as a Hoover council member would be: "Follow the rules if you want to come into the city."
 
 
A former auto-body repairman, Lawley has lived in Hoover 30 years and keeps a collection of vintage autos. He enjoys golf, traveling and caring for his miniature schnauzer, Rocky.  
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HSCIN
Ex Member
Re: A Bit of History
Reply #61 - 05/02/08 at 11:21pm  
Birmingham News (AL){PUBLICATION2}
LOVE OF POLITICS MOVED LAWYER GRAY TO SEEK POST  
 
July 28, 2004  
Section: Neighborhoods  
Page: 7-H  
   TROY GOODMAN News staff writer  
A longtime aspiration for political life has moved Ken Gray to do many things over the years.  
 
 
 
For college, Gray traveled hundreds of miles south of his home in New York to attend The Catholic University of America near Washington, D.C.
 
 
"I love politics and I wanted to be there," he said, noting that he gave up cheaper, in-state tuition rates.
 
 
Now the Riverchase-based attorney is running for municipal office. Gray, 32, is a candidate for Place 2 on the Hoover City Council.
 
 
An employment-law specialist in Hoover City Attorney Steve Griffin's law firm, Gray said he supports Mayor Barbara McCollum's re-election campaign. His brother, Bret Gray, also works for Griffin and is McCollum's campaign treasurer.
 
 
"I think it's time for someone to step up who will actually listen to their (residents') concerns and be straight forward with them," he said. He pointed a critical finger at the mayor's opponents on the council, Council President Bob Austin and Councilmen Jody Patterson and Jack Wright.
 
 
Austin and Wright are running for re-election. Patterson is running against McCollum for mayor.
 
 
Gray is campaigning on a pledge to boost council involvement in police, fire and publicworks issues that directly affect residents.
 
 
In other words, if residents see a flooding problem, Gray wants city crews to know about it earlier rather than later. He sees council representation as a way to improve and speed communications.
 
 
Although the council does not vote in school board issues, Gray said Hoover's elected leaders can suggest moving toward the smaller, neighborhoodschool concept as a way to deal with student overpopulation.
 
 
Another campaign pledge: mend the now-frequent bicker ing between members of the Hoover Council and the mayor.
 
 
Gray's wife, Elsy, is expecting their first child in three months. He earned his undergraduate degree in political science and went on to graduate from Birmingham School of Law in 1998.
 
 
He is president of the Hoover Beautification Board and a member of the city's False Alarm Ordinance Advisory Board.  
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HSCIN
Ex Member
Re: A Bit of History
Reply #62 - 05/02/08 at 11:22pm  
Birmingham News (AL){PUBLICATION2}
EX-FIREFIGHTER SEEKS COUNCIL SEAT WITH EYE ON REGAINING PUBLIC TRUST  
 
July 28, 2004  
Section: Neighborhoods  
Page: 9-H  
   JEREMY GRAY News staff writer  
Retired firefighter Gene Smith says whoever is elected to Place 2 of the Hoover City Council will have to regain the trust of the public.  
 
 
 
"The current administration is not telling the complete story" when it comes to city finances, he said.
 
 
Smith, 47, retired as a captain from the Hoover Fire Department in 1993. He said city employees have told him that Mayor Barbara McCollum informed them last year there would be "no new hires for five years," although there has been no official hiring freeze.
 
 
"She's telling the public one thing and city employees another," he said.
 
 
McCollum responded that she has never told employees or the public that there was a hiring freeze.
 
 
Smith, a Hoover resident for 36 years, is now president of the Pelham-based bookkeeping firm, First Southern Services Inc.
 
 
He is a founding member of the board of directors of the Bluff Park Neighborhood Association and served five years on Hoover's Planning and Zoning Commission.
 
 
Smith is a father of three who graduated from Berry High School. He said he would seek to learn "the true fiscal standing of the city."
 
 
Finances should be managed in a way that allows the city to hire more police officers and firefighters, he said.
 
 
"Public safety is like a rubber band. When that band breaks, either someone who works for the city or someone from the public" could be hurt, he said.
 
 
Smith ran for the Place 5 council seat in 2000, but said he believed Jack Wright, who won that race, has done a better job than he could have.
 
 
Smith said he never regretted losing, but the publicized acrimony among council members and the mayor spurred him to make a second run.
 
 
Smith said there is not enough communication between council members, city employees or residents.
 
 
"I'd like to bridge the neighborhood gaps where you don't have neighborhoods fighting neighborhoods. We need to find ways for neighborhoods to feel like part of the whole."
 
 
Smith said the citizens of Hoover have lost trust in their elected officials who must earn back their respect.  
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HSCIN
Ex Member
Re: A Bit of History
Reply #63 - 05/02/08 at 11:23pm  
Birmingham News (AL){PUBLICATION2}
PHYSICIAN WANTS TO SEE CITY SPEND BASED ON ACTUAL REVENUE  
 
July 28, 2004  
Section: Neighborhoods  
Page: 5-H  
   TROY GOODMAN News staff writer  
Imagine this scenario: You have lived in three separate Hoover neighborhoods for a combined 28 years. Your children went to school here and your medical practice is located on Patton Chapel Road, near City Hall.  
 
 
 
An election year comes along, and a group of politically active friends asks you to start a campaign to help influence budgetary and zoning decisions. What do you do? Physician Trey Lott found himself in that situation this year. He's now a candidate for Place 1 on the Hoover City Council.
 
 
"I decided to qualify because I love Hoover," Lott said. "I know it's a cliche, but it really is the way I feel. I love this town."
 
 
Lott said he would like to see the city get away from borrowing money to pay for unneeded projects and move toward spending based on actual, not projected, revenue.
 
 
"I think we have to have a budget that's based on actual collections, and that is a great place to start. We don't do that now," Lott said.
 
 
He also wants to push for more public involvement in economic decisions, school-board issues and ways to deal with the ongoing problem of day laborers who gather along Lorna Road and Municipal Drive.
 
 
Lott said if elected, he wants to see impact statements before any annexations or major residential developments take place.
 
 
"You have got to know what our cost of police and fire protection and school construction is going to be before you get into it," he said.
 
 
Lott, 49, owns Lott Pain Relief Inc. He said he is one of a small number of northern Alabama back-pain doctors who has earned a full medical degree.
 
 
He is married with three children and has lived in Greystone for two years. Before that, he lived in the Monte D'Oro and Trace Crossings neighborhoods.  
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HSCIN
Ex Member
Re: A Bit of History
Reply #64 - 05/02/08 at 11:23pm  
Birmingham News (AL){PUBLICATION2}
COLEY WANTS PARENTS, OTHERS TO FIND COMMON ANSWERS  
 
July 28, 2004  
Section: Neighborhoods  
Page: 6-H  
   TROY GOODMAN News staff writer  
Darnell Coley wants Hoover City Schools to consider the neighborhood-school concept.  
 
 
 
She doesn't see how the current massive, crowded buildings can guarantee low studentteacher ratios or reduce busing times from distant neighborhoods.
 
 
Instead, she thinks the school board and the City Council ought to convene panels with parents, teachers and other experts to talk about growth issues and come up with alternatives. Coley is a candidate for Place 2 on the Hoover City Council.
 
 
If elected, "I definitely want to use parents and use task forces to resolve those issues," she said.
 
 
Coley, 33, is an adjunct professor at Miles Law School in Fairfield who specializes in ethics and employment law.
 
 
She is campaigning on the idea of serving as a liaison between the council and area pastors and preachers, whom she wants to set up meetings with monthly or quarterly to help resolve problems or identify community needs.
 
 
"Church leaders are civic leaders," she said.
 
 
Coley also vows to push for construction of another senior citizens' center and fire stations in southwest Hoover and Greystone on U.S. 280.
 
 
When she ponders the idea of smart growth under a $76.5 million city budget, Coley said, "I think about the importance of long-range planning and comparative studies of other cities of similar size."
 
 
A single mother of one, Coley said she moved to Hoover seven years ago from Montgomery after clerking for Judge Sue Bell Cobb on the state Court of Criminal Appeals. Before joining Miles Law School, she worked in a private firm and as staff counsel for the University of Alabama and the Birmingham school system.
 
 
Coley said her mother, Gwen Coley, taught her the importance of holding municipal office and striving to inject civility into public debate. The elder Coley is currently running for a third term on the Alexander City Council.
 
 
As the lone black candidate in the council contest, Coley said she is proud of her race, but not interested in making it a campaign issue.  
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HSCIN
Ex Member
Re: A Bit of History
Reply #65 - 05/02/08 at 11:26pm  
Birmingham News (AL){PUBLICATION2}
THE BUZZ  
 
July 28, 2004  
Section: Neighborhoods  
Page: 4-H  
Grays making The family of Ken and Bret Gray may have a growing foothold in Hoover.  
 
 
 
Recent news that one of three candidates for the Hoover school superintendent job is Kenneth Gray has set some tongues a flutter.
 
 
Hoover Beautification Board President Ken Gray said the candidate is his father, a retired superintendent from Livingston Manor, N.Y. The younger Griffin smiled recently at the news, and said, "my parents want to be closer to their family here." [The Board of Education conducted an abbreviated search for a Superintendent when Dr. Jack Farr retired due to health reasons.  The search netted three candidates, including Dr. Connie Williams.  The Board cut off the search prematurely when it hired Dr. Connie Williams, then Deputy and Acting Superintendent, to replace Dr. Farr as Superintendent.  The public never met the other two candidates.]
 
 
As of last week, interviews had not begun for the Hoover superintendent post.
 
