Gary Ivey welcomed as Hoover's new mayor (original) (raw)

The spotlight in Hoover is now on Gary Ivey, a 56-year-old car dealer who has spent the past seven years as president of the Hoover City Council. Ivey was appointed the new mayor of the state's sixth largest city on Friday following the resignation of Tony Petelos, who was appointed last week as Jefferson Countyas first professional county manager. (The Birmingham News / Beverly Taylor)

Gary Ivey drew a crowd at the Hoover Senior Center last week.

Visitors gathered to meet him, to congratulate him, to learn more about the man they assumed would become the next mayor of Hoover, Alabama's sixth largest city.

"I hope you do a wonderful job," Shirley Graham told him, two days before he was appointed by the City Council on Friday to replace Tony Petelos, who resigned as Hoover's mayor to become Jefferson County's first professional manager. "You've already been in office, so you know the routine," Graham said.

Ivey, the president of Crest Cadillac who has served as City Council president for the past seven years, already sounded like the mayor as he responded.

"Hoover is a great place to live," Ivey said. "I want to keep it that way."

Now that Petelos has gone, all eyes have turned to Ivey, 56, who will serve the balance of Petelos' term, which ends in early November 2012.

Known by friends and colleagues as a skillful businessman with a behind-the-scene, get-things-done style, Ivey has ascended to the forefront in Hoover politics. It's a role that he is more than ready to assume, his colleagues and friends say.

"Gary has been a real leader as president of the council for the last seven years," said Brian Skelton, a longtime councilman and ally. "He's done very well. He knows how to work well with people. He's able to forge compromise in a reasonable manner that's been beneficial to the city. He's been very important for the outcome of the big issues the city has faced."

Ivey is inheriting a city with a $31 million reserve fund, a strong retail base, little violent crime and a growing, diverse population. He said he expects his transition to be smooth and doesn't anticipate any atmospheric changes in how the city is being run.

"My plan is to continue on with the programs we already have going," he said. "I'd like to stay the course that we've been on."

Friends say Ivey, a measured man who did not seek the spotlight as council president, is not afraid of the hard work that running a mid-sized city entails.

"Gary has that down-home, country upbringing," said Alabama Supreme Court Justice Mike Bolin, who has known Ivey for 30 years. "His parents instilled a tremendous work ethic in him. Hoover couldn't have picked a better person to succeed to Mayor Petelos."

History

Ivey was born July 7, 1955, in Walker County to Garve Ivey Sr. and Joyce Ivey. His brother is Garve Ivey Jr., a plaintiff lawyer. His sister, Carol Hyde, is a school teacher.

Ivey said he was exposed to politics as a child, watching his father, a businessman who owned drive-in theaters, be very active in politics. But growing up in Jasper, Ivey said he had two interests as a young boy -- the car business and law enforcement.

"As time went on, I enjoyed the car business," he said.

His first business was a used car lot in Graysville in 1974.

It was through his car dealership business that Ivey moved to Hoover in 1983. He took over Crest, formerly Scoles, in 1989.

The Riverchase resident has been involved in politics through the years, operating behind the scenes and donating to various campaigns, both Democrat and Republican. Campaign signs for candidates of both parties often dot the hill of his dealership off Montgomery Highway.

"He supports people he believes in," said Jefferson County Circuit Judge Tom King Jr., a Democrat. "He gets along with Democrats and Republicans. He is not an ideologue. He is a consensus builder."

Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Hale, a Republican, said he has called on Ivey for advice in many areas -- business, governmental and political.

"Gary has always had a view for the entire community," Hale said. "He is a solid supporter of public safety."

Ivey chose to run for office in 2004, seeking a spot on the Hoover City Council at a time when arguing was common among the council and mayor. He previously had served as a member of the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission.

"I didn't like the public bickering and arguing," he said. "I thought it was an embarrassment to the city. Everybody had their own agenda, instead of the city's."

Ivey won election, and with Petelos as mayor, the City Council ushered in an era where people could disagree, but did so in a respectful way.

Ivey won re-election in 2008 without contest and has presided over council meetings that rarely last longer than 20 minutes. When there is rare discussion of a resolution or ordinance, it's done in a civil manner without arguments.

The in-fighting of the council between 2000 and 2004 prompted the formation of the Concerned Citizens for Hoover, a group that endorsed a slate of candidates.

Paul Elkourie, then president of the group, said the group is inactive because the current council and Petelos have been more civil and professional. Though the group did not endorse Ivey, Elkourie said Ivey has overseen council meetings in an efficient manner. Elkourie said members of the group plan to be watchful during Ivey's tenure as mayor.

Ivey said he intends to be a full-time mayor but retain his business interest in Crest Cadillac.

"I've got qualified staff to run the dealership," he said. "We have a great city staff that will make my job (as mayor) easy."

City projects

As mayor, Ivey plans to continue efforts to complete the Chapel Lane extension project, which will provide a major route to the Riverchase Galleria, Patton Creek Shopping Center and Interstate 459 for Bluff Park residents and other Hoover neighborhoods north of the interstate and west of U.S. 31. Work finally got under way in August.

He also wants the city to continue to pursue a new I-459 interchange near South Shades Crest Road. "We need that badly," Ivey said.

The Hoover City Council passed a resolution in April 2009 to support the proposed interchange, and in May 2010 the Federal Highway Administration approved a justification study submitted by the city.

Ivey said the city has several projects under wraps that are seeking to bring new businesses to Hoover, but not far enough along to divulge. He also plans to pursue other sporting events for Regions Park now that the Birmingham Barons have inked a deal to return to Birmingham.

"There's a lot of opportunity for us to much better utilize that space than we have in the past with the Barons," Ivey said.

Skelton described Ivey as the best business negotiator. "That will be a great advantage for us and the city," Skelton said.

On a personal level, friends describe Ivey, who loves to travel, as a devoted family man. He is married to Carolyn Ivey and has two daughters -- Tyler, 17, and Nicole, 29 -- and two grandchildren.

He is an active member of the Church of the Highlands and serves as one of seven trustees, overseeing the church's finances, approving its annual budget and any building projects, said Layne Schranz, associate pastor of Church of the Highlands.

"I've learned a lot from him in watching how he is able to handle four areas of key leadership -- his family, his business, his church, the city of Hoover," Schranz said. "He is clearly passionate about Hoover."

Ivey said he hopes his temporary term as mayor could lead to a full four-year term when the next election rolls around in August.

"The city has been extremely good to me," he said. "I'd like very much to continue to serve."

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