HOOVER — Hoover Mayor Nick Derzis delivered an inspiring State of the City address on Thursday, just 80 days after being sworn in. His speech celebrated his new team and the city's new direction, emphasizing his campaign promises to prioritize economic development, transparency, public safety and education.
At a Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Ross Bridge Resort and Spa on Thursday, Derzis was introduced by County Commissioner Jimmie Stephens, who briefly described Derzis's professional accomplishments before talking about his character.
"Beyond titles and accolades, Nick is a man who cares deeply about people, partnerships, and has dedicated to his entire professional career to the city of Hoover," Stephens said. "Mayor Nick Derzis is educated, experienced, respected, dedicated, caring, true believer, he's all of these and more. He's probably the best-dressed man in the world."
Derzis' speech began with an acknowledgement of the chamber of commerce and his commitment to prioritizing working with existing businesses and promoting economic development. He then turned his attention to the city council members seated together at the front of the room.
"Just as I have recommitted to working with the Chamber as a true partner, this administration is working hand-in-hand with the City Council to address the issues facing our city, to communicate challenges openly, and to involve them directly in developing solutions," Derzis said.
"I want to be very clear: I appreciate and value this counsel," Derzis said before addressing them directly, saying, "You're a critical part of the team approach. And when I say team, at the Hoover police department, we're a team, and City Hall now, we're a team. Hoover is stronger when the mayor and council work collaboratively, respectfully, and share a focus on serving you, our citizens."
His remarks marked a formal, public end to the hostile, contentious relationship between former Mayor Frank Brocato's office and members of the council.
In recognizing and thanking his wife, the first lady of Hoover, Stephanie Derzis, the mayor reflected on the decision they made together when he faced the reality of running against the incumbent, Brocato.
"If I won, I had a new job; if I lost, I didn't have a job," he said.
Highlighting his first 80 days, Derzis spoke about what he's done to date and the mission that has guided him.
"For more than four decades, my career has been rooted in public service. I learned early on that leadership is not about titles - it's about responsibility. It's about showing up. It's about doing the right thing, even when it's hard."
"Serve the people of Hoover with integrity and excellence. And when I say excellence, I'm not talking about just perfection: Standards, clear expectations, measurable performance, and a culture that doesn't accept good enough when we, the people of Hoover, deserve better," Derzis said.
"That's what I ran on, that's what I intend to deliver, and that's what the first 80 days are good about. Set in the tone, building a team, and moving with urgency."
Derzis then recognized the leaders of various teams working with the city, from Ken Grimes, who leads the city's economic development, the interim-CFO, to the new police chief, the new city engineer, the 911 dispatch team, the firefighters, and others.
"One of the first things that I focused on is Mayor was putting the right people in the right place. An organization, public or private, is only as strong as its people. And if you want to re-establish a standard of excellence, you've got to have a team that shares the same vision and works to deliver results."
When he got to the interim-CFO, he spoke to the challenges faced as a result of the last administration.
"We welcomed back Melinda Lopez as Interim CFO, rejoining the finance department to help turn around several issues that have plagued the City in recent years and to implement best practices to ensure that what happened with our finances is never repeated."
Derzis then listed some of his first actions, including restoring full funding to first responders after a 10% cut by Brocato's administration.
"A safe city is a foundation upon which everything else is built. The economic development, neighborhood stability, and quality of life. Public safety is not an expense. It's an investment," Derzis stressed.
The second issue he said he has addressed was staffing and medical transportation for fire rescue, stating that previous cuts led to life-safety issues.
"It's insane. Not acceptable, not in a good situation."
He also spoke to keeping promises made but not delivered under the previous administration, including front-door and hotel fees, assuring that the money would go where it was committed to going: schools and economic development.
He highlighted that the city has joined the lawsuit over the money it is using under the state's current Simplified Sales User Tax formula.
"During the campaign, I stated clearly: if elected, I would join other cities fighting for revenue dollars being lost because of an unfair SSUT distribution formula," Derzis said of joining the fight, explaining, "That's not political. That's stewardship."
Derzis addressed one of the cornerstones of his campaign, giving an update on the progress and reiterating his commitment to the redevelopment of The Galleria and Patton Creek shopping centers.
"We will not accept putting lipstick on the pig," Derizis said. "We're not going to accept the decline of Patton Creek or the Galleria. We deserve better than watching the slow erosion of our most visible commercial site in the sea. We'll pursue real reinvestment and reimagining."
Noting the complexity of the ownership challenges, Derzis promised to continue working with the owners until a plan is in place.
"There has not been a week that has gone by where either me or my team hasn't reached out, communicated, pushed, and made clear that the City is prepared to do its part."
He went on to recognize several families and individuals, saying it will be an ongoing effort to "celebrate excellence in Hoover."
Those Derzis recognized and brought to the front of the room included:
- Dwight and Sandy Sandlin: Sandlin Foundation for Kids and Kindness, just a few months ago, and in a short time, they have already raised over $1.5 million, and distributed or committed nearly $750,000 to ten separate Hoover-based charities and nonprofits that serve real needs right here in our community.
- David Cohen: Owner of The Whole Scoop and a member of Derzis' transition team. During the transition, Cohen proposed partnering with Jefferson State Community College to offer free customer service classes to businesses and city employees. The class is called "Improving Customer Service: Southern Hospitality, Hoover Style." There has already been one session, and a second one is in the planning stages.
- Myles Morgan: Who was raised in Hoover, attended Berry Middle School and Spain Park High School, and he's building momentum as a country music singer and songwriter with a growing fanbase and increasing industry attention.
- Reese Gonzalez -an 8th grader at Bumpus Middle School, Reese won the Alabama 7A Girls' Cross Country State Championship. She upset a three-time defending champion, a 12th grader, and ran 3.1 miles in under 18 minutes.
- Bruce and CheChe Ayers: For more than 40 years, the StarDome Comedy Club has been a must-stop on the national comedy circuit - helping launch and host some of the biggest names in comedy. The Ayers announced last week that they have sold the establishment, but that it will continue on as a comedy club.
- Chris Richards, who was not in attendance, was also recognized. He was born and raised in Hoover and grew up playing in Hoover's youth soccer league and was recently named the 2025 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year, and a member of the United States Men's National Team, and currently a key player for Crystal Palace in the English Premier League - one of the most competitive leagues in the world.
Derzis closed out by summarizing his work to date and making promises for the future.
"The real work — the sustained work — actually starts today," Derzis said before revisiting the topics of his speech.
"Collaboration is not a weakness. It's a strength," he said in his closing.
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