 
Ken Gray works in Hoover City Attorney Steve Griffin's law firm, along with his brother, Bret Gray. Ken Gray is running for Place 2 on the Hoover City Council and working with his brother on Mayor Barbara McCollum's re-election campaign. Bret Gray is treasurer for the McCollum campaign.
 
 
None of these upstate New York natives are any relation to Place 6 council candidate Russell Gray, a Hoover-based mort gage broker. Troy Goodman  
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HSCIN
Ex Member
Re: A Bit of History
Reply #66 - 05/02/08 at 11:26pm  
Birmingham News (AL){PUBLICATION2}
CANDIDATE FOR HOOVER COUNCIL SEAT SAYS PLAN FOR CITY'S FUTURE GROWTH  
 
July 28, 2004  
Section: Neighborhoods  
Page: 8-H  
   JEREMY GRAY News staff writer  
P. Robert Mosca, a candidate for Place 2 on the Hoover City Council, said he believes the city must do a better job of planning for future growth.  
 
 
 
"Hoover may one day be the largest city in the state," Mosca said.
 
 
"There needs to be bigger concern for the next five, 10 and 20 years of development."
 
 
Mosca, 29, the president of Trovata Digital Media, said Hoover is large enough now to merit having its own in-house legal department.
 
 
He considers retaining Steve Griffin as Hoover's city attorney a bad fiscal decision, regardless of whether Griffin has done a good job of representing the city Hoover.
 
 
"It makes me wonder if they're becoming lax with spending taxpayers' money in other areas," he said.
 
 
Mosca, who goes by the name Bobby, also questioned the decision to open a new public safety center while some police officers will still use older city facilities.
 
 
"You still have a group of men and women who are still in the old movie theater," he said, referring to the police operations center on Lorna Road.
 
 
Mosca described the center as "leaky and smelly" and said it "doesn't do much for morale."
 
 
He also wants to see the city hire more police officers.
 
 
"Some resources need to be shuffled to find officers who speak Spanish or to teach officers to speak Spanish," he said.
 
 
Mosca, a bachelor, has a political science degree from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., would like to see Hoover open a second senior citizens center.
 
 
Mosca said there also needs to be more civility among Hoover's elected leaders.
 
 
"Things have gotten very heated in city council meetings and work sessions. It's becoming very personal and it doesn't have to be," he said.
 
 
"People need to sit down and really work things out and make sure everybody is being represented."
 
 
Mosca has served three years on the American Association for Children and 10 years on the board of the Alabama Veterans Memorial Foundation where his father, Bob Mosca, is executive director.  
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HSCIN
Ex Member
Re: A Bit of History
Reply #67 - 05/02/08 at 11:27pm  
Birmingham News (AL){PUBLICATION2}
TWO LATE ENTRANTS PUSH HOOVER MAYORAL SLATE TO SIX  
 
July 22, 2004  
Section: News  
Page: 2-A  
   TROY GOODMAN News staff writer  
Two late-comers to Hoover's mayoral race have brought the candidate list to six.  
 
 
 
Stephen Bryant and Walter Mims qualified this week. They join Tony Petelos, Bob Lochamy and Hoover Councilman Jody Patterson as challengers to the incumbent, Mayor Barbara McCollum.
 
 
Tuesday was the deadline for candidates to qualify for the Aug. 24 municipal elections.
 
 
Mims, 59, said he waited until the last few days to launch his campaign because he wanted to clear some time from his business calendar before the election. A private business consul tant, he also serves as a franchise and restaurant broker.
 
 
Bryant, 33, said his work as a Christian science-fiction writer and a rock-truck driver have kept him from hitting the campaign trail before this week. The single father of two said Wednesday he plans to start meeting with voters to talk about the issues.
 
 
Mims said he has sought elected office once before, in 1984, in a failed bid to join the Hoover City Council.
 
 
For the current mayor's race, Mims is running on a pro-business platform. If elected, he said, he wants to establish a Hoover entrepreneurial zone and push for a small-business council that could demystify the start-up process.
 
 
Bryant said he has never run for public office, but he believes his eye for perfection mixed with a sense of creativity would serve him well in the mayor's office.
 
 
If elected, Bryant said, he would work to mend the acrimonious relationship between the City Council and the mayor's office. He also wants better budgeting so that city employees and road repairs take precedence over expensive capital projects.  
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HSCIN
Ex Member
Re: A Bit of History
Reply #68 - 05/02/08 at 11:28pm  
Birmingham News (AL){PUBLICATION2}
THE NEXT 4 YEARS
MAYORAL CANDIDATES TALK UP IDEAS FOR CITY'S FUTURE  
 
July 21, 2004  
Section: Neighborhoods  
Page: 1-H  
   TROY GOODMAN News staff writer  
Hoover's four mayoral candidates trotted out many of their ideas last week on running the city during the next four years.  
 
 
 
One candidate said he wants to create a new administrative job called the neighborhood service officer to help guide residents through the city bureaucracy. Another candidate continued his push to tear down at least three low-rent apartment complexes on Lorna Road to encourage redevelopment in the area.
 
 
The incumbent, Mayor Barbara McCollum, reiterated what she considers her key accomplishments of the past four years. Among them is her decision to oversee the $34 million renovation of a warehouse into the Hoover Public Safety Center. The building is set to open next month with an expanded jail and enough square footage to ease an ongoing municipal office-space crunch.
 
 
Overall, the mayor and her challengers - Councilman Jody Patterson, Tony Petelos, Bob Lochamy - used campaign-related events last week to weigh in on various issues dealing with economic stability, city schools, apartments, open government and a rising immigrant population.
 
 
Patterson, Petelos and Lochamy spoke at a July 12 political forum hosted by the nonprofit Friends of Hoover.
 
 
McCollum did not attend the forum held at a Hoover cafeteria. She said she hosted a private luncheon in support of her campaign during the same time as the forum.
 
 
Imogene Hayes, of Southlake, attended the Friends of Hoover event and said it was her first look at some of the candidates and their campaign platforms. She and her husband, Hollis, planned to discuss what they heard at the forum before picking a candidate in the Aug. 24 election.
 
 
"We wanted to start somewhere. This was a good place to understand the issues," Hayes said.
 
 
The candidates used some of their time during the forum to talk about hopes for improving and protecting Hoover's economic stability, which they said is threatened by McCollum's penchant for borrowing to pay for big-ticket projects such as the Public Safety Center.
 
 
Upon learning of her challengers' remarks, McCollum said such loans were a smart move that has improved the city's bond rating and allowed for the re-use of an existing building without the cost of new construction.
 
 
Other issues discussed last week by all candidates were a push to limit the number of new apartment developments in the city, and ways to improve citizen input into school-rezoning decisions. The challengers talked about ways to alter what they view as a closed-door policy in the mayor's office to anyone but a cadre of her closest friends and advisers.
 
 
McCollum denied the charge her office is off-limits to any person or group. She admitted the demands of the mayor's job and the growing size of Hoover's population make it hard for suburbanites who get ruffled when the top elected official is busy.
 
 
"Sometimes what happens, if there's an issue that you want to talk about, if it's drainage, I'm going to send you to the city engineer and I'm not going to sit and talk with you about drainage," McCollum said.
 
 
New officer idea
 
 
At the candidate forum, Petelos said that as mayor, he would direct a newly-hired neighborhood service officer to work with residents, help them navigate the city bureaucracy and maybe schedule time with the mayor, city planners or other boards.
 
 
If elected, Patterson and Lochamy also promised to open City Hall's lines of communication for residents who want to be heard. Both men are calling for open, honest government in the next administration. Lochamy said he wants to establish blue-ribbon panels so that volunteers and civic leaders can make recommendations to city leadership.
 
 
All candidates, including the incumbent, said public sentiment against immigrant workers who gather along Lorna Road is forcing them to think hard about ways to enforce loitering and U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service laws.
 
 
No one candidate had any concrete ideas, although Lochamy is proposing to tear down a trio of low-rent apartments on Lorna Road, north of the Interstate 459 bridge. He said that should remove some of the area's appeal to day laborers and encourage lower-density housing.
 
 
Patterson said he has heard plenty of Lorna-related complaints from residents and from friends and business owners during his four years on the council. He vowed to push for increased vigilance on driver's license checks, work-visa inspections and enforced apartment occupancy rules.
 
 
"They're good workers. I've seen a hard work ethic . . . But I also know that we have laws in our country, we have laws in our city, and I think they need to be enforced," Patterson said during the forum.
 
 
Organizers said similar issues would be discussed during a League of Women Voters-sponsored mayoral forum scheduled Aug. 12 at Hoover High School. The event is planned for 7 p.m. in the gymnasium.
 
 
Candidates use events to discuss views on city issues Hoover mayoral candidates used campaign-related events last week to state their views on issues dealing with economic stability, city schools, apartments, open government and a rising immigrant population. To summarize, here are some of their stated platforms:
 
 
Economic stability
 
 
Bob Lochamy - Hoover's over-reliance on its retail-tax base is troubling. The city needs to explore new areas of revenue, economic partnering and suburban renewal.
 
 
Barbara McCollum - Our bond rating is improved and revenues are up 10 percent over forecasts. Jody Patterson and others are lying when they say Hoover will soon be spending more than it's taking in.
 
 
Jody Patterson -Deficit spending by the City of Hoover, thanks to the McCollum admin istration, could happen by 2005. The city needs to get back to spending less and saving more.
 
 
Tony Petelos - Competition is rising from other city's retail markets. Without encouraging more big-box development, the next mayor should work to protect and promote Hoover shopping and tourism.
 
 
Schools
 
 
Lochamy - The current City of Hoover administration has tampered with school-system funding to satisfy other budget needs. Also, communication between the board of education, parents and elected officials needs to improve.
 
