No, I cannot forget where it is that I come from,
I cannot forget the people who love me
Yeah, I can be myself in this small town
And people let me be just what I want to be
“Small Town” – John Mellencamp
It is not exactly a small town these days, but Hoover was one when I moved here.
My parents moved to the Green Valley area of Hoover way back in 1971. Highway 31 was just about empty then, except for the Buick dealership and a Chevy dealership going up next door to it. I grew up feeding the ducks at Star Lake, getting ice cream at Green Valley Drugstore, and trying the first pizza I ever liked at Papa Joe’s pizza place. We shopped for groceries at the Western Supermarket (where Publix is now located). At age 14, my dad let me drive home from there — with no license and little driving experience. We Gen-Xers were basically feral.
To say that Hoover has grown exponentially since the late 1980s is an understatement. It doesn’t look like the same city. With two high schools and 92,000+ residents, it has become a metropolis compared to yesteryear.
To say that I love Hoover is also an understatement. This is my hometown. My husband and I chose to raise our two children here. They have both been involved in athletics and school clubs. We are invested in this city. That’s one reason recent developments have troubled me.
There have been rumblings in the Hoover City Council for quite a while now. Last May, there was an unsuccessful attempt to oust City Council President John Lyda. While Lyda was vacationing, a fellow councilman made a motion to replace him with Councilman Casey Middlebrooks. The motion failed, but was born out of Lyda publicly calling developer William Kadish, who was working on a Hoover project, “a convicted felon.” Kadish admitted to a grand larceny conviction from more than 24 years ago, but by all accounts, he has worked hard to redeem himself from this moral failure.
That’s not all. Troubling allegations that Lyda has refused to be transparent with taxpayers regarding Hoover’s Riverchase Surgery and Diagnostics Center project and its Certificate of Need (CON) application have hung over Hoover for the past several months. Most recently, Lyda was videotaped screaming at Middlebrooks in public after a city council meeting. Lyda, in very immature middle school boy fashion, flashed a big “L” sign on his forehead as he called Middlebrooks “a loser.” The video is downright embarrassing. According to 1819 News, attempts to reach Lyda for comment were unsuccessful.
This kind of behavior is not representative of the Hoover I love.
I don’t know Lyda. I’m sure he has some good traits. But this kind of public behavior is unacceptable from the president of the city council. I can understand having heated discussions behind the scenes. Those things happen no matter where or with whom you work. But to publicly disrespect a fellow councilman demonstrates poor judgment at best and narcissistic pride at worst.
Most political leaders are no longer true public servants. Most want to hold on to power, whether at the local, state or federal level. It’s truly discouraging to see a city leader’s behavior disintegrate in public as he berates a colleague. That video should be a wake-up call to Lyda. It appears to be time to hand over the gavel.
It’s always better to give up power willingly than have it taken away. People love humility but most politicians hate being humble. Serving with dignity and humility sometimes means letting go of whatever perceived power you’ve earned. It’s honorable to put your city before your ego.
As a Hoover City resident for nearly 53 years, I suggest that Lyda pass the torch rather than keep setting people on fire.
Kristin Landers is a substitute teacher and freelance writer. Landers’ previous work includes serving as Communications Director for the Alabama Policy Institute and working for Citizens Against a Legalized Lottery (CALL) to defeat legalized gambling in the state of Alabama.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819News.com.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
