Mayor Petelos' Past Aids Hoover's Present and Future

By Niki Sepsas

Hoover Mayor Tony Petelos credits his first few years in public service as instrumental in preparing him for his current job as Hoover's chief executive. In 1986, Petelos was elected to the Alabama legislature to serve in the House of Representatives and was twice re-elected by his district as their representative in Montgomery. Eventually, he left the legislature to accept an appointment from Governor Fob James as head of the state's Department of Human Resources and to this day looks back on lessons learned in each role as building blocks for what would come in his future.

"Working in the legislature, you come to the realization that you can't win every battle; bills are passed through compromise and finding a common ground," says Petelos."DHR was even more challenging. The organization is one of theup0 state's largest agencies with more than 4,000 employees. There are a lot of personalities and a lot of different backgrounds. In addition, we had to deal with federal, regional, local, and other state agencies. My experience in each of those arenas taught me how to work with numerous government agencies and different jurisdictions in reaching a goal."

When he made the decision to run for the mayor position of the city of Hoover in the 2004 election, Petelos set a number of those goals for himself and for the city he wanted to improve.

Mayor Petelos presenting Taylor Hicks' parents the "Taylor Hicks Day" resolution

"I felt that a city with the dynamics of Hoover needed a mayor that could work effectively with the city council to guide its growth," says Petelos. "We're the sixth largest city in Alabama and among the fastest growing in the region. It's like being on a fast moving train. My primary focus is to ensure that our growth is orderly and planned in order to provide the best public services to our citizens. We want to continue to provide the residents of Hoover with the finest in police and fire protection, educational facilities and recreational opportunities."

Petelos' message resonated with the citizens of Hoover, and he was elected mayor. Now, halfway through his term, he is justifiably proud of the accomplishments recorded thus far.

"Working with the dedicated people on the city council, we have accomplished much in a relatively short period of time," Petelos' points out. "The activity center we had wanted for our senior citizens is nearing completion and will be opening its doors this winter."

The Council also worked closely with Jefferson State Junior College, the Hoover School System and the Shelby County Commission to build a park on Valleydale Road. When it opens this fall, the 88-acre facility will feature a five-mile running track, playground equipment, lakes and pavilion.

In addition, the city took a major step in accepting President Bush's challenge to have at least twenty percent of the country's vehicles operating on ethanol by the year 2012 to wean us away from total dependence on foreign oil.

"Hoover has surpassed this goal, with the city now having the largest fleet of police vehicles operating on ethanol in the United States," says Petelos. "In fact, the U.S. Department of Transportation even listed us on their website for our move to ethanol-powered vehicles."

Petelos adds that he is especially proud of the fact that the mayor and city council work together with a degree of respect and civility that is often lacking in other cities. As he points out, the two branches may disagree on matters, but they do so professionally and with respect, always putting city and community needs first.

Under his watch, the City of Hoover has been spotlighted frequently, including the Southeastern Conference's May announcement for a five-year extension of their contract to play the annual conference baseball championships at the Hoover Met; the Met having been the setting this summer for competition of the Professional Beach Volleyball circuit; the fact that leading national competitors will be drawn to a five-mile, cross-country race to be held at the newly completed course at Spain Park later this year; the city's image being further polished with the Regions Golf Classic which drew thousands to the sparkling Ross Bridge course just off Highway 150 in Hoover, and Moss Rock Nature Preserve having attained regional prominence as a pristine nature area in an urban setting.

Recently, Hoover received two high honors, being named as Money Magazine's"One of the Best 100 Cities to Live in the Nation" as well as one of the top"50 Fabulous Places to Raise Your Family." Hoover's listings were based on those cities which have a strong local economy with growing job and business opportunities, quality schools, a diversified real estate market, low taxes, great recreation and culture, minimal crime and an aggressive plan to preserve the environment.

"These are very exciting times in the City of Hoover," Tony Petelos adds. "I feel privileged and honored to be the Mayor of a city that is becoming known for providing an exceptional quality of life for all our residents."