 
McCollum - Hoover should build a few smaller schools; the big-school concept now in place has its flaws. People need to know, though, the mayor and City Council do not vote on school rezonings.
 
 
Patterson - A lot of confu sion about the current school rezoning plan can be blamed on not listening to parents. Trust in city government happens only when people believe their opinion matters.
 
 
Petelos - Parents are understandably upset about the school rezoning plan. The school board needs more input from citizens, and the mayor ought to make sure that happens.
 
 
Apartments
 
 
Lochamy - A new mayor should work to tear down three apartment complexes on Lorna Road to discourage ghetto-like housing. Also, no new apartments should be allowed on city zoning books.
 
 
McCollum - This administration has rezoned a dozen properties that allowed the removal of 2,000 potential apartments from the zoning books. The city should continue with that trend.
 
 
Patterson - Mayor McCollum pushed for the annexation of the Ross Bridge property, which includes plans for 600 apartments. That should not have happened. Also, no new apartments should be allowed.
 
 
Petelos - Hoover does not need any new apartments. Rental units don't generate enough revenue, and they put undue stress on schools, the fire department, police and other city services.
 
 
Open government
 
 
Lochamy - The next administration should establish a series of twice-monthly "meet with the mayor" sessions at various times throughout the day: morning, noon, afternoon and evening. Also, establish a proactive media and public-relations plan.
 
 
McCollum - This city is too big for the mayor to devote a lot of time to specific issues like drainage or other concerns in one neighborhood. Yet, the mayor's office meets with individuals all the time.
 
 
Patterson - Open, honest government can happen with constant communication. For the next administration, residents should rule.
 
 
Petelos - The next mayor should establish a neighborhood service officer position to help people navigate city bureaucracy and let residents know about development or other projects before key votes are taken.
 
 
Immigrant workers
 
 
Lochamy - The good work done by the Multicultural Resource Center and illegal immi gration are separate issues. The city needs to look at ways to bolster INS laws.
 
 
McCollum - The mayor's office will continue working with the INS on enforcement and arresting illegals, but the options are limited. The Multicultural Resource Center is doing its part to help immigrants find work, learn language skills and seek other resources.
 
 
Patterson - Immigrants are hard-working people who deserve a chance. But our laws must be better enforced so Hoover doesn't have to shoulder all the burden.
 
 
Petelos - It is a complex issue. A new mayor needs to get creative about enforcing laws against illegals and adopting a housing code to limit how many people can stay in one apartment.  
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HSCIN
Ex Member
Re: A Bit of History
Reply #69 - 05/02/08 at 11:29pm  
Birmingham News (AL){PUBLICATION2}
HOOVER CANDIDATES RAISED MORE THAN $132,000 IN 2004  
 
July 21, 2004  
Section: Neighborhoods  
Page: 2-H  
   TROY GOODMAN News staff writer  
Mayoral and City Council candidates in Hoover raked in more than $132,000 in campaign cash since January, according to reports filed with probate judges.  
 
 
 
That means Hoover candidates have amassed more than $160,000, taking into account all donations made since campaigning began. The sum is more than twice as much as Hoover candidates had collected at this stage of the 2000 election season.
 
 
Mayor Barbara McCollum added $19,326 to her re-election account since January, according to her campaign finance report filed last week. That boosts her total donations to $41,300.
 
 
Challenger Tony Petelos surpassed McCollum in fund raising, putting $40,000 into his campaign account in recent months and raising his total to $43,800, according to his reports.
 
 
Petelos has raised more money since January than any municipal candidate in Jefferson and Shelby counties, records show.
 
 
Two other Hoover mayoral candidates - Hoover Councilman Jody Patterson and media consultant Bob Lochamy - raised $11,925 and $5,624, respectively.
 
 
Councilman Jack Wright, who said in April he was running for mayor but then backed out of the race five weeks later, reported raising $11,675, including $1,750 of his own money, for a mayoral bid.
 
 
When the two-term councilman dropped out of the mayor's race, though, he returned the $9,925 he received from other people. That leaves $11 in his account for a re-election bid for Council Place 5, Wright said.
 
 
For Place 2, Gene Smith put $20,000 of his own money into his campaign, while an opponent, Ken Gray, collected donations totaling $4,465.
 
 
In Place 4, incumbent Kyle Forstman raised $9,250, including a $2,500 loan from family member Jim Forstman.
 
 
For Place 3, Mary Sue Ludwig drew in $5,119. Incumbent Donna Mazur gathered $3,513, including a $2,000 loan from her husband, Christian Mazur.
 
 
For Place 7, Logan Doss raised $1,250.
 
 
Candidates reporting contributions of $100 or more were:
 
 
Bob Lochamy, for the mayor's race:
 
 
$500 - Rick, Kelly, William, Wesley and Raymond Heartsill.
 
 
$400 - Bob, Sara, Anne and Sally Rast, Hoover; David, Ben, Mallory and Teresa Shepherd, Hoover.
 
 
$300 - Edmund, Kaye and Tyler Ricco, Hoover.
 
 
$200 - Vonda and Henry Cook, Hoover; Buford and Doris Copeland, Gadsden; Patricia and David Ferguson, Hoover; Brian and Katherine Priborsky, Hoover; Ward and Midge Rast, Mountain Brook; Harold and Jean Shepherd, Hoover.
 
 
$100 - Mary Breckenridge, Birmingham; Brian and Eleanor Brown, Hoover; Lee Bushway, Birmingham; Greg and Brenda Calhoun, Birmingham; Howard Elliott, Birmingham; Huey Humphrey, Alexander City; Humphries Home Elevators, Birmingham; Ernie Kiker, Hoover; Chris and Kelly King, Hoover; Raymond King, Hoover; Joann Klingensmith, Hoover; Mike Kolen, Birmingham; Barton and Polly Long, Birmingham; June and Bob McCurley, Gadsden; Tony and Frances Pardi, Hoover; Sharon Perry, Hoover; Baynard Starr, Hoover; Porter Vardaman, Hoover; Thomas Wheat, Hoover.
 
 
Barbara McCollum, for the mayor's race:
 
 
$5,000 - Alabama Builders PAC.
 
 
$2,500 - Steve Griffin, Birmingham; Haskell, Slaughter, Young & Rediker, LLC, Birmingham.
 
 
$1,000 - Greystone Dermatology and Plastic Surgery Center, Hoover; Sandra Zahradka, Alpine and Hoover.
 
 
$750 - BARWPAC (Bradley, Arant, Rose and White), Birmingham.
 
 
$500 - Campbell, Waller & Poer LLC, Homewood; Colonial Bank State PAC; Engineering Science Technologies of America Inc., Atlanta; Thomas Rice, Nashville; James Wilson Jr., Montgomery.
 
 
$300 -BHAM PAC (chaired by Giles Perkins, Birmingham); Bret Gray, Birmingham.
 
 
$250 - Charlie Beavers, Birmingham; Robert Holmes, Birmingham; Stephen Monk, Birmingham; US Infrastructure, Birmingham.
 
 
$200 - Brian's Carpet and Tile, McCalla; Robert Fowler, Birmingham.
 
 
Jody Patterson, for the mayor's race:
 
 
$3,000 - George Townsend, Hoover ($2,000 in-kind for advertising).
 
 
$2,000 -Crayton and Jane Patterson ($1,000 in-kind for advertising).
 
 
$1,500 - Robert and Robbin Sorrell, Birmingham.
 
 
$1,000 - Bob and Brenda Roper, Hoover.
 
 
$900 - Richard Smith, Hoover.
 
 
$800) - Elaine Taylor, Hoover (in-kind for advertising).
 
 
$500 - Alabama Orthopaedics, Birmingham; Patterson Homebuilders, Hoover; Otis and Ava Story, Hoover.
 
 
$500 - Jenkins Brick Co., Pelham (in-kind advertising).
 
 
$200 - Greg and Jamie Helms, Hoover; Ruth and Nick Peters, Hoover.
 
 
$111 - Jack Wright, Hoover. (in-kind for stamps).
 
 
Tony Petelos, for the mayor's race:
 
 
$3,250 - Stanley Adams, Hoover ($750 in-kind for food).
 
 
$2,500 - ALPAC (chaired by Walter Johnsey, Hoover.
 
 
$1,150 - George Sarris, Hoover (in-kind for food).
 
 
$1,000 - Georgia Eugenias, Rainbow City; Joseph Fawal, Birmingham; A. Jones, Hoover.
 
 
$500 - Acoustical Contractors, Birmingham; AnheuserBusch Companies, St. Louis; Ralph Armstrong, Birmingham; Jack Biddle, Gardendale; BIPAC (pro-industry, pro-development PAC chaired by Joe Fine, Montgomery); Bank of Alabama PAC; Buy-Lo Quality Food Stores, Hoover; Deanna Cox, Birmingham; Georgia Dikis, Hoover; Jeff Huseman, Hoover; Jefferson PAC (business PAC chaired by John Crawford, Montgomery); Andrea Koikos, Bessemer; Constanzo LaRussa, Birmingham; Billy Petelos, Hoover; John Petelos, Birmingham; Allen Sanderson, Birmingham; SouthTrust Corp. PAC; Beth Stone, Hoover; Stephens Plumbing, Birmingham; Randy Wilhelm, Birmingham; Dixie Herschel Yerby, Birmingham.
 
 
$485 (in-kind) - Multicon Inc., Hoover (owned by Tony Petelos).
 
 
$455 (in-kind) - Commander Board Signs of Alabama, Fairfield.
 
 
$350 - O.K. Tires of Bessemer.
 
 
$300 - Robert Dorough, Hueytown; Nelson Glass Co., Birmingham. Constantine Sfakianos, Pelham; Debbie Thompson, Birmingham.
 
