Brocato Claims Second Term As Hoover Mayor As Jeffco Cities Elect Leaders
When he was elected in 2016, Frank Brocato became the 10th individual to serve as mayor of Hoover.
On Tuesday night, the 67-year-old former city fire marshal was claiming victory in his bid for a second four-year mayoral term in Alabama’s sixth most populous city.
Hoover was among 27 municipalities in Jefferson County that held elections on Tuesday. Birmingham and Bessemer do not have elections this year.
In an election in which each City Council incumbent on the ballot was winning easily, Brocato was leading City Council President Gene Smith, a former city firefighter and a council member since 2004, by a margin of nearly three to one Tuesday night. Shortly after 9 p.m., with 16 of the city’s 28 boxes tallied, Brocato had 6,690 votes to 2,293 for Smith. In an interview, Brocato said Smith had already called to congratulate him.
Hoover, which sits in Jefferson and a portion of north Shelby County, has a population of about 87,000, according to 2019 U.S. Census figures. Its per capita income of more than $44,000 is significantly higher than both the state and national averages.
The Hoover mayor serves with a seven-member council ,and the makeup of the next council looks likely to be very similar to the one that has been in place for the past four years. That’s because incumbents Curt Posey in Place 1, John Lyda in Place 3, Mike Shaw in Place 4, and Casey Middlebrooks in Place 6 were well ahead of their opponents on Tuesday night. In Place 5, one-term incumbent Derrick Murphy was unopposed in his re-election bid and has already been sworn in for another four-year term.
Meanwhile, runoffs on Oct. 6 may be necessary to settle the races for Place 2, Smith’s seat, and Place 7, held by retiring council veteran John Greene. In Place 2, Sam Swiney and Robin Schultz were leading one-two in a four-candidate field. In Place 7, 2016 mayoral candidate Steve McClinton was just shy of 50% of the votes counted in a three-candidate field. Alli Nations was running a distant second.
Except for Murphy, tonight’s election winners and the winners of the Oct. 6 runoff will be sworn in on Nov. 2.
See results from each of the Jefferson County cities that held elections Tuesday.
Roy Wood Jr. on his father, his son and his new book
Actor, comedian and writer Roy Wood Jr. is out with a new book -- The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir. He writes about his experience growing up in Birmingham, losing his dad as a teenager and all the lessons he learned from various father figures throughout his career.
Auburn fires coach Hugh Freeze following 12th loss in his last 15 SEC games
The 56-year-old Freeze failed to fix Auburn’s offensive issues in three years on the Plains, scoring 24 or fewer points in 17 of his 22 league games. He also ended up on the wrong end of too many close matchups, including twice this season thanks partly to questionable calls.
In a ‘disheartening’ era, the nation’s former top mining regulator speaks out
Joe Pizarchik, who led the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement from 2009 to 2017, says Alabama’s move in the wake of a fatal 2024 home explosion increases risks to residents living atop “gassy” coal mines.
‘It’s like feeling the arms of your creator just wrapped around you’: a visit to a special healing Shabbat
Members of Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham gathered recently for their traditional Friday Shabbat service. But this particular service was different, as could be seen by all the people dressed in their finest pink.
Space Command is coming to Huntsville. What might that mean for first-time homebuyers
While Huntsville has been a more affordable market than other growing cities, what’s it been like for those looking for their first home?
Colorado says relocation of Space Command to Alabama is ‘punishment’ for mail-in voting
The litigation announced by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser asks a federal judge to block the move as unconstitutional.
