By Staff Writer Tyler Riley
HOOVERThe whole field of candidates for the city’s next municipal election has been revealed, as the mayor and members of the Hoover City Council approach the end of another term.
The qualifying process for the city’s top governing body finished on Tuesday, June 24, so Hoover residents now know who is vying for each position.
With eight City Council seats, Hoover has the most of any Shelby County community. In 2025, 18 candidates are running for eight seats.
Frank Brocato, the current mayoral incumbent, was elected to the office in 2016 and is running for a third term in office. One other contender will run against him.
Two candidates will run unopposed for City Council seats, while the other five will face challenges.
Steve McClinton and Casey Middlebrooks, who are in positions 6 and 7, respectively, will not face any opposition in the election. McClinton is seeking a second term on the council, while Middlebrooks is seeking his third full term after being appointed in September 2016.
Khristi Driver, who has announced her intention to compete for the same position, presently holds the seat for Place 4. Following the victory of former Councilor Mike Shaw in a special election for the California House of Representatives, Driver was appointed to the council in November 2022.
Christian Coleman, a freelance writer and former member of the Alabama Air National Guard, and Donna Mazur, a former member of the Hoover City Council under then-Mayor Barbara McCollum, are the two candidates running against Driver.
Derrick Murphy, who will run for a third term on the body, is in fifth place and will face competition for the first time since the 2016 election. Steve Lawrence, who has lived in Hoover since 1974 and worked in risk management for 28 years, is challenging him.
The first of three seats without an incumbent is number one. First elected in 2016 in a run-off, Curt Posey is now the president pro-tempore of the City Council.
Tanveer Patel, an Indian immigrant and business entrepreneur, and Robin Schultz, the owner and operator of PC Medics of Alabama and Bluff Park Drone, are the two candidates that are eligible to compete for his seat in the next election.
With four contenders vying for the position, place two in the 2025 race is the most competitive.
Clint Bircheat will face off against former Hoover City Council president Gene Smith, 23-year-old law student Copeland Johnson, and coach, administrator, and mentor Kenneth Cox Jr.
Sam Swiney will not compete for a second term on the council, thus all are vying for the position.
Since current council president John Lyda, who was initially elected in 2012, will not run for a fourth term on the governing body, place three will also be up for grabs.
Lyda’s tenure as the most experienced councilor will come to an end when Liz Lane, a city artist, Ashley Lovell, who works in Lincare’s marketing department, and Robert L. Williams run for the position.
Longtime Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis, who launched his campaign in front of the former Buy Buy Baby in Riverchase in March, will run against incumbent Brocato for the mayoral position.
Derzis has been the police chief for 20.5 years and has over 40 years of experience with the Hoover Police Department. Following his qualification, he took a leave of absence from his job as required by state law, and he will continue to do so for the next two months until the election results are verified.
On Tuesday, August 26, the city of Hoover will hold its municipal election.