 
$250 - David Bradley, Hoover; Walter Clark, Birmingham; Good-PAC (chaired by Fournier Gale III, Birmingham); Anthony Kamburis, Vestavia Hills; J. Krontiras, Birmingham; Koula Lorant, Birmingham; OPM Holdings, Birmingham; M. Oztekin, Birmingham; Glenn Parmley, Bessemer; Danny Patterson, Hoover; Richard Riess, Hoover; Lori Sissa, Hoover; SouthPace Properties, Birmingham; Debbie Thompson, Birmingham, Phillip Wiedmeyer, Birmingham.
 
 
$200 - Anthony Auselman, Birmingham; George Bouloukos, Birmingham; John and Mary Diamantakos, Hoover; Gilbert Douglas, Hoover; EHR International, Hoover; Eleanor Estes, Birmingham; First American Property Consultants, Hoover; William Gulas, Hoover; Peter and Betty Hontzas, Birmingham; Hueytown Chiropractic Clinic; Maria Kantargis, Indian Springs; M. D. Lewis, Montevallo; Cathe rine Petelos, Birmingham; John Sarris, Alabaster.
 
 
$150 - James Likis, Birmingham; Nicholas Petelos, Birmingham.
 
 
$125 - Doug Adams, Oneonta; C. W. Shaddix Jr., Birmingham.
 
 
$100 - Adventure Mortgage, Hoover; Alabama Injury Lawyers, Birmingham; Marshall Anderson, Birmingham; G. Anselmo, Hoover; Timothy Baer, Hoover; Bar BQ King Cafeteria, Pelham; Jimmie Barnes, Hoover; Charise Bates, Hoover; Martha Bearden, Adger; John Bekrakis, Birmingham; D. M. Black, Tuscumbia; Fannie Bonduris, Birmingham; Joseph Boyd, Hoover; Kimberly Braden, Pelham; John Calamas, Birmingham; Catherine Canter, Hoover; Stella Chagares, Panama City, Fla.; Penny Choraitis, Birmingham; Helen Cocoris, Birmingham;
 
 
Harold Collins, Hoover; Elizabeth Constantine, Hoover; Frances Constantine, Birmingham; Cleo Costas, Birmingham; Hugh Craig, Hoover; E.P. Delk Jr., Hoover; Dental Care Associates, Hoover; Keith Despain, Birmingham; Jo seph Domanaovich, Hoover; Phyllis Ellard, Hoover; Robert Folk, Hoover; Formaggios Italian Cafe, Birmingham; Toula Fulford, Birmingham; David Fuqua, Birmingham; Christian Glenos, Birmingham; Nick Glenos, Birmingham; Tasia Grammas, Birmingham; Xanthi Grammas, Birmingham; Bella Graphos, Hoover; J. E. Halbrooks Sr., Hoover; Lisa Harris, Birmingham; Teddy Hontzas, Birmingham; G. M. Hutchins, Hoover; IMCO International Trading Co., Birmingham; John James, Birmingham; Catherine Kalariotes, Birmingham;
 
 
Sergi Kampakis, Birmingham; Joseph Kinard, Hoover; George Kontos, Leeds; Steven Kontos, Birmingham; Katherine Koutroulakis, Birmingham; Ed Landmon, Homewood; Mathew Lembke, Birmingham; George Mackinaw, Birmingham; Dawn Manakides, Hoover; Michaels Enterprises,
 
 
Irondale; Chris Mitchell, Birmingham; Charles Morgan, Birmingham; Constantine Morros, Birmingham; Najjar Denanburg, Birmingham; Lawrence Newman, Birmingham; O. Graphics, Birmingham; Maria Orfanon, Birmingham; George Orphanos, Hoover;
 
 
Billy Pappas, Birmingham; Babs Petelos, Hoover; Ruth Peters, Hoover; Richard Pigford, Leeds; Agatha Pihakis, Hoover; Ted Sarris, Birmingham; James Scott Jr., Julie Sellers, Hoover; Cynthia Sfakinanos, Hoover; James Sissa, Hoover; Marlies Skarantanos, Moody; Andrew Staursky Jr., Hoover; Eli Stevens, Birmingham; Jim Strickland, Pelham; T.E. Stevens Construction, Birmingham; Jerry Torrence, Hoover; Two Ladies and A Truck, Hoover; Dewey White Jr., Birmingham; Mark Williams, Montgomery; Christy Wood, Birmingham.
 
 
Ken Gray, for Council Place 2:
 
 
$1,000 - Steve Griffin, Birmingham.
 
 
$500 - Kenneth Gray, Middletown, N.Y.; Bret Grey, Hoover.
 
 
$250 - Preston Lawley, Birmingham; Michael Walker, Bessemer.
 
 
$200 - Vincent Perna, Middletown, N.Y.; Maria Villamizar, Vineyard Haven, Mass.
 
 
$150 - Gonzalez, Strength & Associates, Birmingham; William Gray, Birmingham.
 
 
Gene Smith, for Council Place 2:
 
 
$20,590 - Self-contribution (including $10,000 self-loan and $590 in-kind for advertising).
 
 
Mary Sue Ludwig, for Council Place 3:
 
 
$500 - Ted Crockett, Birmingham; Howard Palmes, Hoover; TRUPAC (chaired by Bruce Windham, Jasper).
 
 
$300- William Ferguson, Hoover; Thomas Stuart, Hoover.
 
 
$250 - Stanley Adams, Hoover; Tracy Hull and Associates, Birmingham.
 
 
$200 - Eddie Aldridge, Birmingham; Tracy Hull, Hoover; Crayton Patterson, Hoover.
 
 
$150 - Richard Brooks, Hoover.
 
 
$125 - Henry Coshall, Hoover.
 
 
Donna Mazur, for Council Place 3:
 
 
$2,000 - Christian Mazur, Hoover.
 
 
$500 - Preston Lawley, Birmingham.
 
 
$300 - James Reed, Birmingham.
 
 
Kyle Forstman, for Council Place 4:
 
 
$1,000 - Steve Griffin, Birmingham.
 
 
$500 - Hudson Company, Hoover; William Stevens, New York.
 
 
$400 - John and Edna Pearson, Hoover.
 
 
$300 - Campbell, Waller & Poer, Homewood.
 
 
$250 - Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood PAC, Birmingham.
 
 
$200 - Engineering Science Technologies of America, Atlanta; Griffin and Associates, Hoover; Jerome Haley, Hoover; Christopher Leeds, Birmingham.
 
 
$100 - Brandon and Jeannie Hurton, Indian Springs Village; Mitzi Morris, Hoover; Don Watts, Pell City.
 
 
Jack Wright, for Council Place 5:
 
 
$2,000 - Bob and Sara Rast, Hoover.
 
 
$1,750 - Self-contribution.
 
 
$1,000 - Bunker Medbery Jr., Hoover; Shan Paden, Hoover; George Townsend, Hoover.
 
 
$500 - John Bell, Hoover; Alex Farris, Hoover; Oren Harden, Hoover; Marie Investment Co., Hoover; Taylor Design Associates, Hoover.
 
 
$250 - John Wilson, Hoover.
 
 
$200 - Leroy Clark, Hoover.
 
 
Logan Doss, for Council Place 7:
 
 
$500 - Jack Doss, Cullman; Linda Smith, Boaz.
 
 
$250 - Maple Leaf Lawn Care, Birmingham.
 
 
News staff writer Jon Anderson contributed to this story.  
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HSCIN
Ex Member
Re: A Bit of History
Reply #70 - 05/02/08 at 11:30pm  
Birmingham News (AL){PUBLICATION2}
SPEAK OUT  
 
July 14, 2004  
Section: Neighborhoods  
Page: 4-H  
Can't blame lawsuit on Jody Patterson Attempts to blame Jody Patterson for the $8,000,000 lawsuit against the city are nothing more than dirty politics, and do not deserve to be given credibility by these being published. Jody did his very best to stop this travesty, which most thinking people knew would lead to a big lawsuit. The mayor, city attorney and others in city government were well aware of the acrimony already existing over other Kessler property outside the city, and common sense tells you that de-annexing Mr. Kessler's property in Hoover is a bad idea and ripe for serious consequences. This was complete folly on their part, and any wrongdoing should be placed with them and not with Jody, who tried to stop this action.  
 
 
 
This lawsuit has real consequences and happened under the mayor's watch, including her participation and will be an election issue. Attempting to divert blame to Jody is a real smear campaign and ugly politics. Hopefully the citizens of Hoover won't buy it. We now have this big lawsuit and also the mayor's failed attempt to stop the residents from having additional representation on the council as big issues in the campaign, not to mention many other serious issues. The city attorney is charged with giving legal advice, and writing ordinances. It seems to me that if the advice is bad, and litigation ensues, he gains both ways. Isn't this a real conflict of interest? Also, the mayor could have used her veto power to stop the de-annexation if she was not in agreement with it. She didn't, and instead, signed the de-annexation ordinance.
 
 
Jody voted against the deannexation and pleaded to allow Mr. Kessler to have due process, which we are all guaranteed under federal law. At the time of the vote, Mr. Kessler's case was before planning and zoning. According to city records, he wasn't even given official notice of the plans for the City Council to de-annex his property. There is not one shred of evidence that Jody Patterson has ever had any business dealings with Kessler, or could possibly gain anything financially by his calling for due process for a Hoover property owner. We do live in a democracy, and Hoover is not a dictatorship, although it might seem to be at times.
 
 
In so far as Jody giving an affidavit: before this is over lots of people in city government will have to do either affidavits, depositions or more and this will cost the city a lot of legal fees, without even thinking of what it may cost if the lawsuit goes against the city. As I understand it, Jody was asked to sign an affidavit stating that the City Council minutes were correct as to his statements per his recollection. He was also questioned about statements made by others. Jody has no responsibility to cover up blunders by others, and wouldn't be serving the city well if he did. His responsibility is to tell the truth. Others will have to live by their own actions.
 
 
Just because Title 7 of the Alabama Code gives a council the right to reduce the city limits by ordinance and does not mention rights of persons who own land but don't live on it, certainly does not mean that their rights to due process do not exist. In fact, the statute quoted, 11-42-200, gives the right to reduce boundaries, but most of the article is devoted to protecting the rights of residents who might be involved. This article gives the city rights under "health and welfare," but when another city issue came up - apartments - which have real consequences for "health and welfare," city officials took a different position: "We had to allow more apartments, or we would be open to lawsuits." In my opinion, it is not that apartments are bad, we just have too many already and these are straining our resources. This has finally come home to us with the problems that have developed in our schools by having too many transient students in the system. We are all paying the price for this. Jody was vilified for trying to protect us in this matter, also.
 
 
With the campaign just starting, it is so sad for the image of Hoover, that instead of the mayor standing for dignity - she is leading the charge with this ugly smear campaign against one of her opponents. Her ally, Councilwoman Mazur has also entered the fray, interrupting council meetings to claim Jody is responsible for the lawsuit when she voted for the action, not Jody. Jody Patterson has worked long and hard to honor his campaign promises, and ensure that the rights of all are protected. I believe our citizens will remember this at the polls. We are all going to have to be very diligent to identify the wolves in sheep's clothing and separate these from those sincere candidates who will really honor their campaign promises and serve the interests of all Hoover citizens and property owners. With actions like we have seen here, it must be clear why we have had all the divisiveness in city government, and where the blame really lies for this problem. It is time for a change. Betty Jean Barker Greystone
 
 
Kessler deserves due process of law How in world can you blame Jody Patterson for the gross incompetence of the city attorney? Patterson did not even vote to de-annex Kessler's property near Southlake. Where was the city attorney who is paid big bucks to advise the Council on such matters? Even the casual observer knows that a governmental body cannot just de-annex without some type due process for the owner of the property. If de-annexation were that easy, none of us would be safe from the capricious whim of a mayor or council. Why didn't the president of the council, who is also an attorney, research the law before he carelessly applied it? Lawyers live for lawsuits; Mr. Austin had to know that the attorney for Mr. Kessler would bring suit. I think that those incompetents who caused this lawsuit should be made to pay for it, not the citizens of Hoover.
 
 
I am not a fan of Charles Kessler . . . but even he is due the protection of the law. If he loses his rights, my rights may be next.
 
 
As to the affidavit Mr. Patterson was asked to sign, I hate to tell the city attorney but Mr. Kessler's attorney has contacted over 100 people whom he believes heard the mayor make derogatory remarks about Mr. Kessler at club meetings, council meetings, and other places since the fight between Kessler and the city began. He is asking people to testify about what they may have heard. I know because I was one of the people he contacted.
 
 
As we look at the candidates for the upcoming city election we had better check very carefully into the background and loyalty of the various candidates or it will be four more years of the same government run for the apartment, commercial, and mammoth subdivision developers.
 
 
It is definitely time for changes in city government and also for changes in the composition of appointed boards to better represent the citizens of Hoover as opposed to the special interests. Linda Chastain Bluff Park
 
 
City opens new chapter in history A new chapter and page have just been opened in the history book of the City of Hoover, as we progress and move positively forward with the election of a seven-member council that will provide a broader base for citizen input and representation in community affairs.
 
 
It seems appropriate to reflect on the tireless efforts of the many Hoover citizens and others who contributed to the ultimate success for the expanded council representation. The majority of the current City Council were perceptive and receptive to the idea of the expanded council and made all the necessary arrangements for a public hearing and a subsequent resolution to be submitted to our Alabama state legislators that was required in order to effect a change in our state code. Every one of our state representatives and our state senators backed our resolution, and an unanimous vote was obtained in both the House and Senate. This new legislative act was quickly signed by the governor of Alabama.
 
 
At the May 17th meeting of the City Council, some 19 different citizens from all parts of Hoover went forward to the microphone to appeal to the council to vote for the expanded council. Citizens from Pembrooke Lane, Audubon Circle, Wellford Circle, Locke Circle, Woodmeadow Drive, Linkside Drive, Cahaba River Estates, Longmeadow Way, Berwick Road, Kildare Drive, Highland Gate Lane, Lake Cyrus Boulevard., Shandwick Place, Paradise Lake Lane, Highland Gate Court, Sapphire Ridge, and South Sherrlyn Drive were all in favor of the proposed ordinance. Not a single voice was heard in opposition.
 
 
The council voted and a super majority (four out of five) was obtained from the council. The super majority was required to move this ordinance forward and it was hoped that the mayor's approval and signature would be quickly obtained. Unfortunately, the mayor and her legal advisers had consistently resisted the expanded member concept and continually have tried to discourage in every way the larger council whose role is the liaison between the citizens and the mayor and department heads. Her final efforts to derail the efforts to grow the citizen's council was made on May 22 when she announced that she had just discovered that state election laws required the number of council places had to be defined by March 31 preceding the election. Unfortunately, her failure and the failure of our legal counsel to properly advise us of this requirement back in March, and her failure to take the advice of the League of Municipalities to obtain a court order to resolve this question on
 
 
May 18, precipitated the need for a private lawsuit to be filed in the Circuit Court of Jefferson County to resolve this conflict. Fortunately, for the citizens of Hoover, Judge Scott Vowell ruled in favor of the expanded council and formal approval was obtained from the U.S. Department of Justice within a week's time. When people work together, things can happen.
 
 
The good news is that we're already seeing quality people lining up for the seven council places that are now available. Additionally, three out of the four mayoral candidates have publicly announced their approval of the seven-member council and of the possibilities of later moving towards a sevenmember district concept.
 
 
"Smart growth" isn't necessarily restricted to city planning. It applies to our minds in the way that issues are approached and handled by the elected leadership of our community.
 
 
Citizens of Hoover, study your choices of candidates and get out and vote on Aug. 24. Jim Henry Hoover  
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HSCIN
Ex Member
Re: A Bit of History
Reply #71 - 05/02/08 at 11:31pm  
Birmingham News (AL){PUBLICATION2}
HOOVER MAYOR TRAILS IN FUND-RAISING RACE  
 
July 13, 2004  
Section: Shelby  
Page: 1-A  
   JON ANDERSON and MARIE LEECH News staff writers  
If dollars were votes and Hoover's election were held today, Mayor Barbara McCollum would fall a bit short in her bid to keep her job.  
 
 
 
Tony Petelos, a former state legislator and former state Department of Human Resources commissioner who is one of three challengers seeking McCollum's job, has raised $43,800 in his bid to unseat her, according to his campaign finance reports.
 
 
That compares with $41,300 raised by McCollum, according to reports she filed with probate judges in Jefferson and Shelby counties.
 
 
Monday was the deadline for candidates to report how much money they've raised and spent with 45 days to go before the Aug. 24 municipal elections.
 
 
Petelos and McCollum are two of the top fund-raisers in Jefferson and Shelby counties.
 
 
The two other Hoover mayoral candidates so far - Hoover Councilman Jody Patterson and media consultant Bob Lochamy - have raised $11,925 and $5,624, respectively.
 
 
Petelos put $3,000 of his own money into his campaign but said Monday that most of his contributors were friends, business associates and former colleagues in the Legislature, such as fellow Republicans Jack Biddle of Gardendale and Allen Sanderson of Mountain Brook, each of whom gave him $500.
 
 
Petelos also received $2,500 from ALPAC, $2,000 from Stanley Adams of Hoover and $1,000 each from Joseph Fawal and A.C. Jones.
 
 
"We're not taking any money from the big developers that have a presence in Hoover, only from individuals and small businesses," Petelos said.
 
 
McCollum's biggest contribution since January was $5,000 from the Alabama Builders political action committee. She also collected $2,500 each from Hoover City Attorney Steve Griffin and the Haskell, Slaughter, Young & Rediker law firm.
 
 
Patterson's biggest contributors were George Townsend ($3,000) and Patterson's parents, Crayton and Jane Patterson ($2,000). Lochamy said he would not accept contributions greater than $100, but he took in $600 from people with the last name Rast, including four at the same address on Shades Crest Road, and $600 from people with the last name Shepherd, including four at the same address on Old Montgomery Highway.
 
 
Longtime Pelham Mayor Bobby Hayes has raised more than any other candidate in Shelby County, with contributions of more than $70,000. About $65,000 of that came before February.
 
 
Most of Hayes' new money came from corporations affiliated with developer Charles Givianpour. Givianpour has not announced plans to develop in Pelham.
 
 
Alabaster's mayoral race is heating up with three candidates, two of whom are running neck and neck in campaign contributions. Former Alabaster Police Chief Larry Rollan has raised $14,820 to incumbent Mayor David Frings' $13,225.
 
 
"I haven't had any fund-raisers. I just announced I was running, and the money started coming in," Rollan said. "Given that it's been all voluntary and I haven't asked for any money, I'm hoping that's a good sign."
 
 
Frings is not worried. "I'm running my own campaign and I think I'm doing very well," he said. "I'm not going to ask for more money than I need for my campaign."
 
 
Among Frings' contributions was $6,000 from the Youth Educate Political Action Committee, which supports candidates actively involved in enhancing public education.
 
 
The third mayoral candidate, Henry Hines, has raised $3,300 in contributions so far.
 
 
Helena Mayor Charles "Sonny" Penhale has raised $21,448 since the last financial disclosure report. Opponent Frank Park has raised $7,450 so far, all from individuals.
 
 
Penhale received $2,500 from the Alabama Voice of Teachers for Education, a PAC associated with the Alabama Education Association. He also received $3,000 from the Central Alabama Republican Council.
 
 
Calera Mayor George Roy raised $18,045, mostly from developers and the Group PAC, which gave him $8,500.
 
 
Calera mayoral candidate Lemoyne Glasgow has raised $5,401, mostly from family members and friends.  
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HSCIN
Ex Member
Re: A Bit of History
Reply #72 - 05/02/08 at 11:31pm  
Birmingham News (AL){PUBLICATION2}
EVENTS HEAT UP HOOVER'S MAYORAL RACE  
 
July 7, 2004  
Section: Neighborhoods  
Page: 1-H  
   TROY GOODMAN News staff writer  
The Hoover 2004 mayor's race is gearing up for a flurry of campaign-related activities from its four announced contenders.  
 
 
 
One candidate plans to hold a barbecue fund-raiser in a barn. Another candidate is hoping to put together a campaign rally in a retail-center parking lot in the final days before the Aug. 24 election. Other candidate forums, private get-togethers and fund-raising events are scheduled throughout the next few weeks.
 
 
Candidates for Hoover mayor who have announced their campaigns are the incumbent, Mayor Barbara McCollum, former state lawmaker Tony Petelos, City Councilman Jody Patterson and media consultant Bob Lochamy.
 
 
The next notable event will be a candidate forum Monday hosted by the Friends of Hoover. The event will begin at 11:30 a.m. at Piccadilly Cafeteria, 1851 Montgomery Highway.
 
 
Another mayoral forum is set for Aug. 12 at the Hoover High School gymnasium starting at 7 p.m. That forum will be hosted by the League of Women Voters of Greater Birmingham and will be videotaped for later broad cast on public-access cable television, organizers said.
 
 
Lochamy, the first candidate to announce last year he was running for mayor, is the one considering a parking-lot rally somewhere near the Municipal Center. Patterson is hosting the barbecue July 17 at a barn in Cahaba River Estates.
 
 
Lochamy said he and other challengers want to meet with individual voters, civic leaders and neighborhood groups to answer questions, restate their campaign platforms or gather ideas on how the city should be run during the next mayoral term.
 
 
"The pace is quickening and I think we've only just begun," Lochamy said last week during a lunch-hour stop on his campaign schedule.
 
 
As of last week, McCollum said she had no plans to attend the Friends of Hoover candidate forum or any other large-scale event. Her stated campaign strategy is to keep the meetings small, whether it's having an afternoon coffee with friends and supporters or holding an evening function with 30-40 voters to talk about the McCollum administration and allow comments and questions.
 
 
Lochamy, Patterson and Petelos said they will participate in the Monday forum.
 
 
Neighborhood-sponsored forums are scheduled for the following dates: Lakeview, July 26; Lake Highlands, July 27.
 
 
McCollum said last week she had no plans to attend those events. Her three challengers said they are working to attend all forums.
 
 
Other neighborhood groups said they plan to hold private events where candidates can come and speak, either as a group or individually.
 
 
Riverchase, Trace Crossings, Bluff Park and Greystone are among the communities where campaign-related events may be held in the coming weeks. Events have already taken place with homeowners in Monte D'Oro, Lake Cyrus, Green Valley Estates and other neighborhoods.
 
 
Even more public discussion and future events are likely to be scheduled after July 20, the last day to qualify to run for one of seven council seats or the mayor's office.
 
 
Also, all four candidates have agreed to be interviewed by the smart-growth advocacy group Concerned Citizens for the Future of Hoover.
 
 
Paul Elkourie, an organizer for the group, said the answers to those interview questions would be publicized at a later date, after the Concerned Citizens group decides which candidate to endorse.
 
 
Last week, McCollum won the endorsement of Greater Birmingham Association of Home Builders President Joe White.
 
 
"Under Mayor McCollum's leadership, the City of Hoover has become a model city with excellent schools, financially sound government, fast and convenient shopping, with safe and desirable neighborhoods," White said in a statement.
 
 
Patterson said he would not be surprised if the mayor's race heats up with at least one more candidate vying for the job.
 
 
Lochamy said, he hopes "we can avoid a carnival atmosphere" during this year's campaign. He said previous elections, such as Birmingham's 2003 mayoral race, left voters with a dizzying array of candidates that likely hurt voter turnout.
 
 
In considering the next Hoover administration, all four mayoral candidates agreed at least three main issues have been on voters' lips. Issue No. 1 and No. 2 appear to be the continued push for smart-growth policies and the expansion of the City Council from five to seven members and what that means for possible increased representation on the eastern side of the city.
 
 
The candidates said issue No. 3 is often whether the city's economic stability will continue, improve or decline based on retail changes and the city's recent improved bond rating. Other key issues include Hoover's mix of apartments versus single-family homes, the call for increased citizen input in annexation decisions and finding a way to make the mayor's office work more harmoniously with the Hoover council.  
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HSCIN
Ex Member
Re: A Bit of History
Reply #73 - 05/02/08 at 11:32pm  
Birmingham News (AL){PUBLICATION2}
SKELTON EYES COUNCIL SEAT
EX-HOOVER MAYOR QUALIFIES IN RACE FOR ONE OF TWO NEW SPOTS  
 
July 7, 2004  
Section: News  
Page: 1-B  
   TROY GOODMAN News staff writer  
Former Hoover Mayor Brian Skelton qualified Tuesday to run for Hoover City Council, seeking one of two seats just added to the panel.  
 
 
 
A plan to expand the council from five to seven members was approved June 25 by court order. Residents of eastern Hoover, especially Greystone homeowners, led a push for the seven-member council, citing a desire for more representation.
 
 
Skelton lives in Lake Cyrus, a neighborhood on Hoover's west ern edge. Council members are elected through an at-large system without districts.
 
 
Skelton, 44, was Hoover's mayor in 2000 when he lost his first election bid for the post to Barbara McCollum. He was a Hoover council member in 1999 when he stepped in to fill the remaining term of then-Mayor Frank Skinner.
 
 
Skinner resigned following a federal investigation into his campaign finances.
 
 
Skelton, president of the South Haven Nursing Home on U.S. 31, said his work schedule has become too demanding for him to make another run for the mayor's office. If elected to the Hoover council, he vowed to devote ample time to important decisions, budget-making and mending the current rift between some members of the council and the mayor's office.
 
 
He said a decision to qualify for one of the two new seats was based on a feeling that "Place 6 was right for me."
 
 
Skelton also said he opposed many of the financial and annexation decisions made by McCollum and her two supporters on the council, Councilwoman Donna Mazur and Councilman Kyle Forstman. McCollum, Mazur and Forstman were among the candidates who campaigned together in 2000 on smart growth and open government.
 
 
"If what we have seen over the last four years is smart growth, I have been converted to no growth," Skelton said, laughing. The candidate said he would support future development if it could be handled by police, fire, education and other city services.
 
 
Mazur, McCollum and Forstman defended their growth and annexation decisions. Mazur, who is seeking re-election, charged that Skelton is a poor judge of leadership, having appeared too busy at South Haven to be an effective mayor in 1999 and 2000. "He very rarely ran the city," she said.
 
 
Tuesday marked the first day for candidates to qualify with city clerks for Aug. 24 municipal elections throughout the state.
 
 
Skelton joined four others Tuesday who qualified for the Hoover council's two newest seats, City Clerk Linda Crump said. Skelton and former Birmingham City Councilman Pete Clifford of Greystone registered for Place 6; Daniel Whitman of Greystone, Porter Vardaman of Bluff Park and John Ocampo, a Lorna Road resident, registered for Place 7.
 
 
More than a half dozen other candidates qualified for Places 1 through 5, Crump said.  
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HSCIN
Ex Member
Re: A Bit of History
Reply #74 - 05/02/08 at 11:32pm  
Birmingham News (AL){PUBLICATION2}
A BIGGER COUNCIL  
WITH DISPUTE SETTLED, HOOVER CAN FOCUS ON ELECTION  
 
June 30, 2004  
Section: Editorial  
Page: 10-A  
The best news following a court ruling that Hoover will elect a seven-member City Council this year came from Mayor Barbara McCollum.  
 
 
 
It was McCollum who ignited the controversy when she refused to sign an ordinance expanding the council from five to seven members. Now, the first-term mayor, who opposed the larger council, says she will go along with the court's ruling.
 
 
Her decision means city taxpayers will be spared more legal costs. More important, it means city voters can now focus their attention on the upcoming August elections rather than speculating on the outcome of a distracting court battle.
 
 
Voters in the eastern part of Hoover had pushed for the expansion of the City Council to improve their chance of electing council members from their area. The state Legislature passed a bill giving the city the authority to increase the council size, and the council voted 4-1 in May to add the two council seats.
 
 
But McCollum blocked the ordinance from taking effect. She contended it violated election laws, citing an older state law that sets a March 31 deadline for numbering council seats. McCollum's challenge of the council's ordinance, she says, was meant to "protect the integrity of the election."
 
 
Hoover Council President Bob Austin and two city residents sued McCollum to get a court ruling on the conflicting laws. Last week, Jefferson County Circuit Judge Scott Vowell ruled against McCollum. He said it was clear the Legislature intended to allow the Hoover council to add the two council members this year, and the law was signed by Gov. Bob Riley and OK'd by the U.S. Department of Justice.
 
 
His ruling should settle the issue. McCollum should be commended for not continuing her fight through court appeals to prevent the council from expanding. The mayor says she will issue a notice for the election of seven council members.
 
 
Good. Now Hoover voters can look forward to the Aug. 24 election knowing they will be choosing seven council members, as well as a mayor.
 
 
The larger City Council may not make the council work better, or the budgets and laws it passes better thought out. But the two new council seats (members will still be elected at-large) give Hoover residents more opportunity to elect people they feel better represent their interests.
 
 
Voters must take advantage of that opportunity.  
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Ex Member
Re: A Bit of History
Reply #75 - 05/02/08 at 11:33pm  
Birmingham News (AL){PUBLICATION2}
HARD PART STILL AHEAD FOR HOOVER  
 
June 30, 2004  
Section: Neighborhoods  
Page: 1-H  
   Peggy Sanford  
It's done.  
 
 
 
After last-minute legislative approval, public recriminations among Hoover City Council members and the mayor, and finally a trip to court last week, the city's council will grow to seven members with this summer's municipal election. Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Scott Vowell told Hoover Mayor Barbara McCollum to make it so.
 
 
Considering all the wrangling, it may seem the hard part is past. It's not, of course.
 
 
The hard part now falls to Hoover residents, particularly to the residents of eastern Hoover who began the push for an expanded council at least a year ago. They have said they want to be better represented in Hoover's government.
 
 
Greystone residents are the farthest removed from the city's core and from its traditional political base. Hoover's mayor and five current council members all live west of Interstate 65.
 
 
Hoover voters will now elect seven council members instead of five, but the seven will still be elected at-large, or by a citywide vote. Candidates will be able to choose any one of seven "places" on the council to campaign for, but the places are merely designations. They do not represent any geographical area or district of the city.
 
 
Greystone resident Jim Henry, probably the leading proponent for change in Hoover's council format, first lobbied for a move to district election. Time constraints and opposition from McCollum and some council members stymied that possibility.
 
 
Adding two council seats was a fall-back position.
 
 
Now it's up to Henry and other residents of Greystone, as well as Southlake and other east Hoover residents, to put forth strong candidates for the Hoover City Council and to rally the eastern forces to back them.
 
 
Candidates from Hoover's more removed eastern neighborhoods, just like candidates from anywhere else in Hoover, will need votes from across the city to win a council seat. A bloc vote from GreystoneSouthlake may be the critical factor in whether a candidate from the eastern side of town is elected.
 
 
One Greystone resident has publicly declared her intentions to run for council, and there may be others ready to sign on when qualifying begins July 6.
 
 
Every area of the city, and all factions of Hoover's populace, deserve representation in Hoover's government.
 
 
Candidates and voters need to remember, though, that whoever runs for council, from whatever part of the city, will be charged with representing the needs and interests of everyone in Hoover if elected.
 
 
Let the politicking begin.  
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HSCIN
Ex Member
Re: A Bit of History
Reply #76 - 05/02/08 at 11:33pm  
Birmingham News (AL){PUBLICATION2}
AG: COUNCIL CAN'T FIRE HOOVER CITY ATTORNEY  
 
June 24, 2004  
Section: News  
Page: 1-B  
   TROY GOODMAN News staff writer  
The Hoover City Council may learn from a judge this week whether the city can add two council seats for the Aug. 24 election, but it did learn Tuesday that it cannot fire the city attorney.  
 
 
 
A Jefferson County Circuit Court judge said Wednesday he would rule soon, possibly within days, on whether a council ordinance to expand the Hoover City Council to seven members is legally valid.
 
 
Tuesday, the state attorney general's office said the Hoover Council did not have authority to fire City Attorney Steve Griffin. City Council President Bob Austin had requested the opinion after Mayor Barbara McCollum said only the mayor could fire the attorney.
 
 
Austin led the recent charge to fire Griffin over the lawyer's advisory role in the mayor's decision to not sign the seven-member council plan.
 
 
Griffin said Wednesday he was happy Attorney General Troy King affirmed his employment. Especially, he said, "if they (council members) follow it."
 
 
Austin said he was disappointed with King's opinion since he believed it conflicted with a 1990 state attorney general opinion and with guidelines of the Alabama League of Municipalities. Both state the City Council does have firing authority over a city attorney, Austin said.
 
 
He vowed to discuss other options with fellow council members on how Griffin can be held accountable for his advice on not approving the council expansion. Austin and other city leaders often accuse Griffin of serving only the interests of the mayor, not the city as a whole.
 
 
"He is her attorney. He is not the city attorney, and that creates a problem," Austin said.
 
 
On the court ruling, Griffin said he felt Jefferson County Presiding Circuit Judge Scott Vowell would consider that a March 31 deadline to number the council places had passed when the council adopted the expansion ordinance and, therefore, the plan was adopted without regard to election laws.
 
 
The expansion ordinance became law this month without the mayor's signature. The mayor says the ordinance will take effect for the 2008 election.
 
 
The Legislature passed the expansion measure, which Gov. Bob Riley signed and the U.S. Department of Justice approved on Tuesday. Residents on the eastern side of the city, especially Greystone homeowners, are calling for the added council seats, hoping the change will improve their representation.
 
 
Hoover ballots will be cast Aug. 24.
 
 
Austin, acting as a private resident, filed suit against McCollum seeking Vowell's advice on whether adopting the measure after the March 31 deadline means the measure is invalid.
 
 
Austin's attorney, James Stevens, said Wednesday he wanted to know if the act signed by the governor and approved by the Justice Department takes precedence over the deadline for numbering the council seats, which he called "ministerial" and not permanent.
 
 
Vowell heard testimony Tuesday from the League of Municipalities' chief counsel, Ken Smith. He said that if two conflicting laws exist regarding municipal elections, the one with more specific rules, dates and procedures should take precedence.
 
 
Smith stopped short of saying that means an act given an OK by the governor and the federal government could be invalid when compared with municipal laws.  
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HSCIN
Ex Member
Re: A Bit of History
Reply #77 - 05/02/08 at 11:34pm  
Birmingham News (AL){PUBLICATION2}
REVITALIZATION PLAN FOR ROAD UNREALIZED  
 
June 23, 2004  
Section: Neighborhoods  
Page: 1-H  
   JEREMY GRAY News staff writer  
They called it Hoover's greatest challenge.  
 
 
 
The committee that three years ago began work on a comprehensive plan for city development recognized the need to revitalize Hoover's oldest commercial district, the stretch of U.S. 31 from Interstate 459 to Vestavia Hills, and the challenges that task posed.
 
 
The document, completed after two years of work but never officially adopted by the city, proposes the rebirth of Hoover's "historic center" as Hoover Boulevard North.
 
 
It would be a difficult endeavor with a series of goals. The plan includes protecting the adjacent residential neighborhoods while replacing the plethora of strip retail centers with mixed-use developments of businesses, offices and homes, and lining the thoroughfare with sidewalks and swaths of green.
 
 
More than a year after the comprehensive plan was presented, the grand vision for Hoover Boulevard remains largely unfulfilled. 'One major project'
 
 
The committee predicted redevelopment of the area would evolve over many years.
 
 
It wrote, however, that the "construction of one major project that embodies the mixed-use design could be the catalyst to positive redevelopment."
 
 
Planning consultant Bob House said to date there have been no redevelopment requests in that area to come before the city's planning and zoning commission.
 
 
"In the short term, the city should develop a revitalization plan and invest in infrastructure that transforms Highway 31 into Hoover Boulevard," the plan reads.
 
 
Hoover Director of Development Virginia Williams, a member of the committee that drafted the plan, said the puzzle is slowly coming together.
 
 
"It is happening; it's just a little piece at a time," she said.
 
 
Williams cites the recent announcement by Diversified Developers Realty that it will be redeveloping the Riverchase Promenade, the 15-year-old shopping center across from the Riverchase Galleria.
 
 
Williams said improvements to the TJ Maxx in the Hoover Square inspired the owners of the Quizno's, in the shopping center next door, to make similar improvements.
 
 
Williams said she also is working with developers on a redevelopment project on U.S. 31 North, but said she could not yet divulge details of the plan.
 
 
"We're making progress. There are a lot of people who want to be" on U.S. 31, she said. To protect, enhance
 
 
The comprehensive plan committee wanted to enhance existing neighborhoods by replacing strip development "with a mix of commercial, employment, and residential uses . . . that encourages pedestrian circulation."
 
 
Redevelopment, the plan suggested, should combine the Lorna Road and U.S. 31 corridors into "a single mixed-use community."
 
 
Ultimately, the committee wanted to see U.S. 31 less teeming with cars and busier with people walking and biking from Hoover's nearby residential communities to the businesses along the highway.
 
 
But the tree-lined boulevard the committee envisioned may be a long time coming.
 
 
"I think you can have a good corridor that can carry a lot of traffic but can be an attractive corridor as well," said city engineer Rod Long.
 
 
For more than five years, the Alabama Department of Transportation has worked on plans to widen U.S. 31, Long said.
 
 
"It is moving slow, but there have been discussions with the DOT about what we'd like and what they're willing to do," Long said.
 
 
While keeping traffic flowing smoothly through the busy thoroughfare is the first priority for any changes, Long said it is possible to ease traffic congestion and beautify the highway.
 
 
"Maybe some of the details of the plan aren't engineering principles but they are viable," Long said.
 
 
Eventually, city leaders must come to an agreement on what they'd like to see U.S. 31 become, he said. After August
 
 
Whoever wins the Aug. 24 mayor and council races could determine how, or if, the redevelopment of U.S. 31 proceeds.
 
 
Mayor Barbara McCollum, who is running for re-election, said the future of the project depends on funding.
 
 
"You're going to have to look at partnering private business and public institutions," the mayor said.
 
 
Councilman Jody Patterson, a member of the comprehensive plan committee and a mayoral candidate, believes Hoover must curb spending.
 
 
"We're spending more money than we're taking in," Patterson said.
 
 
"It's a very worthy idea, but there are a lot of things we're going to have to look at. We've got to decide what our priorities are," he said.
 
 
Mayoral candidate Bob Lochamy agrees Hoover must carefully watch spending in the coming years, but believes the redevelopment of U.S. 31 could serve as a catalyst for what he sees as much needed change on Lorna Road.
 
 
"If we're going to do something on 31, we need to do something parallel on Lorna Road," he said. Part of his plan to revitalize Lorna is to remove many of the apartment complexes along the road.
 
 
Mayoral candidate Tony Petelos said Hoover needs a master plan to guide such development.
 
 
"Considering the size, desira bility, and potential growth of Hoover, we are hurting ourselves by not having a master plan," Petelos wrote in a recent press statement.
 
 
Petelos said the comprehensive plan drafted by the city could be incorporated into a new master plan that he wants devised with the input of city officials, employees and residents.
 
 
"The main difference between the two plans is that the master plan considers the impact of a development and proposes a compatible land use based on that impact. The comprehensive plan is a guideline for development, but doesn't necessarily consider the impact."  
 
 
The comprehensive plan for Hoover's development, presented last year by a committee that worked two years drawing the plan, encourages recreating U.S. 31 as a tree-lined boulevard with sidewalks, flanked by a mixture of businesses, offices and residences.  
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HSCIN
Ex Member
Re: A Bit of History
Reply #78 - 05/02/08 at 11:36pm  
Birmingham News (AL){PUBLICATION2}
SPEAK OUT  
 
June 16, 2004  
Section: Neighborhoods  
Page: 4-H  
School system gets some relief Amid the tumultuous jockeying for position on issues of council expansion, electionyear politics and city attorney fees, the Hoover School System and hordes of concerned parents found unexpected relief from the City Council during its last meeting. A proposed public hearing and two residential annexation resolutions quietly died from a lack of council support.  
 
 
 
Our City Council has responded to the concern of Hoover parents that unmeasured growth in the city is having a negative impact on our neighborhoods. Developers must understand that to do business in the City of Hoover means that you must consider the impact a particular development will have on public services, transportation, and most importantly, schools and other neighborhoods - "concurrency."
 
 
I would propose that prior to city approval of new residential or commercial developments, that developers should work out impact issues with the closest affected neighborhood(s) and municipal boards.
 
 
Councilman Jack Wright, also a member of the annexation committee, first hinted at the concern for schools during the council work session prior to the June 7 meeting.
 
 
The proposed annexations at Lake Cyrus would have eventually brought hundreds of new homes to the western side of Hoover with no supporting commercial development or increase in tax base above residential ad-valorem taxes. While the long-term impact to schools is not immediately known, it could only lead to greater student population, rezoning and accelerated pressures on school board finances.
 
 
Russell Gray
 
 
President, Hoover Neighborhoods Alliance
 
 
Misrepresentation wrong for Hoover As a resident of "Hoover West," I am as concerned about misrepresentation as the residents of "Hoover East" are about no representation.
 
 
I am appalled at Mayor Barbara McCollum's continuing efforts to undermine the actions of the Hoover City Council. The actions of the council to terminate the services of City Attorney Steve Griffin are long overdue.
 
 
It is obvious to any informed voter in the City of Hoover that the city attorney has a serious conflict of interest in performing his lucrative legal function for the city. Griffin's business associate, Ken Gray, plans to run for one of the five or seven council seats. Ken Gray's brother is the treasurer of Mayor McCollum's re-election campaign.
 
 
I am no attorney, but I believe City Attorney Griffin's fiduciary responsibilities are to the City of Hoover, not exclusively the mayor. Hopefully the hiring of attorney Shan Paden as special counsel will be a step in the right direction by city leaders.
 
 
The 3-0 vote to hire Paden as special counsel was quite interesting. I understand that Councilwoman Donna Mazur had a family emergency and could not attend. If Councilman Kyle Forstman's work schedule keeps him from attending key special meetings of the council, Hoover voters should seriously consider replacing him with a qualified candidate with a more flexible work schedule.
 
 
The challenges facing the City of Hoover over the next four years require a strong mayorcouncil team that fosters open communication and cooperation among themselves and city residents.
 
 
The commercial property gravy train that has financed the rapid growth of Hoover's infrastructure is not endless. Fiscal responsibility by city leaders must be practiced on a daily basis. City growth should contain an appropriate mix of revenue-producing commercial property and revenueconsuming residential property.
 
 
I would like to commend Council members Bob Austin, Jack Wright and Jody Patterson on their efforts to bring an independent voice to the City of Hoover by hiring Paden. Hopefully City Attorney Steve Griffin will step back and take an objective look at his fiduciary responsibility to the City of Hoover, not Mayor McCollum.
 
 
The only action a reasonable, informed attorney should take is to accept the termination of his services by the City Council.
 
 
Steven D. Mitchell
 
 
Lake Cyrus Mayor obviously makes right decision It is obviously an election year. It started out with the City Council trio of Bob Austin, Jody Patterson and Jack Wright opposing Mayor Barbara McCollum's proposed 2004 budget, based on recommendations by the city department heads.
 
 
A likely scenario would have been that the triumvirate propose and vote on their own budget, but they did not. (That takes a lot of time and energy). Rather, they blamed the mayor, accusing her of grandstanding. She flatly refused to remove from the budget the medical coverage for families of Hoover employees, one demand among others. No budget has been adopted formally to date; the staff is working off last year's budget numbers.
 
 
In summer 2003, a few members of the Greystone community brought a request to the City Council (not to the mayor) to increase the number of council members from five to seven. The City Council and its president chose to ignore this request until February 2004, when it became obvious that Mayor McCollum opposed such a proposal. She did so, not because of the increase from five to seven, but because such an increase would put the city at risk of potential districting by the Justice Department under the Voter Rights Act of 1965.
 
 
Whether she was right or wrong in her opinion is immaterial, she was never asked to give her opinion or assist in the process. The council, or at least the same said trio, championed the cause. The proponents of the bill even actively concealed it from the mayor and council members Donna Mazur and Kyle Forstman. Neither were they asked to give input on the issue.
 
 
None of the locals wanting the bill passed (two of whom have twice run unsuccessfully for city council) ever considered a key deadline that is clearly available through election law.
 
 
In order for the "five to seven" bill to be in effect by the Aug. 24 municipal elections, it must have been passed prior to March 31, the deadline for the City of Hoover to declare the number of council seats to be put on the ballot. (As per State of Alabama Election laws). In fact, the bill was never passed until April 27.
 
 
The proponents never did their research. Now they are claiming the "dog ate their homework." Or rather, the mayor is at fault, and withheld information readily available them.
 
 
When the mayor refused to sign this ordinance, which is clearly in violation of election law, our council trio put forth this solution: Fire the city attorney because he did not tell them they were not following state election laws.
 
 
Note: The council president never directed him to provide legal advice to the council, which must be done before the city attorney may lawfully render services. Incidentally, this firing action is illegal too. According to city ordinance, the mayor is the only one who can hire and fire legal counsel. The City Council just ratifies the action. They couldn't get rid of the city attorney by not paying some of his bills for the last year, so they just illegally fired him.
 
 
There's more: Austin, the City Council president, last week sued the City of Hoover as an individual. Having convinced himself that the city attorney has been fired, Austin then called a special council meeting to appoint an outside lawyer to defend the city against his own lawsuit. Whoa.
 
 
Even more bizarre, the council president is a practicing attorney. Stay tuned. It's obviously an election year. Thank goodness we have Mayor McCollum who has 16 years of municipal governing experience, who knows the law and who always follows it on behalf of Hoover citizens.
 
 
Bravo Barbara!
 
 
Robert P. McGregor Jr.
 
 
Trace Crossings  
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HSCIN
Ex Member
Re: A Bit of History
Reply #79 - 05/02/08 at 11:36pm  
Birmingham News (AL){PUBLICATION2}
ANNEXATION PROPOSAL STALLS  
 
June 16, 2004  
Section: Neighborhoods  
Page: 4-H  
   TROY GOODMAN News staff writer  
A proposal to annex 100 acres adjacent to Lake Cyrus into Hoover is stalled, developer Charles Givianpour said.  
 
 
 
The Hoover City Council last week took no action on Givianpour's request to annex half of the property, which lies west of Alabama 150 just off Lake Cyrus Boulevard. The measure came up for a vote, then died for lack of a motion.
 
 
Only half of the 100 acres was under consideration last week. Bringing in all the land would need to happen in stages, the city clerk said. The property is in unincorporated Jefferson County and abuts Bessemer city limits.
 
 
Several council members said they opposed the annexation for fear Givianpour would build more houses, with no commercial component to help offset the city's cost of providing services to the residences.
 
 
The existing houses in Lake Cyrus are within Hoover, but Givianpour has land adjoining the neighborhood that could be developed.
 
 
"We don't need more homes without commercial," Councilman Jack Wright said.
 
 
Givianpour said last week he did plan to build houses on the land in question, but he had no desire to go above the 975-unit overall cap on Lake Cyrus.
 
 
Early plans included an onsite shopping center, Givianpour said. He expressed willingness to continue working with city planners to meet their expectations on housing density and commercial development.
 
 
After the council failed to act on his annexation request, Givianpour said he felt his project came at a tempestuous time: campaign season for the Aug. 24 election.
 
 
The council members are "looking for things so they can grandstand and look like they're fighting for the other side," Givi anpour said.  
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